Nolan wants Offaly towns designated 'rent pressure zones'

Independent TD for Offaly Carol Nolan has called on the government to extend rent pressure zones to the towns of Tullamore and Edenderry in Offaly, as well as Portlaoise in Laois.

"The designation of these towns as rent pressure zones would ensure that rents could only be increased by up to 4% a year which would help to create more sustainable rents for families who are currently struggling to keep up with month on month rent increases," Deputy Nolan said.

The TD said she was concerned about figures from the Residential Tenancy Board's new rent index showing an increase of almost 10% in Laois over the past 12 months and an increase of almost 6% in Offaly over the same period. 

She stated that she was aware of many constituents in Tullamore and Edenderry who are paying €1,000 in rent every month, a level she describes as "unsustainable for many families and young couples."

"Some of the people I have spoken to in my offices are working in low paid jobs or working part-time and are struggling with paying their monthly rent. Unsustainable rent is a factor driving many families into homelessness in the constituency each week."

Nolan insisted the HAP payment was a short-term solution that "doesn't assist enough families as many landlords don't accept this payment."

"There are cases where it is accepted by landlords where tenants are forced to top up this payment themselves by hundreds of euro each month. Many tenants hide the true figure of their rent when applying for HAP through the local authorities as they feel vulnerable and in a desperate no-win situation in trying to keep the roof over their heads."

Deputy Nolan went on to say that she has "upset people in her offices every day of the week in desperate situations."

"The local authorities in Offaly and Laois are doing their utmost to deal with the issue of homelessness but are hampered in their efforts by insufficient funding from central government."

"In Offaly, there aren't enough centres providing emergency accommodation for families who find themselves homeless. These services become full very quickly which leads to a situation where women and children have to travel to a hostel in Mullingar while the men have to travel to a hostel in Longford for emergency accommodation."

"The separation of families and the break-up of the family unit can be traumatic for children. The housing crisis is deepening all of the time and this is because the government has not acted in time. The government need to focus on the issue of homelessness in rural towns."

"All too often the problem of homelessness is solely seen as an urban issue in our big cities. I'm calling on the government to take urgent action as the issue of spiralling rents in Offaly and Laois must be urgently addressed."

"The criteria for the designation of rent pressure zones should be broadened if necessary to ensure that families in towns where there are ongoing issues with monthly rent increases are assisted."

Nolan said, "the fact that the Midlands region has one of the lowest rates of disposable income should be taken into consideration."

She called on the Minister to pursue the possibility of designating Tullamore, Edenderry and Portlaoise as rent pressure zones and also called on him to "urgently make more funding available to the local authorities to deal with the increasing demand for emergency accommodation."