Call on Government to release unfinished estates to deal with rental crisis

Independent senator Ronan Mullen has criticised the lack of suitable rental accommodation for families in County Galway.

Speaking in the Seanad, the Galway-based senator called for greater co-ordination by the Government to deal with the crisis in the rental market.

“There are some rooms for rent, or a small flat here and there, but increasingly fewer and fewer suitable family homes,” he said.

“During the week, I met a young mother in Athenry who burst into tears at her conundrum which is that she and her family have been given notice, and after trying many estate agents, they could not find suitable accommodation.

“These are people who are willing to pay good money for accommodation. As the family has a little dog, she is worried they might have a difficulty in getting accommodation. This may appear to be a small problem from a distance but upfront it is a real stress in people’s lives.

“The lady, if lucky to find accommodation, will certainly face a rent increase. She would not mind that if only she could get accommodation,” he said.

Senator Mullen welcomed the fact that work has started on finishing some of the fifty or so ‘ghost estates’ located in the county.

However, he called on the Minister to explore the possibility of making these unoccupied houses available as temporary rental accommodation.

“The owners of these ghost estates are either the banks or more commonly NAMA. I appreciate that ultimately NAMA and the banks want to sell these properties.

“However, in the short-term, we must seek ways to alleviate the crisis in the rental market. The Minister must explore the possibility of making these unoccupied houses, where they are finished and fit for use, available as temporary rental accommodation.

“The Government does not appear to have a coordinated approach to the phenomenon of fast-rising rents and lack of alternative accommodation which has resulted in families being caught in a trap.

“Of course, this is exacerbated by the fact that mortgages are now much more difficult to obtain,” he said.