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THE GOVERNMENT HAS announced plans for a temporary ban on evictions for the duration of the Covid-19 crisis.
The proposals also include a temporary ban on rent increases for those whose incomes have been impacted by the coronavirus pandemic.
Tens of thousands people have lost their jobs as a result of the crisis, with a large number of businesses closing temporarily or permanently.
The notice period for tenancies of less than six months is also being increased from 28 to 90 days.
The emergency measures for renters were agreed at a Cabinet meeting today.
Housing Minister Eoghan Murphy intends to publish legislation next week to amend the Residential Tenancies Act 2004-2019 to give effect to these changes.
It is expected the legislation will amended over one day when the Dail returns next Thursday.
Speaking on RTÉ’s Drivetime, Murphy said landlords cannot impose a rent increase on their tenents during the crisis, and if a person has received a notice request to leave the apartment or home they are renting that process will now be suspended.
For the period of this emergency we are banning rent increases and notices to leave rental accommodation.
He said the government wants to ensure that during these uncertain times, peoples’ homes are protected.
Other issues that will arise after this period will have to be dealt with adding: “We can see what else needs to be done. As we move through this period of emergency, we don’t yet know how long that will be, we don’t yet know what other problems might arise in the interim.”
In a statement, the Department of Housing said the emergency rental measures “complement those announced by the five main retail banks yesterday, in relation to the flexibility – such as three-month mortgage breaks – which will be offered to those with buy-to-let mortgages whose tenants have been impacted by the virus”.
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“It is the government’s expectation that landlords will pass that flexibility on their tenants. Tenants are encouraged to engage with their landlords as quickly as possible if they are facing difficulties.”
The statement added that while tenants “will be expected to pay rent during this period, income supports and Rent Supplement is available to those struggling to do so”.
“These supports are provided by the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection. Any rent arrears built up will be payable, but landlords have been asked to show forbearance and reach local arrangements in such circumstances.”
‘People are worried’
Speaking today, Murphy said he knows that “many people who are renting are worried about their living situation”.
“I want to assure them that over the emergency period they will be able to remain in their homes. Today the government approved new measures to give the strongest possible protection to all renters at this time of national emergency.
“A moratorium on notices to leave rental accommodation is being introduced as is a moratorium on rent increases so that people will be safe in their homes during this period.”
Murphy said he is aware that some renters will find it very difficult to pay the rent due to the impact that Covid-19 is having on businesses and jobs, saying there are “supports in place for people through the Rent Supplement”.
He thanked landlord and tenant organisations for their “engagement and support in these measures”.
The minister added that in terms of a rent break for all renters, that’s not necessary because the majority of people are still going to be at work.
“Yes, people are losing jobs for on reduced hours, and it’s very difficult for them. But a number of people will still be working in our economy and will still be able to pay,” he said.
Speaking to TheJournal.ie, Fianna Fáil’s Darragh O’Brien said he wrote to Minister Paschal Donohoe about supports for renters last week and he is pleased that ideas he had put forward in his letter had been announced today.
He said a rental and housing crisis that already existed has been made more difficult with the outbreak of Covid-19. O’Brien added that he has heard positive stories from landlords in recent days who have already been in touch with their tenants to work out deals.
Today’s announcement follows engagement in recent days by Murphy with such organisations as well as charities and NGOs in the housing sector.
Related Reads
Emergency Covid-19 legislation passes all stages in the Dáil
TDs are today debating emergency legislation that deals with a number of issues including social welfare payments and detaining people who have Covid-19 if needed.
Tánaiste Simon Coveney earlier confirmed in the Dáil that renters will be “protected”, stating: “We will legislate to ensure that there will be no evictions during this period.”
‘Absolute panic’
Speaking in the Dáil this afternoon, Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald said “no threat of eviction should hang over anybody’s head” during the crisis.
“Tens of thousands of people have lost their jobs, many more will lose their jobs in the days and weeks ahead, as businesses have had to close their doors.
“And for these families, the fear of the virus is now matched by the fear of bills that cannot be paid, rents that cannot be paid, mortgages that might go into default.”
Catherine Murphy, co-leader of the Social Democrats, said a number of people who have received eviction notices recently have been in touch with her office and are in “an absolute panic”.
Labour’s Alan Kelly echoed this sentiment, saying any rent that people cannot afford to pay because of the pandemic “cannot be crystallised”.
“This is not like dealing with mortgages. The debt cannot be crystallised. They can’t put it off, they can’t pay it, so the State has to intervene. I cannot be any clearer than that.”
Responding to earlier comments by Minister for Finance and Public Expenditure Paschal Donohoe about potential evictions, Stephen Faughnan, chairperson of the Irish Property Owners’ Association, said the assumption “that landlords will automatically seek to evict tenants in financial difficulty is grossly unfair and serves to portray property owners in a very poor and cynical light”.
Faughnan said the vast majority of property owners “treat their tenants very fairly and enjoy an excellent relationship with their tenants”.
He called on the government “to move quickly to put in place the rental supports necessary to allow the tenants to continue to pay their rent”.
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Think it should be “only hear about the wins not the losses” and “thousands of ads” slightly exaggerated. Me being a bit facetious., I am not however seeking to make fun of the subject, personally I believe gambling to bea more dangerous addiction than alcohol. I’m surprised st the number of people I know living in rented accommodation, driving 10-15year old cars who are, apparently winning thousands on betting every week.
Fair play to the students bringing this up. It is a danger.
It’s always the same idiots crying out about gambling. It’s the same brain dead crew who give gambling a bad name by betting on bad information. All the crap about bookies always winning etc only exists because of people not planning what they do properly. I make my living from gambling and I’m not a bookie. I make a very good living. Am I an addict? If so, then I’m a very happy and quite wealthy one. Go put 2 grand on Rory McIlroy to win his matchplay tomorrow and you’ll make back over €700 profit. That’s a weeks wages for most people-tax free. Easy money. Bye now.
If it’s that easy how are bookies making a profit ? The we lost at Cheltenham is a play on results gamblers May win on the Cheltenham races and lose on all the other meetings or dogs, football boxing etc etc
Wait John you actually make a living from it? Oh in that case I take back what I said.
For all the harm it causes to the vulnerable are completely negated by your apparent success. We should increase advertising spending and relax regulation to create more success stories like you john, who gives a sh/t about the social implications right!?
Should limit the amount of ads. Not just to curtail gambling habits but also to prevent us watching the same shite gambling app for ‘the lads’ tv ad 1000 times during every sporting event.
There’s only so much drink you can drink or drugs you can do before you physically can’t do any more….you can gamble everything you have and get loans for more and lose that in a half an hour or less without anybody asking questions or asking if you need help
As someone that gambles and previously worked in the industry, I am constantly amazing at the negative perceptions the wider world have on this subject. Gambling has a stigma attached to it whereby it has a “so-called” reputation for ruining lives, targeting the vulnerable, etc. It’s all complete claptrap, as that is just not how they operate at all!
Although parts of the industry are perhaps under regulated compared to the scrutiny they could be placed under, it is still the most regulated industry in the world.
Just like alcohol companies, hotels, cinemas, supermarkets, etc, they offer a service. People need to accept responsibility for the decisions they make, rather than blaming external influences.
Other countries have higher age requirements for purchasing tobacco, voting, drinking, gambling, etc, as they feel education (or rather a lack of it) are the key determining factors in good decision making. So, why don’t we just raise the legal age for such activities to 21 (finish secondary at 18, then do a 3 year degree), the age at which our education system says we are fully qualified for adult life!
A woman kept gambling Scottish notes in a bookies in London and collecting on her credit card the manager though is was money laundering got on to head office they said keep taking the money.
A manger was worried about how much money a punter was losing as he new he could not afford it head office said keep taking the money .
Both cases where paddy power who where fined and warned about future conduct
I can see how it becomes a problem for so,e when not 4 posts down there is a fairyhouse sponsored “what kind of race goer are you” quiz which mixes betting with a lads day out sort of event with alcohol etc….
These companies target the young, a lot more needs to be done. I received 2 texts every day during Cheltenham from Betfair even do I haven’t had an account with them since 2010.
I bet a few quid at Cheltenham every year, I know nothing about horses. I win a few quid, I lose a few quid then that’s it till next year. It’s self control those students are lacking, is it an addiction? Maybe. Self control? Definitely.
Yeah it’s all about self control. Reminds me of a Tommy Cooper joke. ‘Doctor my arm hurts every time I do this (raises arm above head)’. ‘Well then stop doing it then’. If gambling is leaving you broke then stop gambling. If you have that kind of addictive personality then chances are that you would be prepared to stroll into a bookies and lose your money there anyway.
Let’s put it this way… why wouldn’t you bet when you know you have mummy & daddy in the background to bail you out? Give me a break… this was never an issue for the generation before and there was plenty of physical bookies and online gambling.
Smcb
That’s just the point it wasn’t an issue in the past, there was no on line advertising or gambling. You had to physically go to a bookies. Now the ads jump into your face and curiosity trips in and it’s so easy I don’t even have to get out of my chair.
Previously “I might give it a whirl, oh it’s raining outside, stay put and try it later” hour later subject forgotten.
Eh, what are you talking about?…. Paddy Power were online well into the Noughties … I remember because I gambled away when I was a student (on the money I earned and could afford to lose). Give me a break. The mollycoddled generation are having a bit of a moan. They’d want to meet real addicted gamblers whose actions have caused real pain and hurt.
Gambling is a huge problem, how many suicides are a result? 1 in 3? Why are we allowed to gamble using credit cards? For me, banning the use of credit cards for gambling would stop people getting in so much serious trouble, in parts of europe you cant buy a lotto ticket or equivalent using a credit card!
Or maybe they’d take a cash advance on their credit card, via an ATM or their online banking? A few people have mentioned “Ban credit card gambling” here. You do realise that credit card companies already profile gambling sites and charge topups as a cash advance (at a higher rate)? So it’s the same as transferring cash from your credit card into your account, or withdrawing cash and going down the bookies. If people want to gamble they will gamble, it’s not the apps fault, or the credit card’s fault.
It’s the equivalent of:
- Banning 6 packs in favour of 4 packs so people drink less
- Getting rid of 10 packs to discourage smoking
- Limiting paracetamol purchases in one shop but allowing someone go shop to shop
Inconveniencing many (I don’t gamble btw) to pretend we’ve done something for a few who need help is a very typical kneejerk response
I see Paddy Power landed in hot water in Britain for actively encouraging a problem gambler until he lost his job, his family and ended up homeless.
In May 2014, staff found out that he was working five jobs to fund his gambling yet staff encouraged him to become more active until one day the manager saw the poor man living homeless on the street. They’d sucked every last penny from him and his life had collapsed.
The same company is at the forefront of the campaign for 24 hour gambling in Britain and a relaxation of the laws here in Ireland.
Gambling is a vice, an insidious addiction.
In Gambler’s Anonymous there’s a saying:
A gambler will end up in one of three places:
Prison
Psychiatric institution
The Morgue.
This disease is out of control nationwide. Government are turning a blind eye and counting the revenue instead.
Time to call a halt to this Evil Vice.
This is a ticking time bomb, it’s a problem at second level never mind third. Keep telling students there is a reason Paddy Power shares have increased 15 fold in 10 years and if they want a good bet just buy the shares. We can only make them aware of the dangers.
establishments do not provide information for the huge number of problem gamblers as to what to do if they feel they have a problem.. The current law is being completely ignored by an garda siochana as the wagering and payout limits are being breached every single minute. Does any one ever wonder where the huge amounts of money being deposited in automated roulette machines every day. I have personally observed many people depositing thousands in fifty euro notes in very short spaces of time. In contrast there are others hanging around who have blown their wages, welfare money or any other money they can get their hands on. As a gambling addict who has lost everything and great difficulty attempting to abstain I feel not enough is being done to protect the vulnerable being completely exploited by gambling establishments…
Well said, more needs to be done.. You wouldn’t constantly shove alcohol in the face of an alcoholic.. All media is responsible for what’s a huge bombardment of all types of gambling
It’s way way too easy to lose plenty of dough, and it’s not real money when you are playing, just a number on a screen.. I’ve thrown away everything, many times. It’s not that I didn’t win, it’s the addiction that kept me going till I was completely broke. Then reality sets in, hiding things, lying to my loved ones and feeling more depressed each day.. But still waiting for payday to go again.. It’s a horrible way to live and sometimes seems impossible to get away from. No one close to me knows this because been secretive comes with the shame and self loathing. I bet you (no pun intended) alot more people than we realize are in the same boat. Those sites ect are extremely good at getting into the head of the poor gambler, and releaving them of everything possible.
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