Sir, – I read with interest Una Mullally's article on the plight of Dublin tenants ("Tenants need to speak with one voice to achieve rent reform", Opinion & Analysis, May 30th). It made for chastening reading.
As a tenant in Drogheda for the past six years, I now realise how lucky I am. Each October we sign a lease, our rent is reasonable, we pay for secure parking and we have an excellent staff to deal with any maintenance issue. The chasm that exists between the experience of Dublin tenants, as evidenced in the experiences of tenants quoted by your columnist, and those of us fortunate enough to be treated fairly, may seem unbridgeable. But it’s not.
What it will take is, yes, a healthier attitude on the part of Government to renting, a groundswell of support for renters but, equally, fairness, dignity and understanding from property owners.
As ever, Una Mullally has her finger on the pulse of Irish society. – Yours, etc,
JOHN CLUNE,
Drogheda,
Co Louth.
Sir, – Una Mullally does not mention that just a few short years ago it was many of these same renters who were taking full advantage of the laws of supply and demand and driving rents down by 30 per cent or more. Many landlords went to the wall at that time without the advocacy powers your columnist appears to think they possess, and no cry of sympathy went up for them at that time. On the contrary, they were portrayed as victims of their own greed, as opposed to legitimate investors who got their timing badly wrong.
Much of today’s housing problem has been caused because landlords are exiting the market in huge numbers – a telling and poignant verdict on the current unattractive nature of the rental market as an investment opportunity.
As long as current taxation laws make it possible to incur a tax liability on a loss-making property, there is no great incentive for investors to return to the sector.
This is a great pity as, in a properly regulated market where renters are entitled to rights, respect and value, the Government’s potential partners in solving the housing crisis have been chased out by high taxation and ill-informed commentary. – Yours, etc,
GEOFF SCARGILL,
Bray,
Co Wicklow.