Residential Tenancies and Valuation Bill 2020: Committee and Remaining Stages
Seanad Éireann — 2020-07-31
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Aisling Dolan (FG), Nominated by the Taoiseach

If people do not avail of the declaration, they are able to accrue time to build up their legal rights in the accommodation. I have heard a lot about tenants in today's debate. There seems to be an argument that we do not understand what it is like to be a tenant. As a tenant for many years, I know what it is like to be asked to leave one's accommodation. I know what it is like to be told that, because of the amount of time one has spent in a place, one has a given number of months to find somewhere else to live. I know what it is like when the bank takes over a property and the landlord is no longer there to allow one to stay in the accommodation. From working in Galway County Council, I have also seen the opportunities for people to try to benefit from the HAP.
I welcome the fact that this Bill extends the period during which people cannot be evicted until 10 January 2020 if they make a declaration that they have been affected by Covid. They will not be evicted and will not have to move and their rents cannot be increased. This can only be a good thing right now. This measure is designed to improve the very precarious nature of tenancies across the country. We have all experienced that. I very much welcome it. It is good to hear the clarification that people may still accrue months towards their Part 4 rights if they have not made a declaration with regard to Covid.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/seanad/2020-07-31/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:48:31+00:00
Sitting date: 2020-07-31