Evictions ban rushed through amid fears over 2,200 tenancies could be terminated this winter

The Government has decided to rush through a five-month ban on evictions amid fears that more than 2,200 tenancies could be terminated this winter when little alternative accommodation is expected to be available for those losing their homes.

Minister for Housing Darragh O’Brien got Cabinet approval on Tuesday for priority publication of legislation that will ban any evictions from rented properties until April 1st next. The law is expected to come into operation from early next month.

Mr O’Brien was given approval for the moratorium to be lifted on a staggered basis from April onwards so as to avoid a cliff-edge scenario where hundreds of tenancies could be terminated as soon as it expires. The ban is to be eased on a phased basis between the start of April and June 18th next.

While the Government resisted calls from Opposition parties for many months to impose an outright ban on evictions, Tuesday’s decision was prompted by a sharp increase in notices of termination issued in the first six months of this year. This prompted fears of a consequential increase in homelessness, which is already at a record level.

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The number of termination notices issued increased by 47 per cent between the first and second quarter of this year, with 1,666 notices issued between April and June, up from 1,100 in the first three months. The pattern alarmed officials, as did the high number of notices being issued by landlords who said they were selling their properties, cases which accounted for some 1,100 of the notices issued in the second quarter.

With very few of those properties expected to be returned to the rental market after being sold, officials feared there would be a severe shortage of rented accommodation this winter. Residential Tenancy Board figures suggested that some 2,273 tenant households could have faced having their leases terminated over the winter period had the ban not been introduced.

The legislation is likely to be rushed through the Oireachtas over the next fortnight.

Mr O’Brien also won approval to seek a waiver from pre-legislative scrutiny and the Government will also ask the President if he can consider it under his constitutional remit within a period of five days once it has completed its passage through the Dáil and Seanad.

Under the legislation there will also be protection for tenants who have been served with notices to quit in the weeks ahead of the Bill being published.

Mr O’Brien said that the number of people in need of emergency housing was increasing, and intervention was needed to prevent a spike in that number over the winter.

Tánaiste Leo Varadkar had expressed some reservations about the ban in recent weeks. He had indicated his concern that it would essentially warehouse the problem only for the period when it was in place. However, speaking on Tuesday, he said he supported the action being taken by Government.

Taoiseach Micheál Martin also disclosed that since July local authorities have purchased close to 650 properties where tenants in situ were on the cusp of being evicted because a property was being put up for sale.

During Leaders’ Question, Mr Martin told Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald that Mr O’Brien was targeting November 1st as the starting date for a ban but he rejected her call for the legislation to be passed this week. Mr Martin said it is expected to be brought before the Dáil and Seanad next week, and “could be in place from the first of next month”.