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James O’Toole speaking at Buswells Hotel in Dublin PA

Renters protest outside Dublin’s City Hall over June eviction

A small group of protesters chanted ‘Dublin city council, stop mass evictions’ as councillors met.

A PROTEST HAS been held outside Dublin’s City Hall over the eviction faced by dozens of tenants who fear they will not be able to find affordable accommodation.

Up to 100 tenants living in 35 flats in the Tathony House apartment complex in Kilmainham in Dublin 8 were served eviction notices at the end of October.

They were told they will be evicted next June so the building can be sold.

Due to soaring rents, tenants say it is not clear what will happen to them once they are evicted – and due to a lack of affordable housing options they could end up homeless.

They brought their protest to the Dáil last month and, at tonight’s protest, organised by People Before Profit, tenants called for the council to work with an approved housing body to purchase the bloc.

The small group of demonstrators chanted “Dublin city council, stop mass evictions” and heard from speakers including TDs Brid Smith and Richard Boyd Barrett.

Tathony House tenant James O’Toole, who is a community employment worker and a member of People Before Profit, said wages do not give people the means to afford to rent in Dublin.

“I’d like to ask the council and the Government what they think someone on 247.50 (euro a week) is supposed to do when they’re evicted in the new year,” he told the protest.

Speaking at a Raise the Roof event recently, O’Toole said the apartments house healthcare workers and builders who are worried they will end up on the streets.

“We are the people that work in the city. We are the people that work in our community. And yet we can’t find anywhere to live.”

The case has triggered criticism of the Government’s winter eviction ban, which stops people from having to vacate their rented accommodation until the ban ends in April.

Notices of termination can be issued but tenants do not have to move out under rules which came into force in November.

It has also raised the limitations of the Tyrrelstown amendment in the Residential Tenancies Act, which aims to prevent mass evictions of more than 10 units.

Under this clause, landlords can evade the ban on mass evictions under an “undue hardship” clause, which has been called a loophole.

The Government is coming under increasing pressure to solve Ireland’s chronic shortage of housing supply in an effort to reduce increasing homeless figures and high rents.

October represented a fourth month in a row that official figures showed there was a record high number of homeless people – with 11,397 people, including 3,480 children, recorded as living in emergency accommodation.

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35 Comments
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    Mute Patrick O Connell
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    Dec 5th 2022, 11:15 PM

    100s of landlords leaving the market every months, with less and less rights, you wouldn’t blame them.

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    Mute Paul Gorry
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    Dec 5th 2022, 11:35 PM

    @Patrick O Connell: well maybe use this platform Patrick to slam the reason for this!!.

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    Mute John Mulligan
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    Dec 6th 2022, 3:49 AM

    @Paul Gorry: they’re getting out for several reasons.
    Prices are high, a good time to get out with the minimum loss if you bought high.
    The abuse and vilification of landlords by political 5hit-stirrers.
    The difficulties in dealing with the PRTB.
    The possibility of a provo government, with the potential for their Marxist wing to do something populist and stupid, like additional taxes or outright seizure of assets.
    I’m not a landlord, but if I was, I’d get out now.

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    Mute Jon Boylan
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    Dec 6th 2022, 1:19 PM

    @Paul Gorry: I was a LL – sold out for reasons provided by JM below. PRTB is a socialist sh*t show – tenants can do what they want and walk with impunity…..glad to be out.

    35
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    Mute Lina Stein
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    Dec 6th 2022, 1:42 PM

    @Patrick O Connell: landlords aren’t leaving longterm rental market because of less rights, they are switching to short term rental for higher profits (Airbnb etc) or selling to maximise gains

    12
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    Mute Colette Kearns
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    Dec 5th 2022, 11:11 PM

    What an absolute horrible situation to be in having that hanging over your head the stress must be horrendous. The government need to step up & they could easily afford to purchase this building ( party with the unspent money that was to be spent this year) they are all paying tennants so there’s some money to be made + less people homeless! MM and Co get the finger out& do something now so these people can have some security

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    Mute David Terry
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    Dec 5th 2022, 11:20 PM

    @Colette Kearns: 9 months notice…

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    Mute Nicola Monaghan
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    Dec 5th 2022, 11:33 PM

    @David Terry: easy knowing you don’t look at available rental properties that don’t cost a kidney a month very often. The available properties in 9 months time will have gone the opposite way to the cost of rent ⬇️⬆️

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    Mute Paul Gorry
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    Dec 5th 2022, 11:37 PM

    @David Terry: That comment says it all about you take a hike ye troll.

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    Mute Colette Kearns
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    Dec 5th 2022, 11:52 PM

    @David Terry: That doesn’t make any difference these days, there’s nothing available or affordable , it’s absolutely shocking the amount of people facing homelessness. So I think you’re missing the point & if you don’t believe me then just try looking & see for yourself!

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    Mute David Terry
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    Dec 5th 2022, 11:54 PM

    @Nicola Monaghan: Why are Landlords leaving market?

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    Mute Colette Kearns
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    Dec 6th 2022, 1:32 AM

    @David Terry: Seriously if you don’t even have that information then you either a troll or haven’t got a clue!

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    Mute Just Some Guy
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    Dec 6th 2022, 2:35 AM

    @Colette Kearns:

    No the Government shouldn’t buy it because people will expect the same and that is not the road you want to go down.

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    Mute Gearóid MacEachaidh
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    Dec 6th 2022, 3:18 AM

    @Just Some Guy: it won’t be bought by “the government” as such. It will probably end up being bought either by the council or a housing body out of existing funds for doing that eaxct thing. There are precedents, it’s been done before. The alternative is making 35 families homeless and having to pay homeless HAP for them costing anywhere from 1400 to 3000 pm per family until they’re housed by the local authorities which in DCC will take over 10 years. If they buy the building they can start charging rent at cost rental to tenants not on the housing list and lower rates for those who are. In the long run it makes financial sense and has better PR optics to buy it than to make all those people homeless in the middle of a housing crisis.

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    Mute Veronica Conway
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    Dec 6th 2022, 6:15 AM

    @David Terry: 9 months notice and nothing available to rent in Dublin or throughout the country , especially affordable rental accommodation , nothing but the phantom property that doesn’t exist, such as 1/3 of properties built weren’t actually built.
    On “Irish Examiner ” to Google it..

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    Mute Paul Gorry
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    Dec 5th 2022, 11:13 PM

    Thank you FFFG. Yous have no shame.

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    Mute David Terry
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    Dec 5th 2022, 11:20 PM

    @Paul Gorry: Thank Spinn Fein!

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    Mute Paul Gorry
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    Dec 5th 2022, 11:26 PM

    @David Terry: What have spinn fein as you alluded to got to do with it David?

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    Mute Mary Nugent
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    Dec 5th 2022, 11:27 PM

    @David Terry: MM that ewe

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    Mute David Terry
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    Dec 5th 2022, 11:52 PM

    @Paul Gorry: Slandering small Landlords for years. All leaving the market.. Thank you Spinn Fein!

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    Mute Paul Gorry
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    Dec 5th 2022, 11:57 PM

    @David Terry: Ye can talk all ye like Terry. But why are they leaving the market?. Is this current government a factor? Please let me know because iam very interested.

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    Mute David Terry
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    Dec 6th 2022, 12:01 AM

    @Paul Gorry: The next possible Sinn Fein Government is a factor!

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    Mute Paul Gorry
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    Dec 6th 2022, 12:13 AM

    @David Terry: laugh a minute ye are David. It’s quite obvious you’re a disgruntled landlord blaming a party that might or might not govern in the future. Anyway back in real time are FFFG to blame in any way shape or form?

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    Mute David Terry
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    Dec 6th 2022, 12:17 AM

    @Paul Gorry: If rents are so high why are landlords leaving in their thousands. Educate yourself!

    128
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    Mute Paul Linehan
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    Dec 6th 2022, 12:21 AM

    @David Terry: Your comment is absolute BS. How on earth can you blame a party who have never been in government for the mess caused by those currently in government. And please don’t reference Northern Ireland, or any other BS nonsense your type try to bring up regarding SF. The current coalition parties have made a dogs dinner of everything they ‘pretended’ to know about and it’s time for change. Whether that involves SF or not doesn’t really matter. Just give the people of this country a bit of hope and get rid of the BShitters!!!

    126
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    Mute Paul Gorry
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    Dec 6th 2022, 12:25 AM

    @David Terry: so it’s all the shinners fault absolutely nothing to do with the current government. Maybe i should so.yer gas.

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    Mute Gearóid MacEachaidh
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    Dec 6th 2022, 12:40 AM

    @David Terry: the owner of this building is no “small landlord”. His building is worth millions and he has been taking in approximately 750k per year in rent and is trying to get around his obligations by claiming to be affected by the “hardship clause”.

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    Mute David Terry
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    Dec 6th 2022, 9:12 AM

    @Paul Linehan: Not. The closer to the next election it will be far worse with more and more landlords selling up! Guess why? Your Sinn Fein buddies…. Wait and see…

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    Mute Appius Claudius
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    Dec 6th 2022, 7:44 AM

    Mr O’Brien of Sinn Fein is directly responsible for landlords leaving the market with his threat to freeze rents permanently and compel a rented property to be sold with any existing tenants in place ! This would immediately make a tenanted property worthless. A landlord would currently be crazy not to sell up and get out.
    I am not a landlord.

    127
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    Mute OConnelj
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    Dec 6th 2022, 2:38 AM

    This housing crisis is actually a very easy problem to sort. There is just nobody in Government with the know how, compassion, or will to do it.

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    Mute Mickety Dee
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    Dec 6th 2022, 4:24 AM

    @OConnelj: Please do tell how such a complex problem that affects most of the westerns world can be so easily solved?

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    Mute OConnelj
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    Dec 6th 2022, 11:17 AM

    @Mickety Dee: most is not all.

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    Mute Appius Claudius
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    Dec 6th 2022, 7:44 AM

    Mr O’Broin of Sinn Fein is directly responsible for landlords leaving the market with his threat to freeze rents permanently and compel a rented property to be sold with any existing tenants in place ! This would immediately make a tenanted property worthless. A landlord would currently be crazy not to sell up and get out.
    I am not a landlord.

    74
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    Mute Liam Mc Meel
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    Dec 5th 2022, 11:31 PM

    Better late then never to protest

    37
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    Mute Veronica Conway
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    Dec 6th 2022, 7:51 AM

    First we had ghost estates, now it’s phantom houses — one in three of all the new homes thought to have been built over the past seven years never existed.
    Source “The Irish Examiner”
    If the phantom houses or apartments don’t exist then it’s not possible to rent in Dublin and in most cities and towns it’s the same!

    34
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