Laois councillors defend landlords choosing to evict and sell up

Two Fine Gael councillors have defended the growing number of Laois landlords who are evicting tenants and selling their rental properties.

Cllrs Thomasina Connell and Barry Walsh, have slammed the Government for not doing anything in the recent budget to make it profitable for landlords to stay in the market.

“We as the seven Portlaoise councillors have an obligation to our constituents. Who's going to fight for the landlords?

“Someone who bought at the wrong time, who has to maintain it, buy the washing machines, pay the mortgage, pay the full whack of tax on their rental income. It's an absolute disgrace that no little twist to reduce rent was in the budget. They are paying half to revenue, then paying the banks as well and doing tax returns,” Cllr Connell said.

Cllr Walsh said that the houses being sold are not going back to being rented.

“I work at doing BER certs for landlords. 40 to 50% of those are for landlords selling up. A lot were waiting to see what was in the budget. I think it was a big mistake in the budget not encouraging landlords to stay in the market.

“A lot are selling up now becuase there is nothing there for them, whether it be tax exemptions or less paperwork. They are all running scared now.

“For anyone on HAP, there isn't a house to be got in Portlaoise,”Cllr Walsh said.
Cllr Noel Tuohy said he had more sympathy for the tenants.

“Landlords have the opportunity to sell,” he said.

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Cllr Connell disagreed.

“I can't blame landlords who have less money in their pocket. I am talking about the one or two little investments people made. What are we doing to help landlords stay in the market to help tenants,” she said.

Cllr Caroline Dwane Stanley spoke for tenants.

“Some people have choices, others don't. The whole area of housing is absolutely disfunctional.We are getting that backlog where local authorities stopped building,” she said.

They spoke on a motion tabled by Cllr Willie Aird to the October meeting of Portlaoise Municipal District.

He is urging the council to buy up rented houses for sale, and allow existing tenants to stay on.

“When the RAS scheme was introduced it was very good, at the time it guaranteed you would never be homeless becuase if it was ever sold, you'd be guaranteed to be housed by the local authority before they'd sign off on a house being sold. I've a huge amount of people on RAS scheme now and their landlords are putting the homes up for sale. They will be homeless. We cannot have it happening. it must be awful pain for them.

"I ask that you give tenants on HAP the same security they had in RAS. HAP doesn't give you the comfort, if a house is for sale, to allow the person to purchase it,” he said.

"I have one woman renting for 14 years, with two children and their house is to be sold. Out she has to go. She had no problem ever paying the rent.

"We need more houses. If we don't start delivering houses as a local authority, the whole housing section will be taken away. It's terrible not to be able to tell a person that we have something for them," he said.