WITH the ban on no-fault evictions lifted this morning, Limerick Sinn Féin TD Maurice Quinlivan has called on the Department of Housing to ensure that local councils are offered all necessary support in responding to the housing crisis.
Speaking in the Dáil earlier this week, he said that ending the moratorium on evictions would lead to more homelessness and those who have got or are about to get a notice to quit have nowhere to go.
“In the third quarter of last year, 211 notices to quit were issued in Limerick and these are due to become active today. Limerick City and County Council have confirmed that there is zero capacity for homeless accommodation.
“In Limerick the cost of rentals is too high with an 18 per cent year-on-year increase and there are too few rentals available.
Speaking on the purchase of tenant in-situ rentals and the cost of refurbishing newly acquired homes, he said that local councils must be properly resourced or the scheme will fail.
“Local councils cannot inspect all RAS and HAP properties in a year and many of them will be in poor states of disrepair. The Minister needs to review refurbishment grant to tenant in-situ properties for necessary works and avoid more people becoming homeless.
“A house isn’t purchased in a day. There is a process, a long process, that will take up the working hours of council staff. Unless local Councils are allocated additional staff it will not work and other projects such as housing build will be affected.
The Minister for Housing needs to explain how councils will operate the new “tenant in situ ” which is supposed to prevent those renting privately who are being evicted from becoming homeless.
Councils need funding, resourcing and clarity. Without clarity this scheme, like all the Government housing schemes, will not be effective,” Deputy Quinlivan concluded.
