Sir, – Mark Mohan (“Exodus of landlords from rental market”, Letters, July 27th) cites excessive regulation as a significant reason why landlords are leaving the market, and says “it is high time for more acceptance of obvious facts here”.
Indeed it is.
The European countries with the most regulated private rental markets – including rent regulation, minimum standards, no “no-fault” evictions and significant security of tenure for tenants – are also the ones with the highest proportion of households living in them. See Germany, Austria, Denmark and Switzerland, for example. As ever in housing, it is often the counterintuitive that trumps the theory, or even opinion. – Yours, etc,
Dr LORCAN SIRR,
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Technological University Dublin,
Dublin 1.
Sir, – Mark Mohan claims that Ireland has the best welfare system in the OECD, that public services are by and large freely available, and implies that low-income earners, by extension of not paying income tax, are carefree and have nothing to be concerned about.
While we do not have the worst welfare system, we hardly have the best. Ireland is characterised as having long waiting lists and poor access. The average wait time for to be provided with social housing for a household (which has met a strict, and means-tested, criteria) is more than seven years. And while the State provides a housing assistance payment it is at a level that does not facilitate low incomes to have the same access to private rented as others (“Only 50 properties available to rent under HAP rate in June, report finds”, News, July 23rd).
Public services in Ireland are neither free nor freely available; even our much lauded “free” education system (excluding third level) has hidden “voluntary” charges, though efforts have been made to address this with the introduction of free schoolbooks. In healthcare waiting times (and costs) differ significantly for public (which is means tested) and private patients. And let’s not talk about childcare.
The OECD has assessed Ireland as having the most progressive system of taxes and transfers of any OECD member. But this is not something that we should be particularly proud of as it highlights high levels of income disparity, so much so that we rank 32 of 34 for income inequality before this intervention. The OECD also notes that even after this intervention “Ireland remains moderately unequal”, ranking 15 of 34. The recent closure of Tara Mines highlighted that – unlike many other countries – there is a massive cliff-edge in a person’s income when they suddenly have to rely on social welfare.
It has not been excessive regulations that have led us to where we are. I do agree with Mr Mohan that we need a functioning and attractive rental sector, and key to this is affordability and access. Let’s look at all the facts and be careful how we interpret them. – Yours, etc,
EOIN CARROLL,
Dublin 3.