A BILL BY Housing Minister Darragh O’Brien will be brought before the Dáil today to replace emergency protections for tenants that were first brought in due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The bill, known as The Residential Tenancies and Valuation Bill 2020, is set to replace the emergency measures that were recently extended until 1 August.

The measures proposed by the bill include protections to renters who have fallen into rent arrears, giving them 28 days to pay owed rent before they can be evicted.

Rent increases for workers who are on the Pandemic Unemployment Payment or Temporary Wage Subsidy Scheme will be banned. 

Both of these measures will last until January 2021. 

Minister O’Brien said previously that strong legislation was needed as the emergency measures could not remain in place indefinitely.

“It is well known that they could not be extended indefinitely so it is important we have strong legislation, which combines targeting those who are most vulnerable with longer-term measures to address rent arrears, in place prior to the Dáil recess,” said O’Brien.

Sinn Féin housing spokesperson Eoin Ó Broin expressed his concerns about the bill, saying that it will only provide “limited protection” against eviction and rent increases for renters, and will remove all other protections afforded by the emergency measures.

“Landlords will again be able to issue vacant possession notices to quit or implement such notices that were served before March 27th. These notices have been the single biggest cause of family homelessness in recent years,” said Ó Broin.

Labour’s spokesperson on housing, Senator Rebecca Moynihan, says that she expects to see an increase in homelessness due to the bill.

The government must prepare for that reality now as their flawed bill won’t stop people losing their homes. We know that the pandemic ban on evictions clearly worked to stop the increase in homelessness.

ESRI study

This morning, the Economic and Social Research Insitute (ESRI) published a study that examined the impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic on the private rental sector.

The report found that affordability pressures have not worsened overall, due to the sharp change in expenditure and consumption likely having outweighed the decline in incomes.

Minister O’Brien welcomed the findings of the report, saying that it proved the emergency measures brought in by the previous government were effective but must change with the public health and economic circumstances.

“The insights provided by this research will guide policy, in particular the further measures I will take to regulate the private rental sector, and to protect tenants and residential landlords alike from the challenges associated with the pandemic and ensuing economic shock,” said O’Brien.

These measures will combine targeting those who are most vulnerable with longer term measures to address rent arrears.