In 2017 over 6985 people, 2,549 of which are children are officially homeless in Ireland.
However this figure does not include the ‘hidden homeless’ who are living in squats or ‘sofa surfing’ with friends and family.
The initial Census results show that the country added 170,000 extra people between 2011 and 2016. Given the likely composition of new households – between 2 and 2.5 people per household on average.
We also know from the same source, the Census, that there were just 17,000 new homes added to the stock of dwellings in the last five years.. In other words, for every ten new families formed, just two new dwellings were built, for the entire period from 2011 to 2016.
Some may wonder why rent caps and other bills haven’t been passed in the Dail to protect tenant’s rights and prevent landlords from overcharging and treating their tenants unfairly.
Some may even see bringing in rent caps as common sense and essential to allow our citizens including our homeless to be able to afford somewhere to rent.
Figures in the latest Daft rental report shows the average list price rose by 8% in 2016 with some landlords renting out average area one bed apartments for anything up to €2,500.
So why haven’t the government brought in helpful rental changes?
Because as per usual Irelands government are more concerned with lining their own pockets before remotely addressing our nations national housing crises.
At least 30 of the 158 TDs in the 32nd Dáil are landlords and rent out property to tenants in Ireland and abroad.
TDs have to register such rentals incomes with the Oireachtas registry only when their share of annual rent exceeds €2,600 a month and do not have to register properties that they, their spouse or child lives in.
But TDs are not required to say exactly how much their property is worth, or how many shares they own in a given company.
- One of the biggest recorded landlord’s in the Dáil tis said be Kerry’s Deputy Michael Healy Rae who in his submission at the start of this year recorded two farmhouses ren ted out and a rental property in his home village of Kilgarvan. He also has a rental apartment at Killarney, houses rented out in Kenmare, Castleisland and Killarney, and student accommodation in Limerick.
- Fine Gael Td Pat Deering rents a house in Rathvilly, Co. Carlow and owns farmland in Ballyoliver, Rathvilly, Co. Carlow and Ballybit, Rathvilly, Co. Carlow
- Fianna Fáil’s John Mc Guinness rents properties in Dublin, three in Kilkenny, property in Limerick and Tipperary, and interest in a nursing home.
- Social Democrat, Stephen Donnelly has a rental property at Beacon South Quarter in Dublin and one in Clara, Co Offaly.
- Paudie Coffey Fine Gael politician and Senator in the 25th Seanad. He owns shares in ESB. He also rents out a house in Portlaw, Co. Waterford and has 20% share in Clodagh Enterprise Property, The Square, Portlaw, Co. Waterford.
- Former ceann comhairle and Fine Gael TD, Sean Barrett describes himself as a “shareholder in a company that owns an office block and which is leased to a tenant.”
- Minister for Housing Simon Coveney declared a rental property at Harty’s Quay, Rochestown, in Cork. He also has shares in Private Wealth Managers a wealth management investment group and Coveney Family Investment Club.
- Tom Barry Holds shares in Dairygold and Bank of Ireland. Owns agricultural land in Monanimy, Rahan and Ballyduff in Killavullen, Kilquane in Castletownroche, A site for houses in Mallow, 5 apartments for rental in Brideholm, and 2 houses for rental in Beechgrove, Listowel.
- Fine Gael TD Jim Daly rents our property in Clonakilty, Co. Cork
- Agriculture Minister Michael Creed rents out a commercial let and 4 apartments in Co. Cork.
- Fine Gael TD Marcella Corcoran Kennedy lets out 27 acres of land in Ballyvora, Ferbane, Co. Offaly
- Fianna Fáil Dara Calleary rented a property that he once lived in on Distillery Road in Dublin but sold it in July 2015.
- Fine Gael Galway East TD, Ciarán Cannon is an executive director in a property company and owns property in Carrabane, Athenry and Banyuls Dels Aspres in France.
- Fine Gael’s Marcella Corcoran Kennedy declared she was left 27 acres at Ferbane, Co Offaly that has been rented out.
- Colleague, Waterford TD, John Deasy has a rental apartment at Citywest in Dublin while Pat Deering has a rental property in Rathvilly, Co Carlow.
- Chief whip Regina Doherty lets out her properties at Ashbourne Business Park and at City Campus in Limerick.
- Fianna Fáil’s Timmy Dooley rents two Dublin properties at Charlotte Quay and Rathfarnham.
- Andrew Doyle TD is a member of Dáil Éireann and was appointed Minister of State for Food, Forestry and Horticulture in May 2016. He owns farmland and building in Co. Wicklow.
- Charlie Flanagan rents out a holiday house in Co Sligo part of the year while Terence Flanagan also has a share in a rental property in Blanchardstown, Dublin. While Sean Fleming has let out a former post office in County Laois.
- Independent, Noel Grealish rented out a house in Galway and apartment in Dublin . He also has a 8,800 sq. feet commercial unit at Briarhill, Galway.
- Martin Heydon has rental property in Co Limerick.
- Paul Kehoe has a letting in Enniscorthy and an apartment on Haddington Road.
- Fianna Fail Cork TD, Billy Kelleher rents out an apartment in Glanmire.
- Fianna Fáil’s Brendan Smith has a rental apartment in Dublin.
- Robert Troy recorded two rental properties in Mullingar and in Dublin.
- Fine Geal’s Pat Green own farmland in Co.Claire
- Wexford’s Mick Wallace has two properties rented in Wicklow
- Fine Gael deputy James Bannon declares an apartment in San Bartolomé de Tirajana, on Gran Canaria, a house on Clonliffe Road, Dublin and another in Derraghan, a constituency office and yard in Longford and farmland in both Newtown and Derraghan.
- Waterford TD John Deasy rents out an apartment in Carrigmore Crescent, Citywest and another on the Italian island of Sardinia
- Labour’s Meath East deputy Dominic Hannigan leases his place on Borga San Frediano in the Tuscan city of Florence.
- Former Justice Minister Alan Shatter famously owns and rents out an extensive property portfolio in Dublin, London and in the Florida destinations of Naples and Marco Island, on the Gulf of Mexico.
- As well as owning property in Athenry, Galway East TD Ciarán Cannon has a holiday home in the picturesque French commune of Banyuls-dels-Aspres, in the southern region of Languedoc-Roussilon.
- Frank Feighan is a Senator in the 25th Seanad. He rents out his 4 properties in Sligo. He also has properties Leitrim, Roscommon, Dublin and according to his declaration, rents out an apartment at Madach Gardens (Goszdu Court) in the Hungarian capital of Budapest.
- Party colleague and Cork North-West TD Áine Collins rents out six properties in Cork and Kerry, as well as leasing her apartment in the popular Algarve resort of Albufeira, Portugal.
- On top of a fairly extensive insurance and property portfolio in Dublin, Ceann Comhairle Seán Barrett has shares in several different companies in Dublin, Jersey in the Channel Islands, England Edinburgh and Scotland.
- Fine Gael politician Paul Connaughton Jnr owns farmland in Galway.
- Jobs Minister Richard Bruton owns shares in Arytza the Swiss food company, Bank of Ireland, Irish Life & permanent, Smurfit Kappa Group, FBD Holdings, AIB Investment Fund: c/o Ark Life Assurance and He also owns a house on Conyngham Rd., Dublin 8, setting farmland and a house in Dunboyne, Co. Meath, Setting farmland in, Drumree, Co. Meath and Leixlip, Co. Kildare
- Tipperary Fine Gael candidate Noel Coonan owns farmland and constituency office in Roscrea and Templemore in Co. Tipperary.
- Minister for Transport Paschal Donohoe, has shares in Surrey-based consumer goods giant Proctor & Gamble.
- Fine Geal TD Jimmy Deenihan owns a House & 17 acres in Lixnaw, Co. Kerry and 10 acres in Listowel, Co. Kerry.
- Noel Harrington is invested in a German medical products manufacturer.
- Civil engineer Dominic Hannigan is Executive Director of his company Transport Strategies Ltd., which is based in the Wood Green area of north London.As well as owning shares in it, Hannigan lists himself as a consultant to Transport Strategies, whose headquarters he also owns.
- Willie O’Dea a Former Fianna Fáil Defence Minister has a significant portfolio of investments in oil and mining concerns, including Union Jack Oil (Bath), Kaizen Discovery (Vancouver), and Dragon Oil (London).
These figures come at a time when ministers, TDs and other members of the Dáil including the Taoiseach, have increased their own pay packets substantially.
They will see their salaries jump by between €2,700 and €5,000 on top of their annual salaries and their extra rental and stock income.