Urgent update needed on status of ban on evictions and rent increases
- Delayed cabinet meeting means new regulations left until last minute.
Labour Housing spokesperson Rebecca Moynihan has called on the Government to provide certainty for renters today on how long the ban on evictions and rent increases will be extended for, and clarify that an incorporeal cabinet meeting will be held later today in order to approve a new statutory instrument.
S.I No 224/2020 expires at midnight tonight.
Senator Moynihan said:
“It is unacceptable to leave the extension of the regulations to protect renters until the very last minute. As we’ve seen today, the Cabinet has been delayed due to the ongoing EU summit so renters once again have no certainty on how long they will be protected for.
“Unless an incorporeal cabinet is held later today to approve a new statutory instrument, the regulations banning evictions and stopping rent increases will expire at midnight.
“It says a lot about how the new government treats renters that the extension is still not approved or discussed by Ministers. What I’ve consistently called for is certainty for renters. Measures like this should not be left until the last minute.
“For the last few days we’ve seen a stream of stories about legal difficulties on extending the moratorium, and also just yesterday that any further measures would expire by the end of August. As the Oireachtas isn’t due back until September there won’t be time either to strengthen the protections covering evictions and security of tenure which has been put forward by the Minister to cover the u-turn on his own previous call for the regulations to be extended until October.
“The Minister for Housing should provide immediate clarification on when the rules will be extended, and for how long. This is a political decision, and the Minister should not be hiding behind legal advice. Renters should not be left waiting until the last minute for certainty on the status of their home.”