Cover image for Dublin Inquirer print edition #123
"June is deeply associated with Áine, the Irish goddess of summer, fertility, love, and sovereignty, whose presence is especially felt around the midsummer season."
Iness and Michel Lunga went to the council, the RTB and the Gardaí for help, but last week had to move out. A previous tenant says he went through something similar.
Six months ago, Housing Minister Eoghan Murphy announced plans for a cap on the deposit a landlord can ask for from a renter. It’s not in place yet.
In one part of the north inner city, more than 35 percent of households had more than one person per room. And more than 8 percent had more than 2.5 people per room. Guess which?
It’s a common refrain, but the figures just don’t bear it out, writes Mick Byrne of the Dublin Tenants Association.
Some councillors have raised concerns that those reliant on the rent subsidy are just as vulnerable to evictions as other tenants.
Recent figures for different neighbourhoods show that low-income tenants who rely on rent-subsidies are far from spread evenly across the city.
One woman sent the council links to 20 properties on Airbnb but was told that the council couldn’t follow it up.
Some argue that a public register would help tenants to make sure the rent they are charged isn’t more than it should be. But is it worth giving up some privacy?
Although not all shelters rule out renters, and not all landlords rule out pet owners, in Dublin’s tight rental market, being a pet lover can make things even tougher.
“If we look at the major policy initiatives over the last two years, it is hard to draw any other conclusion,” writes Mick Byrne.
The housing charity Threshold says it’s had an increased number of calls from people who are being evicted on the grounds of “substantial refurbishment”.
“Our research repeatedly shows that the largest single cause of family homelessness is landlords selling up and using loopholes in the law to evict families,” says Mike Allen of Focus Ireland.