Readers have their say on the eviction ban: ‘Well-intentioned but the wrong strategy’

On Tuesday the Cabinet signed off on an eviction ban which means landlords will not be allowed to remove tenants from their property until the end of March 2023, except for in exceptional circumstances.

We asked tenants and landlords for their views on this policy and a selection of their responses can be seen below.

Responses

I have a number of properties which I rent out rent out in my local area as a secondary source of income and I think that the eviction ban is good as long as tenants keep up their payments. If they fail to pay their rent then there should be a clause in the eviction ban which allows an eviction. This seems to be the fairest way. Elisa O’Donovan, Co Limerick

I was a landlord. I sold my property because I felt demonised by legislation that effectively gave me no rights to my own property. It is the Government’s responsibility to house people, not a private individual. The high levels of taxation and the RTB (Residential Tenancies Board) oversight on my property were a huge disincentive to continue.

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A basic understanding of economics would tell politicians that piling all the costs and legal obligations on to landlords would result in thousands leaving the marketplace. When politicians looked for an easy solution to a complex problem it was always going to backfire. So now we have tens of thousands of landlords exiting the market and the problem is right back on the politicians’ table. Brian Kearney, Co Dublin

As a landlord I think this is very unfair. I have five properties which I lease to mostly students. Sometimes students become unruly and need to be evicted to stop further damage to my property. What can I do now? Diarmuid Walsh, Co Dublin

I bought my two-bed apartment more than 15 years ago as my first home. I was stretched to the max, needed my parents to go guarantor and let out a room to ensure the mortgage was covered, but I did it and was stressed, but delighted.

Years later, my now husband and I decided to buy a house to accommodate our growing family. I had the choice of selling my apartment at a loss, or renting it out and hoping to cover the mortgage and costs that way so we, like many others, became “accidental landlords”.

In the 10 years that I’ve been renting, I’ve had tenants disappear without paying, issues when the RTB would not help because my documentation had the wrong wording, increased management fees and increased insurance costs. When we did find good tenants, we kept the rent low to keep them there, but then the RPZ’s (Rent Pressure Zones) came in and now we’re stuck at the low rate despite interest rates and our mortgage payments going up and the rent being 20 per cent below market rate.

We had one tenant who didn’t pay the rent for five months, who later turned out to have forged her references and was wanted by An Garda Síochána. The RTB were truly awful and no help. They are not interested in helping landlords.

The thought of an eviction ban terrifies me, even if it is “temporary”: didn’t they say the same about the USC (Universal Social Charge)? I hoped to use my apartment to supplement mine and my husband’s pensions, but with the risk of non-paying tenants, the hostility of the RTB and the work involved in the maintenance, fitting out and repainting every couple of years, I may be forced to sell soon.

I appreciate that we’re lucky to have two properties, but the fact is, we’ve worked to get them, to maintain them and to have the Government now decide that we need to bear the brunt of their abysmal housing plans is completely unjust. It’s not as if we get the same tax breaks as corporate landlords, or even any tax breaks. It’s extremely unjust. Linda, Co Dublin

This is more utter populist nonsense from the Government pandering to every Sinn Féin whim. I am an accidental landlord who has not increased rent on my tenants in three years and charge considerably below the reported market rent. I know many others like me. My tenants are super and have kept the apartment as a home.

However, this feels like the Government is forcing the hands of landlords like me. They are trying to take control of what I can and cannot do with my property, which is just out of negative equity. They provided no tax benefits to small time landlords like me in the budget and are now imposing draconian, half-baked controls like this. Because of the gross lack of detail provided on Tuesday, I very reluctantly provided notice of termination to my tenants. I would not have taken this step yesterday only for the eviction ban. I should have control over my hard-earned asset. Anand Damle, Co Dublin

It’s well-intentioned but the wrong strategy. It will add costs to anyone with a mortgage as it makes repossession too difficult. Wonder when mortgage holders will be factored into the equation.

No Government action to stop banks charging higher interest rates when the ECB (European Central Bank) rate was zero and below. If people can’t pay for a property they are renting then they should be obliged to move on. Stephen McCullen, Co Dublin

I saw a neighbour being evicted because the landlord was selling. He had to go to a B&B. At the State’s expense. This should not happen. Marie Brazil, Co Louth

Missed opportunity to outlaw backdated rent increases which allow landlords, who have not raised rent in RPZs, [to] raise rent by more than 2 per cent – that is the real problem. Currently our rent could legitimately be put up by 9.7 per cent as per [the] RTB calculator.

Leases of 12 months or more should only be subject to rent increases every five years. Majority of rents are more than covering the landlord’s costs. More favourable tax treatment of landlords’ rental income is the solution, not causing tenants more costs for them to make a decent return. Sophie

If the aim is to avoid tenants being evicted, the Government should address the root cause of private landlords exiting the market which is the high taxation of rental income. It is not equitable to pass the pain of the eviction ban on to private landlords without also addressing the pressures on landlords. [The Government are] doing it because they know most people have no sympathy for landlords, so the announcement won’t hurt them politically. Katie, Co Dublin

A never ending nightmare. My father died in early 2021, leaving the family a three-bed that was rented out. We gave nine months’ notice to the tenant to leave. The tenant – who has been paying below-market rent for years (which can’t be changed because it’s a rent-pressure area) refused to vacate when his notice to quit passed in December 2021.

Instead, he said he wants the estate (us) to sell the property privately to a shell company (for below the market price) that he has ties to (am not making this up).

The executor said “no” – it has to be an open market sale of the vacant property (so it’s transparent) – but the guy refuses to leave, says he has “possession” of the property, and the lawyer’s bills go up as we try to get him out.

We were told we couldn’t get the tenant out without first going through the RTB (who are so understaffed the automatic reply to emails is don’t expect a reply for 21 days). Months later (and we were lucky it was only months) we finally had a hearing and were really hopeful that we could get a report and then an order to get this tenant out, so we could all move on with our lives. And now this. Our whole family is devastated.

Granting probate on my Dad’s estate generated a tax bill – where is our temporary ban for paying revenue?

Meanwhile, our tenant (a former landlord) is now getting another five months to try and pressure us into selling for below the market rate. By the time the ban ends, we will have been trying for two years to get the tenant out to settle my dad’s estate (and some of our family are now facing serious medical issues, loans for college etc – where is the temporary ban or freeze on us having to pay for those items).

What is the point of renting out property in Ireland? Paying your tax on rental income and your RTB fees doesn’t give you any protection. The law doesn’t protect you, and the Government just doesn’t seem to care. Triona Campbell, Co Dublin

Read more on this issue

Eviction ban to last to April 1st, with ‘staggered’ resumption planned

Q&A: How will the new evictions ban work?

Landlords ‘fear’ extension of temporary eviction ban next spring

Property owners threaten legal action over winter eviction ban

To impose tenancy on a landlord is outrageous. It is no wonder many are leaving and will now definitely continue to do so. Landlords have no rights. People can destroy their property, fail to pay their rent, misuse properties and still stay there and the difficulty, as before, is trying to get them out when they do either or all of that.

As for RTB, they give no support to the landlord. They provide no support for landlords who have to pay insurance, mortgages, management fees, maintenance and tax etc and still will have difficulty removing anyone from their property.

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Tenants can stay for nothing as long as the dispute rumbles on. What a disgrace, a total fiasco in my view and one which will come back to bite politicians at the doorstep and ballot box. A huge error of judgment. Anyone who works hard in this country and pays their dues gets nothing from the State. Theresa Moore, Co Dublin

I will be selling my one rental property as soon as my tenants move out. They had given me notice months ago as are moving home and I’ve been watching the endless demonisation of landlords and slow systematic stripping of their rights. This is the final straw.

This Government is absolutely not to be trusted. I have always maintained the rental house to a high standard and charged below rental value... this is a kick in the teeth to small landlords. Marie Byrne-Schulz, Co Dublin