THE ECONOMIC crisis is contributing to a major rise in evictions, according to tenants' rights group Threshold.
The organisation says 10 of its clients a week were illegally evicted or threatened with eviction last year. An illegal eviction is defined as a tenant being physically removed or locked out of their accommodation by a landlord. In total, it says it recorded 141 completed illegal evictions and 533 threatened illegal evictions over the course of 2007.
Interim figures show these numbers are continuing to increase this year.
Threshold chairwoman Aideen Hayden said the rise in illegal evictions was a symptom of how economic difficulties were affecting the rented sector.
"There is now a serious affordability crisis in the rented sector for people on low incomes," she said.
"Over the course of 2007, we saw landlords under pressure to meet mortgage payments seeking rent increases or higher-paying tenants."
The organisation said affordability was a major issue, with basic bedsits in Dublin costing about €600 a month.
