People Before Profit Councillors Call on State to Intervene to Take Control of Short Term Rental Properties and Make Them Available to Local Councils
Cllr Adrienne Wallace has called for the state requisition of suitable properties from the private market to house the homeless. She said “the Corona Virus Pandemic has shone a bright light on the risk posed to the health and well-being of many individuals and families in this state because of a systemic failure to address the homeless crisis. The latest homeless figures are a stark representation of the number of people whose health is seriously threatened in homeless and emergency accommodation.”
Cllr Wallace commented that “the health crisis however, has had an interesting effect on the housing market. Short term tourism rentals have contributed to the housing crisis, particularly in Dublin, but with the pause in the tourism industry because of the pandemic, there has been a huge increase in these properties becoming available for rent.
It is time to rethink the over reliance on not just the tourism industry as an economic strategy and the impact that has on our housing crisis, but also the over reliance on the private sector and private landlords to provide housing for those on local authority public housing lists.”
“As a matter of urgency”, Cllr Wallace said “the State needs to intervene in the private market and immediately make these short term rentals available to local Councils. People Before Profit Councillors on Sligo, Carlow, Dun Laoire/Rathdown, South Dublin County and Dublin City Councils will today write to Housing Minister Eoghan Murphy urging him to take control of these properties in order to properly house people, to reduce the number of people on local authority housing lists and to increase the stock of much needed public housing.”