Residential Tenancies (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2026: Committee and Remaining Stages
Dail Éireann — 2026-02-11
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Rory Hearne (SD), Dublin North-West

I support the amendments, particularly the introduction of a no-fault eviction ban for all tenancies, and that no eviction could take place where there is an identified risk of homelessness to the tenant. This exists in countries like Belgium, for example, where people cannot be evicted when they have nowhere else to go. It is still shocking to me that we have the highest level of eviction since the Famine, yet the Government acts as if it is normal and acceptable. It is absolutely unacceptable to us that we are heading towards what is likely to be at least 20,000 households being served notices of eviction this year, if it remains in line with last year.
Such people are coming to my constituency clinic, and every TD has been contacted by people who are in desperate situations. Someone contacted me just today to set out their case. They are a cancer patient and their husband is ill. They talk about being stuck in a renting cycle for 25 years. They also put off having children until they would be in secure housing, but now, of course, they are at the point where it does not look like it is going to happen for them. They describe it as follows:
Yet again, we are being faced with eviction for no reason except the landlord is deciding to sell up. We are so tired of having to jump at somebody's whim.
Being ill, they are exhausted. They describe the emotional and mental impact of this. They continue:
We just want somewhere we can call our own, where we can be safe from homelessness, and not fear every knock at the door, letter or phone call. We have never been late with a rent payment or been in arrears. We have always kept up a good relationship with landlords.
There are thousands of tenants like this up and down this country. The Bill, as currently put forward, without this amendment, does nothing for the existing hundreds of thousands of renters, who will still be exposed to no-fault evictions. The Bill does nothing to address their situation. That is why we feel it is vital that we have a ban on no-fault evictions, in particular where people are at risk of homelessness. It is also an opportunity for the Government if it is concerned about security of tenure, which this Bill is supposed to be about. If it was actually about that, the Government would accept this amendment and apply it to all tenancies.

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Retrieved: 2026-09-14T01:01:02+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-02-11