Sir, – Both parties have been forcing people in the private housing market with all the debt that entrails, leaving people unable to live without the threat of losing their homes.
People are now paying over 60 per cent of their income into paying for private mortgages, as opposed to just under 20 per cent less than 30 years ago.
It is time for change and a social housing programme for all, enabling families to live decently. – Yours, etc,
PAUL DORAN,
Monastery Walk,
Clondalkin,
Dublin 22.
Sir, – While accepting that having a roof over our heads is a basic human right, it is something entirely different to ask private landlords to subsidise this right, as is the case with recent demands for rent controls.
Years ago when rents collapsed by over 20 to 30 per cent, I didn’t see anybody calling for rent controls then. Instead many landlords went bust. Many landlords who survived had their ability to borrow seriously curtailed because of the rent falls. Many landlords cant get a car loan or move house because of this curtailment. Despite increases in property prices most landlords with apartments are drowning in negative equity and will be for at least a decade or more.
You could argue that the State subsidies landlords through the provision of rent allowance. However this situation only exists because the State has failed to provide enough social housing. The state has the power to lower or raise this allowance. If the State wants to impose rent controls, then the only fair solution is for a rent floor and ceiling. This would be fair to all parties involved. The State alone should not have the power to raise or lower its rent subsidy and then deny price variance to others.
The last time the State interfered in the rental/investment market, around the turn of the century, it made a mess of it. It removed investment tax breaks and this resulted in a shortage of rental accommodation. This was done to aid first-time buyers but those who were renting paid the price. Those calling for rent controls want landlords to pay the price but with most landlords in arrears (with the State-owned banks), it will be the taxpayer who will pick up the tab. – Yours, etc,
JACOB HAYES,
Long Mile Road,
Drimnagh,
Dublin 12.