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Dáil
‹ Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation

Older tenant facing rent pressures

Summary

Deputy O'Flynn raised a case of a 79-year-old woman in costly private rental accommodation after selling her home. The Minister said cost rental and the tenant-in-situ scheme may help and offered to pass on the details.

We have seen from the Daft report that there have been brutal increases in the cost of rent. The average in Cork is €2,000 per month for a two-bedroom home. Behind those statistics are human lives. This week in my constituency office, I met a 79-year-old lady from the Mallow area who worked for decades, raised a family and contributed to the community and the State. She never asked the State for anything. Through no fault of her own, she had to sell her family home and has spent the past five years in private rental accommodation without HAP support. She has depleted and exhausted her savings, and her landlord is now selling. She has to vacate the property by 30 May. The State has offered this woman, who will be 80 by the end of the month, a place in a homeless hub in Cork city, which is a 20-minute drive from Mallow and from family supports and everything else are. This does not take into account her age, her mobility needs or the dignity of this octogenarian. I am asking the Minister today to directly intervene in cases like this across the nation, of which there are quite a few. People are ending up in homeless hubs at the age of 80.

Comment on this

No one wants to hear of somebody of any age, let alone an 80-year-old person, having to go into homeless accommodation. It is important to stress that we have cost rental in place, which we did not have a few years ago. That is helping a lot of people. Without knowing the exact details of this case, perhaps there is an opportunity for the local authority to step in with the tenant in situ scheme. I am not sure but I am happy to take the details of the case and relay them back to the Minister.

Comment on this