Cabinet approves one-off eviction ban from November to March
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Cabinet has approved a temporary winter eviction ban which is expected to run from November until the end of March.
Tenants who wilfully do not pay their rent or cause damage to the property will not be covered by the eviction ban.
Housing Minister Darragh O’Brien said if someone has already been issued with a notice to quit, it would pause when the moratorium comes into effect.
He said there will be a phased implementation of notices to quit after April 1, when the ban is lifted.
Notices to quit can still be issued to tenants during the moratorium but the timeframe to which they have to leave won’t kick in until the ban is lifted.
For example, a six-month tenancy that sees a notice to quit given during the time frame of the moratorium will be deferred until May 1.
Senior sources said this is to avoid a “glut” of evictions when the eviction ban ends on April 1.
Mr O’Brien told RTÉ: “Effectively what is in place is a temporary time-bound pause on the effecting of notices of terminations.
“Depending on the length of tenancy, the additional protections are then given to the tenant to ensure that there are no no-fault evictions over the winter months.”
Renters who are already in receipt of a “live” notice to quit which was in place before the eviction ban comes into force will be protected from eviction until it expires and will not be forced to leave the property.
Speaking on his way into Cabinet, Taoiseach Micheál Martin said the proposed eviction ban was about getting the balance right and keeping a roof over those at risk of homelessness.
Meanwhile, Cabinet agreed that the controversial concrete levy announced in the budget will be cut to 5% from 10%.
It will also be deferred and will not be introduced until September 2023 rather than next April, as announced by Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe in the budget.