RESIDENTS OF TATHONY House in Kilmainham and People Before Profit politicians have slammed the government for a legal exemption that will allow the building’s owner to evict almost 100 people in June in order to sell the building.

Tenants from the Dublin 8 apartment building protested outside the Dáil today, saying that many of them would likely end up homeless because their eviction wasn’t subject to a law that prevents mass eviction.

The Tyrrelstown Amendment to the Residential Tenancies Act of 2016 prevents landlords or property owners from evicting 10 or more units of their property, unless they would be caused “undue hardship” financially by allowing the tenants to stay.

The building’s owners have availed of the hardship clause, which residents say has caused them immense stress and worry as they consider where they’ll live in June.

Madeleine Johansson, a resident of Tathony House for the past 13 years and a People Before Profit councillor on South Dublin County Council, told The Journal:

“There are 35 households who are going to be evicted into the housing crisis, there are no properties, there’s nothing available. So where are people supposed to go? People are going to become homeless, there’s no question that that will happen.”

“We’re campaigning for the council or a housing body to purchase the place, if none of that happens, I don’t know where I’ll go,” she said.

James O’Toole, a resident of Tathony House since 2009, is a community worker for the Irish National Organisation of the Unemployed.

“I work on a welfare rights helpline. I’m on Community Employment pay so I’d like to ask the government what they think someone on €247.50 a week will do once I’m evicted in the new year. People in the building face a very real prospect of homelessness,” he said.

“There’s almost €500 million that the government underspent from the Housing for All budget, so why don’t they use some of that money to keep 35 families in their homes, rather than adding 100 people to the rental market in the spring?”

O’Toole added that the speed at which rent in Dublin is rising will mean that the prospect of finding a new place to live in June will be even more unlikely than it is now. 

Tathony House resident James O'Toole addressing the crowd Jamie McCarron Jamie McCarron

PBP TD Richard Boyd Barrett was in attendance at the protest and raised the plight of Tathony House residents with the Taoiseach during Leader’s Questions earlier today.

Boyd Barrett asks Micheál Martin why the building’s owners had been able to make use of the Tyrrelstown Amendment’s hardship clause, and how that could be compared to the harsdhip of residents, some of whom were sitting in the Dáil’s gallery.

“These are families who have done nothing wrong facing eviction by a landlord who’s made a massive rent roll of about €750,000 a year for all the years that they’ve been tenants, now facing eviction and the possibility of being put out on the street and they are scared. That’s why they’re here,” he said.

The Taoiseach replied that there would have been a reason in this case why the landlord was exempt from the Tyrrelstown Amendment, and that such exemptions had to exist in the interest of fairness.

“It does strike a balance between the landlord’s right to sell their property and achieve a fair return on their investment and a tenant’s right to security of tenure,” Martin stated.

He added that he would examine the issue and had been in contact with Minister for Housing Daragh O’Brien in relation to the possibility of purchasing Tathony House.

“There’s obviously at some stage a threshold in terms of where the state gets involved and that applies to everything. So I’m not saying that’s what you’re saying here. There are specific cases that you’ve referenced there which we will follow through on and see what we can do to help the tenants,” he concluded.

Speaking at the protest, Boyd Barrett slammed the Taoiseach’s response saying: “Why is undue hardship of a property company more important than the undue hardship of the tenants – families in many cases?” 

“It makes no sense to allow people to be homeless when the taxpayer will have to spend money on emergency accommodation once they’re evicted.”

Residents of other apartment buildings and properties facing eviction were also represented at the protest.

30 homes have been served eviction notices at Rathmines Road in Dublin 6, as well as seven tenants at St Helen’s Court in Dun Laoghaire.

Seán Mitchell of St Helen’s Court told The Journal that he’s been in a lengthy process of appeals with the Residential Tenancies Board and court cases, leaving him feeling “in limbo.”

“We haven’t heard anything from the council, the last time we were supposed to be in court it was cancelled. We’re asking them to buy it.”

Organisers of today’s protest said that only a minority of residents were able to attend today as most were in work, but urged supporters to join the Raise the Roof housing rally in the city centre this weekend.