Simon Community appeals for urgent action for at-risk tenants

Measures to prevent vulnerable households from being pushed into homelessness are required before a ban on evictions and rent increases is lifted, the Simon Communities of Ireland (SCI) has said.

Its spokesman Wayne Stanley said an "eleventh hour and seemingly piecemeal" decision to briefly extend the existing moratorium by the new Minister for Housing Darragh O'Brien was "cruel for those individuals and families at risk of homelessness".

Mr Stanley’s comments are just one of a number of strong reactions to the decision taken by Mr O’Brien, announced on Monday.

It will see the Covid-19 prompted move to freeze rents and prevent tenants losing their home extended until the end of the month, by which time the Government aims to have new legislation to underpin the measures.

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Mr O'Brien said his decision to apply a brief extension followed discussions with the Attorney General Paul Gallagher.

The SCI has appealed for “urgent preventative action” on behalf of at-risk tenants.

“The lifting of the moratoria has to be contingent on the government putting in place an array of preventative supports to keep as many individuals and families out of homelessness as is possible,” Mr Stanley said, echoing widespread calls for concrete steps to be taken before existing protections are allowed to lapse.

“Putting adequate preventative measure in place will take time and the government should ensure that the moratoria are in place until that work is done.”

John Mark McCafferty from Threshold said the Government will be judged on the robustness of new legislation.

He told RTÉ’s Morning Ireland that with 300,000 households in the private rental sector there is a need for a more nuanced approach to the way tenancies end.

“We are in unprecedented times so calling for measures that would have been impossible before,” he said. “We can’t have business as usual.

“We need workable solutions that will stop the upward rise in rents and protect tenancies.”

Labour's housing spokeswoman Senator Rebecca Moynihan said it was "unacceptable to leave the extension of the regulations to protect renters until the very last minute".