Nine homes owned by the council classified as evictions
By Maurice Garvey
NINE council-owned homes in Ballyfermot were classified as evictions in 2018, reports Maurice Garvey.
According to data from Dublin City Council’s Joint Policing Committee on November 26, four evictions in the Ballyfermot/Cherry Orchard area were due to anti-social behaviour.
Four evictions in the Ballyfermot/Cherry Orchard area were due to anti-social behaviour
Another four abandoned properties in the area were recovered (common in cases where rent bills are outstanding), and one property containing an illegal occupier was recovered by the city council.
Councillor Daithí Doolan, Chair of the Housing Committee, DCC, said a recent redrafting of Housing Act legislation has provided the city council with the means to evict tenants who breach tenancies.
“There were not many evictions for years, the legislation was challenged to European Courts and Ireland was fined in breach of European rights,” he said.
“A redrafting of the legislation was brought through the Oireachtas, it is now tried and tested, and the council can now hold tenants to account.”
While residents in areas such as Ballyfermot, Clondalkin and Tallaght, may have been aware at some stages of an individual family causing huge disruption for entire estates, Cllr Doolan believes the local authority can now act more quickly to resolve conflicts.
Cllr Doolan continued: “Nobody wants to see a family taken out of their home, but if someone is holding an area to ransom, this sends out a message that DCC is back in business.
“They will take action against tenants who breach their tenancy. I would say if you desist in anti-social behaviour, you will be fine, but if you persist, action will be taken.”
Regarding abandoned properties, Doolan said many cases involve tenants who have stopped paying rent. He cited a case in the wider Dublin area, where a tenant owed €25,000, but used this to purchase a mortgage.
A spokesperson for DCC said evicted tenants are “eligible to apply to go on to housing list immediately and each application will be reviewed on an on-going basis.”
