Sir, – As a founding member of the old Dublin Housing Action Committee, I applaud the actions of the Home Sweet Home group and others who have taken over Apollo House for the homeless. I am sure that they know quite well, as we did in the 1960s, that this is not a long-term solution but in the short-term it puts a roof over the heads of families. There is absolutely no reason why support is an either-or proposition. It is possible to support the short-term option while fighting fiercely for the basic right of citizens to a permanent secure home. In an era when it seems that only self-interest will bring people out on the streets in protest, it is heartening to see that there are still some who look beyond the cost to themselves and will fight for right and justice for those less privileged. – Yours, etc,
MÁIRÍN de BURCA,
Dublin 3.
Sir, – Has Minister for Housing Simon Coveney signalled that the benchmark for pay increases is now 4 per cent? Will pensions, unemployment assistance, rent supplements, etc, all increase by 4 per cent in the next budget or are such increases reserved for the landed class? We would have been better served if he had introduced a “Housing Emergency Measures in the Public Interest” (Hempi) Bill. – Yours, etc,
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LUKE BOWDEN,
Tara, Co Meath.
Sir, – I write as a landlord from as far back as 1976. Though sympathetic to anyone unfortunate enough to have entered this market in the period 2005 to 2008, I am nonetheless surprised at the lack of objectivity in some of the commentary on recent events.
An investor who purchased with a view to renting during what we might term the boom years was behaving irrationally, if he or she was paying any attention to the level of return which was available on their investment. The main motivation had to be an expectation of capital gain, which of course failed to materialise. Tough, but that’s life. There are no guarantees in any form of speculative investment.
What many people involved in the residential investment market seem unable to appreciate is the major change that has taken place in the market since 1991, when the percentage of owner-occupiers in Ireland peaked at 80 per cent of households. By 2011 the figure had fallen to 71 per cent, in addition to which the construction of social housing had virtually ceased. Whether by accident or political design, a letting market, which up until then was primarily meeting the needs of a largely transient group in society, was now meeting demand from increasing numbers of families.
Against the background of these changes a market characterised by short-term letting arrangements (a maximum of one year) and a completely laissez-faire rental system is symptomatic of a society that either doesn't care or has lost sight of the central role that decent secure living accommodation plays in family life.
Barring, at a political level, a return to a higher level of commitment to owner-occupation, combined with an increased supply of social housing, increasing regulation of the letting market is here to stay. I would say to investors that it is the new reality. Adapt to it or get out of the market. – Yours, etc,
LEO ROCHE,
Rathmines, Dublin 6.
Sir, – One major drawback for the new residents of Apollo House is their proximity to Ireland’s ugliest building. The joy of no longer being homeless will be tempered by having to gaze at Hawkins House each day. – Yours, etc,
BRIAN AHERN,
Clonsilla, Dublin 15.
A chara,– Why isn’t the price of land capped so that that it too can only increase at 4 per cent per year? – Is mise,
ALEX STAVELEY,
Donabate, Co Dublin.