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THE NUMBER OF ‘accidental landlords’ in Ireland has risen due to a growing number of people choosing to rent out their homes in order to meet mortgage expenses.
Legal rights group FLAC showed a rise in housing/landlord and tenant issues in its annual report for 2012. FLAC noted a “striking” rise in queries to its national telephone and referral line around such matters, which were up almost 70 per cent since 2011.
The report noted that the number of people renting out their houses “purely because of a need to meet mortgage expenses rather than make a living from their investment” in particular had increased.
Calls about legal aid also increased significantly, with queries rising almost 35 per cent. Calls regarding negligence and personal injury rose by a third on the previous year.
FLAC noted that although certain types of calls had increased, the total number of calls had fallen by 3.6 per cent year-on-year, with 12, 459 calls taken in 2012. However, queries to FLAC centres remained steady, with 12,991 people receiving basic legal advice.
Of the legal issues most commonly being raised at centres, family law remained the top issue at 34.4 pert cent of queries. Employment law came in next at 15.3 per cent and credit and debt law queries at 9.7 per cent.
The report highlighted some “noticeable trends” during 2012, including a 15 per cent increase in housing/landlord and tenant-related issues; a 10 per cent increase in neighbour dispute problems and in queries regarding wills; and an 11 per cent increase in enquiries around solicitor-client relations.
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One of the worrying trends in the last few years is the re-emergence of anti Semitism amongst far right and far left ideologues.
@Ned Gerblansky: hmmm I’d contest your point there. I think the left have given rise to anti-Zionism which is not the same as anti-semitism, they’ve some valid points when it comes to this giving the handling of issues in the Middle East.
It is in fact the far right, the likes of trump and the rest that set a precedent and target one or two groups and suddenly it’s a free for all when it comes to attacking certain groups, ethnicities etc for others to attack.
@Ned Gerblansky: there is a huge difference between anti-Semitism and anti-Zionism and you appear to be eliding the difference. The latter position is common on the Left including Left Wing Jewish groups.
@The Guy is Here: I disagree. There is a rise of antisemitism and you can call it anti Zionism if you wish. I myself while pro Israeli reject Zionism but I can see that position used for intolerance. There is a simple fact in relation to antisemitism in the western world. Jews are living in fear & many of them are emigrating to Israel. Now we can have a whole argument about Israeli behaviour in relation to it’s neighbours but how does that correlate with British French and German Jews. Also while we agree in relation to trump & his light on the right you failed to mention Corbyns labour party on the left in the UK which not only covered up antisemitism it promotes. In my view antisemitism is always a sign trouble is coming & we are already well down that road.
@The Guy is Here: “I think the left have given rise to anti-Zionism”
The lefts opposition to Zionism has become a convenient cover for many plain old anti-semites. Anti-semitism has been on the rise on the left side of the spectrum for some time.
Hate crimes against Jews in New York for instance have shot up in recent years and they are almost always perpetrated by non whites. You cannot pin those on the far right.
Basically far right and far left are two sides of the same coin and both should be shunned.
@The Guy is Here: Not wanting Jews to have a homeland IS anti-semetic, it is in fact growing rapidly in far left circles… ask the Labour Party in the UK. Far left circle ideologies tell them that “the Jews” have influence in everything and too much “wealth” & “privilege”. Growing Communist communities in fact DO talk about Jews ideally “redistributing” their money. Much akin to what Hitler did in Germany by taking over Jewish businesses.
“Trump” isn’t “far right”… the KKK is far right. If you continue painting someone who isn’t “far right” or “anti-semetic” to be so… you in fact are causing people to not take future “far right” accusations seriously… and thus contributing to the hostile environment Jews increasingly have to live in.
@Will: the far right and far left are not the same. Your point are weak and reductionist and your knowledge is clearly redundant.
@Mjhint: your point died at pro Israel.
@The Guy is Here: The far left and the far right are extremists and both have a tendency towards violence in order to achieve their aims. They are most definitely two sides of the same coin.
You haven’t proposed an argument and went straight to personal attacks. I think I can dismiss you’re opinion based on that alone.
I bet you frequent many a far left conspiracy site.
@Mjhint:: I disagree, antisemitism is and always will be there, to pretend it is not will not solve anything. The way the so-called democracy of Israel treats its neighbors and especially the brutal treatment of the Palestinians does them no favours, carrying out crimes against humanity is not the answer for a people who have endured crimes against humanity and they of all people should know better. You cant claim the high moral ground while they do what they do. If the Palestinian question was resolved in a humane manner then that would reduce an lot of anti-Israel sentiment.
@The Guy is Here: are you suggesting we get rid of Israel?
@Da_Dell: I completely agree with you in relation to the Palestinian question & Israel’s behaviour in relation to this is disgraceful. It is the case though that Israel is only 50% of the problem. Far more Palestinians are killed by their own side & nothing about it. This is a complex matter & Israel should be held to account particularly by it’s ally across the Atlantic but the attitudes on the Arab side needs to be addressed & it’s slowly happening.
@Mjhint: I would also agree with what you there .. At some point there needs to be something like in the North .. where you had to say enough is enough, agree that there was and is issues on both sides, draw a line in the sand, shake hands and move forward with a fair negotiated 2 state solution.
@Mjhint: Yip, while neither’s sides wrongs should be dismissed, maybe accepted & move on. The wrongs of either side, will never be able to be righted, to the satisfaction of the other at this stage. I know it will not be easy but if there was some relaxation of the ‘blockade’ of Palestine and let them have some sort of a normal life, it would help reduce the number of extremists etc and maybe stop another generation in abject poverty etc who see Israel as the cause. We saw this in the North, the more freedoms that were won over time, lead then to less of a perceived need for those tactics that won those freedoms and more emphasis on a negotiated solution. Whether same results would have occurred of those were given instead of having to be won is debatable of course.
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