The Government will oversee an even greater spike in homelessness if it does not immediately introduce a no-fault eviction ban, according to Social Democrats housing spokesperson Rory Hearne.
Deputy Hearne said:
“Evictions in the final quarter of 2025 were up 41% on the same period the year before, while over 20,000 notices to quit were issued last year alone.
“Notices to quit have spiked since the Government outlined the disastrous rental regulations which came into effect on March 1st, which have incentivised landlords to evict their tenants to reset rents to market rates.
“For those facing eviction who are HAP tenants, the situation could not be more dire – there were only 14 properties available to rent within the limits of the HAP scheme across 16 local authority areas last month.
“To provide a snapshot of this disaster, there were no HAP properties available to rent last month in Athlone, Cork City suburbs, Galway City suburbs, Kildare, Galway city centre, Leitrim, Limerick City suburbs, Limerick city centre, Portlaoise and Waterford city centre.
“HAP tenants who receive an eviction notice are now faced with a wasteland of a rental market that does not cater to their needs. The Government has long lost control of rents and housing provision across the country.
“Those who are evicted from HAP properties will now be faced with homelessness – there are no two ways about it. The properties do not exist under current HAP limits for those who are evicted to find a home.
“These families will be forced from their communities, their children moved away from their schools, friends and clubs, and faced with entering emergency accommodation. Unthinkably, many of these tenants will be told that emergency accommodation centres are full, and that their families will have to leave their towns, cities, or counties to secure any roof over their head.
“Workers will have to spend hours commuting to retain their employment, with some of those affected forced to leave their jobs as a result of being moved to the other side of the country.
“The Government’s lack of action towards this disaster is unconscionable. The Minister for Housing must immediately increase HAP limits to create more qualifying properties for evicted HAP tenants, stringent rent controls must be instated, and, more than anything, a no-fault eviction ban must be immediately implemented.”
April 23rd, 2026