There’s a very strong justification to extend the blanket ban on evicting tenants after the pandemic, an expert in homeless policy has said.
Professor Eoin O’Sullivan, a researcher at Trinity College Dublin, said the emergency protections for renters has made a significant differences in the number of families entering emergency accommodation.
The Government brought in an emergency ban on evictions and a freeze on rents at the outset of the pandemic. The moratorium has been extended until early March, in line with Level 5 Covid-19 restrictions.
At the end of December 2020, there were 755 families in emergency accommodation. This is the lowest monthly figure since December 2015.
No home comforts: how much does it cost the state to build a house? The Department of Housing says it cost the state €181,000 to construct a home in 2019. Dublin City Council says it costs well over double that amount. Who is right? 13th December, 2020
The cost to the state of building is a matter of dispute, with wildly differing figures being quoted
Two weeks ago, broadcaster Pat Kenny said he was left “mystified” after an interview with Brendan Kenny, head of housing at Dublin City Council.
The interview arose after two separate reports were released by the state that suggested the local authority could build social homes at roughly half the cost of purchasing units from the private sector.