Thursday, 9 Mar 2023
Updated / Thursday, 9 Mar 2023 09:36
Tenants Egija Jamal, her husband and children face eviction from their
home in Donabate, Co Dublin
By Aisling Moloney
A family of six face eviction from their home in Donabate, Co Dublin,
following the Government decision to end a ban on no-fault evictions
which had been in place since October and will expire at the end of the
month.
Housing Assistance Payment tenants Egija Jamal, her husband and four
children have rented the same home for the past three years, but face
eviction as their landlord is selling the house.
Mrs Jamal and her family have to hand back the keys on 12 April and
they do not have another place to live.
Her eight-year-old son said to her recently - "I'm afraid other
children will call me homeless".
Mr Jamal left her native Latvia 16 years ago for Ireland, but faced
with having to bring her family to emergency accommodation she will
take her children to her native country, until her husband finds a
house for them here.
She said her son is distressed about the situation, saying "I don't
want to change school" because he has lots of friends over here.
"He is talking about this every day," Mrs Jamal said.
"There is no day that he does not talk about it. He says ‘Mommy,
please, can you find the house near to the school? So, I don't need to
change the school.’ I say I'm trying my best.
"The priority for us is not to change the children's school because the
children are very depressed about that. We are looking for houses in
the same place, but unfortunately to this day we’ve been unlucky."
She has had five viewings since beginning her search for a house in
September.
"The last house I saw in Lucan, there was about 100 people who were
standing outside in the queue to see this house," she said.
Mrs Jamal said the letting agent was taking references and talking to
potential tenants, but added, "there is no hope if so many people come
to see one house".
Mrs Jamal says she thinks the fact that they are using HAP is damaging
her chances when applying for properties.
"I think they don't want this hassle," she said, adding that she hopes
a property will come up before they have to be out of their home in 35
day's time.
"I'm hopeless, because each time I'm sending email, no reply, no
reply," she said.
Mrs Jamal "has no idea" what she is going to do, and she is worried
about bringing her family into emergency accommodation.
"If this is going to be a place which is not suitable for my children,
unfortunately I will have to leave the country," she added.
"Until my husband finds a house, there is no another option."
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Read more: Ireland has deficit of 250,000 homes, says Taoiseach
'Lack of support'
A single property landlord, who only wanted to be identified as Kris,
has a vacant property which he previously rented out but is currently
refurbishing.
He would like to continue renting but is considering selling the
property.
"Just because of a lack of support from our government, I'm thinking of
leaving the market as a landlord because, the high level of taxation
doesn't allow me to run this business any longer," he said.
"I've been trying to contact the local county council to offer to sell
them the house but with no reply, I think that would be, at the moment,
the best decision because first of all someone else may use this house
and accommodate tenants but I don't see any light in the tunnel for
me."
He is hoping the government will ease the tax burden on income from
rental properties for landlords.
"If nothing will be done with the taxation, I will be forced to leave
the market," he said.
Kris is also a landlord in Poland and said the tax situation is much
more favourable there for landlords.
"Up to an equivalent of €25,000, I have to pay only 8.5% of rental tax,
compare that to 52% here," he said.
"No one has any issues with paying that tax in Poland so we don't have
that problem with homelessness.
"This government needs to act now, not in the next few weeks or months
do something now and then I will be able to make that decision."