Sinn Fein’s Bill to beat the vultures

Party wants to make it illegal to kick tenants out

VULTURE funds could be banned from evicting tenants under new legislation proposed by Sinn Fein.

Housing spokesman Eoin O Broin introduced new laws to the Dail yesterday that would make it illegal to kick tenants out of homes when they’re bought.

It would apply to large acquisitions, especially ones where the previous property owners held the family homes as buy-to-let properties.

Mr O’broin explained his Bill when he tabled it for discussion in the Dail chamber.

He said: “The Bill I introduce seeks to offer greater protections to tenants living in buy-to-let properties.

“Under the Bill it would be illegal for buy-to-let landlords, who benefited from tax breaks, to seek vacant possession when seeking to sell a property.

“The sale can still take place but with the tenant remaining in situ and the remaining portion of the tenancy.

“This Bill is a version of the Focus Ireland amendment which was submitted as an amendment to a government Bill in December 2016. Unfortunately at the time Fine Gael and Fianna Fail failed to support it. This is despite research provided by Focus Ireland at the time indicated they see more than 20 families each month becoming homeless because their buy-to-let landlord is being forced to sell up.

“This is one of the leading causes of family homelessness.

“Focus Ireland have said if the amendment had been passed in 2016, hundreds of families would have been saved from homelessness.

“The situation is not getting better. The opportunity to remedy this was ignored by both Fine Gael and Fianna Fail in Budget 2019.

“They instead chose to focus on supporting landlords by providing 100% mortgage interest relief and a possible Capital Gains tax break at committee stage of finance bill.

“This Bill seeks to partially rectify this stark imbalance.”