Stark warning over impending homelessness crisis in Mayo
Ballinrobe auctioneer and local councillor Michael Burke has warned there will be a homelessness crisis in Mayo in a matter of months as a result of private landlords leaving the housing market.
“There is a real problem coming down the line as private landlords are leaving the housing market in droves," Cllr Burke told last week's meeting of Claremorris-Swinford Municipal District.
“I am inundated every day with people coming into my office looking for houses to rent because they are being told the private landlord is moving out of the rental market. They are seeing the highest values for their property now and want to sell up.
“So I know, come October, we will definitely have a serious problem in Ballinrobe, where people will become homeless because there are no houses to rent.
“I have calls from Westport and all over from people looking to rent. We have a serious problem coming up on housing, it is coming down the line, it will be with us in three or four months and I don’t know how we are going to handle it.”
Cathaoirleach Cllr Damian Ryan said regulations and inspections by local authorities were causing the exodus of private landlords, adding that council houses were not subject to the same assessments even though many are "in a far poorer condition".
Cllr Patsy O’Brien agreed: “You may ask why are people selling houses but why wouldn’t they, landlords are being hunted down in these assessments. But if you inspect any council house you will find no toilets or anything else. I think the system is very unfair. You have to start at your own door first.”
Cllr Richard Finn said there was a previous system in place where councils could purchases houses for people already in receipt of housing or social welfare assistance under the tenant-in-situ scheme but this was no longer allowed following government regulation."
He also said he had sympathy for the council's Director of Housing Tom Gilligan.
“Tom gets blamed for everything. We are beginning to blame ourselves from the inside when the directive has come down from Dublin. The majority of private landlords are fed up with the system and want to get out and that is leaving it all to the vultures and once they are in charge, they will decide what the rent will be. Before this, landlords had a relationship with people they were renting to and they also had a social conscience.”
It was unanimously agreed that the municipal council writes to the relevant ministers “and asks that the system of inspection of private stock be also applied to public stock”.
