The anti-landlord legislation chickens are coming home to roost

[Brendan Burgess]

They advocate for the outlawing of bedsits and wonder why there is a shortage of accommodation!

Then they campaign actively against landlords and express shock at the level of homelessness caused by landlords leaving the market.

Most homeless families in Dublin previously in private rentals


Speaking on RTÉ's Morning Ireland, the Director of Advocacy at Focus Ireland said all the evidence shows that the homelessness crisis is taking place in the private rented sector.

Mike Allen said that the vast majority of the families surveyed had been living in the private rental sector without any problem until the crisis came along.

He reiterated that the vast majority of homelessness is caused by landlords leaving the market, and said families searching for HAP properties face extensive searches.

 

[odyssey06]

The article only half makes sense if you think about it.

A landlord leaving the market by selling to an owner occupier does not cause homelessness, by that I mean it has not reduced the supply.

That is completely different to scenarios that actually reduce supply of housing, such as banning bedsits, or where the restrictions and demands mean a property is left empty \ short term let only rather than rented out long term.
Banning bedsits when the alternative is a doorway, a homeless 'hub', or an overnight shelter was a disgraceful act of virtue signalling.

 

[Brendan Burgess]

A landlord leaving the market by selling to an owner occupier does not cause homelessness, by that I mean it has not reduced the supply.

It does not increase the level of homelessness,but it makes that family homeless.

I have argued the same about repossessions. Repossessions do not increase the level of homelessness as we are not knocking down the houses.

Brendan

 

[Firefly]

I would imagine that some landlords are genuinely leaving the market but others, thanks to RPZ are ending tenancies in order to increase the rent. This is probably causing those who were in situ to become homeless.

What's clearly needed is MORE legislation!

 

[odyssey06]

It does not increase the level of homelessness,but it makes that family homeless.
I have argued the same about repossessions. Repossessions do not increase the level of homelessness as we are not knocking down the houses.
Brendan

I would word it as - that act did not make them homeless. What made them homeless was that they could not find alternative accomodation.
I think it's very important for it to be worded that way, I can't believe the short-sightedness (I don't mean your comment) of these articles which don't consider what happened to the property next.
As you note, it is also the case with how repossessions are reported.

 

[NoRegretsCoyote]

TBH, changes around legislation have a trivial effect compared to the massive improvement in the economy since 2012.

In the first quarter of 2012 there were 544k people at work who live in Dublin. Now there are 705k, an increase of 161k workers or almost 30%. Nationally the increase is 23%.

These people are all earning and all need to live somewhere.

In any housing market the most marginal (lone parents, people with substance abuse issues, mental health problems, etc) are the ones most likely to get squeezed out of the bottom.

The real problem is that not enough new dwellings are being built!

 

[Firefly]

The real problem is that not enough new dwellings are being built!

Yip, and another 60k doing their Leaving Cert as we speak....

 

[galway_blow_in]

It does not increase the level of homelessness,but it makes that family homeless.

I have argued the same about repossessions. Repossessions do not increase the level of homelessness as we are not knocking down the houses.

Brendan

How do you maintain your sanity when debating that issue while sitting opposite David Hall?

 

[galway_blow_in]

TBH, changes around legislation have a trivial effect compared to the massive improvement in the economy since 2012.

In the first quarter of 2012 there were 544k people at work who live in Dublin. Now there are 705k, an increase of 161k workers or almost 30%. Nationally the increase is 23%.

These people are all earning and all need to live somewhere.

In any housing market the most marginal (lone parents, people with substance abuse issues, mental health problems, etc) are the ones most likely to get squeezed out of the bottom.

The real problem is that not enough new dwellings are being built!

A strong feature of the recovery has been the greater convergence of the economy in Dublin and the cities generally, accommodation demand pressure followed

 

[Delboy]

Another major problem contributing to homelessness is unlimited immigration. How can you plan for house building when hundreds of millions of people have the option to come here (usually Dublin) at a moments notice and thats just the EU element. We're lax also on non-EU migration.

56% of the respondents to that report were migrants: 41% nonEU and 15%EU.

 

[NoRegretsCoyote]

A strong feature of the recovery has been the greater convergence of the economy in Dublin and the cities generally,

This is a myth. Job growth has been spread pretty evenly across the country. For example the Border region (which contains no cities) has seen job growth of 26%, above the national average of 23%.

 

[AlbacoreA]

This is a myth. Job growth has been spread pretty evenly across the country. For example the Border region (which contains no cities) has seen job growth of 26%, above the national average of 23%.

I think he mean a general move out of rural areas to the cities, especially Dublin. Its concentrating all the demand in the one spot.

 

[AlbacoreA]

I would imagine that some landlords are genuinely leaving the market but others, thanks to RPZ are ending tenancies in order to increase the rent. This is probably causing those who were in situ to become homeless.

What's clearly needed is MORE legislation!

It was mentioned that, selling up to increase rents wasn't a significant factor.

I would say its because of increased risk due to the legislation, and fear of more changes.
The property has peaked. They probably want to sell up, clear some mortagage's and invest differently.

 

[Delboy]

The property has peaked. They probably want to sell up, clear some mortagage's and invest differently.

Not many alternative investment opportunities out there!

 

[AlbacoreA]

Not many alternative investment opportunities out there!

True. Maybe they want to sell to buy back in later with a property that is more profitable to rent. or invest in a REIT.

 

[LS400]

Maybe they want to sell to buy back in later with a property that is more profitable to rent.

I think that is very true with 4-7 year Cgt exemption.

If you have an opportunity to jump ship from, Government persecution to the small time LLs , you would be giving it some serious thought.

 

[NoRegretsCoyote]

I think he mean a general move out of rural areas to the cities, especially Dublin. Its concentrating all the demand in the one spot.

Border region has seen higher-than-average job growth.

Which are the cities in the Border region?

 

[noproblem]

Maybe if the whole truth was told about why certain people are finding it difficult to remain in properties. Landlords seem to get most of the blame. But maybe, just maybe, renters are on occasion not paying rent on time, not paying in full, not paying at all, not taking proper care of the property, being a nuisance to next door, to the neighbourhood, being loud, being dirty, treating someone else's property that they've been given as their right to have. Hope i'm getti ng the message across because not many Landlords I know would want to evict a good paying tenant. Then again I could be completely wrong and none of those people i'm mentioning even exist and i'm totally off my rocking horse again.

 

[NoRegretsCoyote]

But maybe, just maybe, renters are on occasion not paying rent on time, not paying in full, not paying at all, not taking proper care of the property, being a nuisance to next door, to the neighbourhood, being loud, being dirty, treating someone else's property that they've been given as their right to have.

I am not going to trade in stereotypes.

But the CSO did some analysis a few years back.

In the homeless statistics there are surprisingly large numbers of people who are married, have jobs, with third-level education etc.

When housing is in very short supply - as it is in Dublin - many demographics become impacted.

 

[AlbacoreA]

Border region has seen higher-than-average job growth.

Which are the cities in the Border region?

I'm not sure where you are going with this.

GAA plans to tackle rural-urban demographic shift

By John Harrington The biggest challenge facing the GAA currently and for the foreseeable future is the population shift from rural to urban areas in Ireland. Rural GAA clubs are struggling to field teams because they just don’t have the numbers, while urban GAA clubs are struggling to cater for

www.gaa.ie

Two-thirds of us are now living in urban areas, new figures show

People living in urban areas also living more closely together, CSO finds

www.irishtimes.com

"Ireland's 1.1pc population growth rate at present is nearly four times the current EU average of 0.3pc.

"Eurostat figures also show 10 countries of the EU 28 reporting population declines in 2016. So, the Irish experience is quite exceptional.

Housing crisis deepens as prices rise 11pc with no slowdown in sight

The housing crisis is deepening at a startling pace, with the rate of price rises picking up dramatically.

www.independent.ie

finfacts.ie

House prices 2019: property owners warned no deal Brexit will take Ireland 'into the unknown'

House prices will rise by 4.2pc in the new year – but only if there is a soft Brexit, according to a nationwide survey of estate agents.

www.independent.ie

Its interesting there is a elastic band kind of effect where places like Dublin surge ahead so people look elsewhere which then causes the places lagging behind to suddenly rise dramatically. The problem with this is that when it slows, those other locations will lag in this also.