Residential Tenancy Board figures confirm evictions in Ireland rose to their highest levels since the famine ahead of the introduction of new rental laws, according to Social Democrats housing spokesperson Rory Hearne.
Deputy Hearne said:
“Minister for Housing James Browne and his Government were warned that these rental laws would cause evictions to skyrocket, increasing homelessness and forcing our young people from our shores.
“The Government rammed through cruel and deeply flawed laws which represent a complete capitulation to large investor funds and landlords and a complete disregard for renters. It was made clear that these changes would cause not just record evictions but record rents, but the Minister introduced them anyway.
“March 1st provided a financial incentive for landlords to evict their tenants. Government policy has never more clearly reflected the coalition’s intention to represent the interests of the well-off, rather than those in need of a roof over their heads.
“In February, I said that the only certainty these laws would provide is that thousands more adults and children will be condemned to a life of homelessness, with an entire generation stuck in their childhood bedrooms, forced to put their lives on hold. Today’s record evictions and runaway rents confirm this sad reality.
“Almost six years on from the Coalition’s first combined housing plan, Housing for All, the number of children in homelessness has more than doubled, yet Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael still claim that they’re doing a good job in housing.
“Evictions in the final quarter of 2025 were up 41% on the same period the year before, with over 20,000 notices to quit were issued last year alone – today, that figure is 51%, and there is no indication that it will stop rising.
“Every tenancy which began before the introduction of these laws has been endangered by the Government’s gesturing towards landlords that there’s more money to be made by evicting your tenants.
“The Minister for Housing must be held to account for this drastic misstep and reverse these measures before an even greater number of tenants are kicked out of their homes, as well as introducing a ban on no-fault evictions.”
May 14th, 2026