19th March, 2020

Stephen Faughnan, Chairman of the  IPOA has criticised the Minister for Finance and Public Expenditures comments in relation to potential eviction of tenants by property owners.  “The assumption by the Minister, Pascal Donohue that landlords will automatically seek to evict tenants in financial difficulty is grossly unfair and serves to portray property owners in a very poor and cynical light. The fact of the matter is that the vast vast majority of property owners treat their tenants very fairly and enjoy an excellent relationship with their tenants. A huge proportion of property owners have accommodated their tenants over a long number of years on very low rents without increasing same, a fact that was ignored when the rent cap measures were introduced at the end of 2016. It is now grossly unfair to assume that those same property owners will immediately move to evict tenants in financial difficulty. The Government need to move quickly to put in place the rental supports necessary to allow the tenants to continue to pay their rent. The Private landlord is the bedrock of the rental sector and Government policy and actions need to recognise and respect this.”