As the government courts more international money for Ireland’s rental sector, tenants say they want more transparency around who they are renting from.
People waiting on them, stuck in precarious housing situations, are getting increasingly desperate, says People Before Profit Councillor Hazel de Nortúin. “It’s causing so much trauma.”
Official figures show an small uptick in landlords telling the RTB they were claiming an exemption from rent-cap rules because their properties hadn’t been rented for a while, or ever. But the totals are still small.
The Housing Assistance Payment scheme is designed to mirror social housing, but HAP tenants are not always treated the same as those living in council-owned social homes.
Local councillors welcomed the plans, including confirmation that all the homes will be social or affordable, but also flagged the high proportion of studios.
Meanwhile, between March and June, work didn’t start on any new sites in Dublin city with planned developments of more than 10 homes, according to a council report.
The council says it is necessary to raise money to pay for community facilities for the hundreds of planned homes at St Michael’s Estate on Emmet Road.
Faced with the alternative of a tumble dryer, Luis Bruno decided to rebel and put a clothes horse out. “Global warming is a reality we can’t escape,” he says.
“At the moment you are just dealing with fake pharmacy windows and fake clothes shops,” says Labour Councillor Darragh Moriarty. “It’s hugely frustrating.
