Newbridge Councillor "Disgusted" That Extension On Eviction Bans Not Yet Confirmed

The eviction ban is due to expire at the end of March.

Opposition parties have voiced their disgust that a decision to extend the eviction ban was not confirmed as part of the cost of living support package announced earlier this week.

During questioning in the Dáil, Taoiseach Varadkar stated for the first time that the Government will decide on the Eviction Ban within the next 2-3 weeks, despite Fine Gael TDs and Senators speaking out against it in parliamentary party meetings.

The Eviction ban is due to expire on the 31st March 2023.

Tánaiste Micheál Martin claims the Government could make the housing crisis “much worse” by extending the current eviction ban.

Mr Martin said he didn’t think if the ban was to be extended, that it could be done only in the “short-term”.

The Tánaiste was responding to Social Democrats TD Catherine Murphy during Leaders’ Question in the Dáil on Thursday, who said the eviction ban was due to expire at the end of March and people were arriving at local constituency offices “in a panic."

“The first thing you do in a crisis is not make that crisis worse,” she said. “There’s a very real fear that that’s exactly what’s about to happen.

The Kildare North TD said in many ways the State had got to the stage where “outrage has disappeared and homelessness has almost become normalised”.

Newbridge Social Democrats Cllr. Chris Pender,echoed these sentiments and is adamant that renters require assurance right now.

"I'm calling on Government to extend the interim eviction ban. The eviction ban introduced last year is set to expire for many renters at the end of March, yet the rental market is still as dire as it was then.

"Every week, I have a large number of folks in my office that are terrified of what may happen next," insisted Pender.

"So many renters, families and households are incredibly anxious that they will be evicted once the ban is lifted, leading to a further rise in homelessness.

"For the Taoiseach to delay a decision on this for several weeks is nothing more than a delay tactic and is an insult to the numerous renters, both families and individuals, that have come to me in fear of eviction and the potential of not having a roof over their heads come April.

"The latest homelessness data emphasise the necessity for an extension of the eviction ban and a scaling up of tenant in situ purchases. We are still in crisis, as we were throughout COVID, and the eviction ban must be extended at the very least until the end of the year.

"This would allow both central and local governments the time to ramp up the tenant-in-situ scheme and employ emergency powers to convert vacant properties back into use as homes.

"It's clear from what I'm witnessing that, Removing the restriction at the end of March will create a tsunami of evictions while our homelessness services are grossly overstretched.

"The Government must extend the eviction ban and use the time to build our social housing supply. Extending tenant-in situ acquisitions is a reasonably quick strategy to keep families in their homes.

"Such purchases have been made occasionally around the country, with some local authorities employing them more than others. The Minister must offer clear guidance to all local governments and provide the necessary money to increase tenant in situ purchases to safeguard individuals from the trauma of becoming homeless.

"Until now, the Government squandered the breathing room given by the eviction moratorium, allowing the problem to worsen, now is the time to learn from their mistakes.

"People who continue to suffer unaffordable rent increases cannot wait for the market to address the problem. They require an immediate response from the Government. They are real people and families with limited incomes who cannot afford their most basic necessity, a roof over their heads.

“I am urging Government to give renters an answer this week on the extension of the eviction ban,"added Pender.