People Before Profit Councillor Madeleine Johansson has expressed outrage following the revelation that over 200 households were evicted into homelessness in South Dublin County in 2024 due to private landlords issuing Notices to Quit. Figures presented to South Dublin County Council show that a total of 224 households faced homelessness after receiving a valid Notice to Quit, including many in Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) or Homeless HAP tenancies.
Councillor Johansson described the figures as a “damning indictment” of the government’s housing policies and a direct consequence of lifting the eviction ban in 2023.
“Many of these evictions were entirely avoidable,” said Councillor Johansson. “The government made a conscious decision to lift the eviction ban, knowing full well that this would push hundreds of families and individuals into homelessness. This government has prioritised landlords over ordinary people, and these figures show the devastating impact of that choice. Instead of protecting tenants, they have abandoned them to a broken system where homelessness is skyrocketing.”
Councillor Johansson has called on the government to immediately reinstate the eviction ban and she added that ending the rent pressure zones would increase homelessness. “If the rent pressure zones are abolished, many tenants will simply be unable to pay market rents and may face eviction into homelessness.”
She also urged South Dublin County Council to increase resources for emergency accommodation and social housing. “We need urgent action to stop more families from being pushed into homelessness. The government cannot continue to sit on their hands while people suffer. They must act now to protect tenants and ensure that housing is treated as a fundamental right, not a commodity for landlords to exploit,” she concluded
