TENANCY TERMINATION IS the most prevalent issue facing private renters, a new study has found.
The research conducted by national housing charity, Threshold, found that termination was the biggest concern facing renters while rent increases was a close second.
Threshold said key recommendations to improve security for private sector renters, made in the report, include the inclusion of a right to housing in the Constitution and the removal of “no-fault” eviction from the Residential Tenancies Acts.
The latter means a landlord would only be able to evict where a tenant has breached the agreement, for example non-payment of rent or damage to the property.
The report cited that one-in-five households now live in rented accommodation compared to one-in-10 in the 1990s, with Ireland experiencing a significant shift in tenure pattern, either by choice or necessity.
The age profile of those living in private rented accommodation is also changing, with people now living in the sector for longer.
Ann-Marie O’Reilly, Policy Officer with Threshold, said that the data in this report is indicative of the extent to which the private rental sector now operates and renders an increasing number of tenants vulnerable:
“Anyone who has ever rented a home will likely identify with this sentiment. This lack of security was most strongly evident in the exposure experienced by private renters when their landlord decided to sell the home, or to take it back for their own use, or when a private renter feels they must accept an invalid rent increase.
“Rental prices have increased nationally by almost 80% in the past 10 years. This growth has been driven predominantly by the Dublin market where growth of 90% has been recorded over the period.
“The research finds the lack of security of tenure is foremost in the findings, together with the problem of how this lack of security impacts on the agency of the tenant in the tenant landlord relationship – that is the lack of control and a negotiating imbalance for tenants.”
The study shows that compared to single people, those with children; in receipt of a social welfare payment; or a housing support, are more likely to face landlord-led terminations, invalid notices of termination, and the threat of homelessness as a result.
Single people are shown to face a wider range of issues compared to other groups.
This issue of tenancy termination ranked highly for those with a disability, with this group facing additional challenges of sourcing accessible accommodation. One thing that differentiates the current housing crisis in Ireland from other societal issues, is the way in which it extends to, and negatively affects, almost all age cohorts and a broad range of tenure types.
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