As the government courts more international money for Ireland’s rental sector, tenants say they want more transparency around who they are renting from.
One aim of the rules is “dampening the pro-cyclicality of credit and house prices so a damaging credit-house price spiral does not emerge”, said a Central Bank spokesperson.
A Dublin City Council spokesperson said inspections will return to past levels once public health advice allows. Two politicians say the entire system for improving standards needs overhaul.
It’s been more than two years since the former Housing Minister said St Michael’s Estate would host the city’s first cost-rental scheme. Progress to date has been slow, say councillors. The longer it takes, the more likely it is that costs will rise.
The Santry Whitehall Forum want the empty old Hanging Garment Factory refashioned into a community centre, given the many high-rises planned for the area.
Under the deal, Glenveagh would have built more than 850 homes and sold half on the private market, while selling the other half back to the council for social and “affordable purchase” homes.
“Talk about David and Goliath,” says Tony McDonnell, gesturing upwards at the seven-storey building directly next door to his home on Mayor Street Upper in the Docklands. “Well that is Goliath.”
The cost for those reliant on Housing Assistance Payment has gone up in many cases, pushing tenants into debt and poverty as they struggle to cover “top-ups” to landlords and scrape together deposits.
Since last February, councillors in a cross-party working group have met, to thrash out what a new model for public housing for the city should look like.
