Tenants gather outside City Hall demanding Dublin City Council 'Drop the Rent Hikes'
Hundreds of tenants gathered outside City Hall last night to demand the rent increases imposed by Dublin City Council be reversed.
Controversial rent increases approved in the budget last November were introduced on April 6 as the new Differential Rent Scheme came into effect. While the average tenant faces a weekly increase of €24, representatives state that some households have had far larger increases and are struggling to get by in the midst of a cost of living crisis.
The ‘Drop the Rent Hike’ demonstration was organised by CATU in advance of yesterday’s monthly council meeting. While Sinn Fein Councillor Daithí Doolan was expected to speak on his motion calling for the council to review the increase due to the pressure of rising fuel, food bills, gas and electricity prices, a lengthy debate around the Chief Executive's Capital Programme meant the meeting ended before Motions on Notice were discussed.
Sinn Fein Cllr Janice Boylan spoke outside City Hall about the need to reverse the increase and said tenants who are “already pinned to the collar of our shirts” will "absolutely not stand for this.” She stressed that it was the role of local authorities to alleviate the burdens of struggling households and not make things worse for them.
“Many tenants are living in overcrowded, mouldy and damp conditions. I have seen for myself whole blocks of council homes riddled with damp. It’s unacceptable that tenants are being forced to pay more rent with little or no hope of improvement in conditions,” she said.
The council’s reasoning for the rent increase is that the extra funds are needed to carry out essential maintenance works on council properties. Cllr Boylan stated it is "absolutely shocking” that working class tenants are expected to bear the brunt of costs that should be coming from central government and the Department of Housing.
“These rent hikes in the middle of a cost of living crisis are the final nail in the coffin for most of our tenants. I have seen first-hand the hardship people are under and some are living in homes not fit for purpose. These rent increases should be reviewed immediately by Dublin City Council and dropped to give people a bit of breathing space,” she said.
Housing activist James O’Toole criticised the council for “picking the pockets of the poorest working class families in the city” and said the fuel protest last week demonstrated the power that people have to enact change. Considering the recent announcement of a €505 million package in fuel-cost measures, Mr O’Toole called on tenants to mobilise a mass movement to ensure the burden of council’s €55.5m funding gap in housing maintenance costs is not placed on them.
“If we can increase the numbers at these demonstrations, get our friends, our neighbours, and people in social housing all across Dublin to get out on the streets we can make the executive back down, we can make them cancel this unjust and unfair rent hike,” he said.
People Before Profit Cllr Conor Reddy also said that the fuel protests prove “people power can beat these rent increases” and criticised government parties for their condemnation of protesters. He said that, while the protesters last week accused the government for “doing less than nothing” to address the crisis, he believes Dublin City Council “have done the government one better than that.”
“Dublin City Council have not only ignored this cost of living emergency that people are suffering in - they have added to it,” he said. Cllr Reddy pointed out affected HAP tenants who “pay extortion amounts for private landlords” are also facing increases.
“This will lead to extra homelessness. This will pile pressure on top of the most vulnerable people at the worst possible time,” he said.
Social Democrats Cllr Jesslyn Henry told demonstrators that she has lived in social housing her entire life and described the increases as "despicable" and “deplorable.” She called on tenants to “keep fighting” and there should be “thousands of people on the streets, week-in-week-out, to make this council drop these rent hikes.”
“I’m still living in the box room I grew up in and I’m not the only one,” she said. “Thousands of people across this city are living in the same conditions with three, four, five adult children."
She said larger families are being penalised for living in overcrowded conditions and the council has “let down” some of its most vulnerable citizens with these increases. She said that families are already struggling to buy their own homes and increased rent makes that prospect even more unlikely.
“We depend on social housing. It’s not our fault we are doing the jobs the rich won’t do. We are cleaning the streets, working in retail, and looking after disabled children,” she said.
She cited a neighbour with four adult children and three grandchildren living in a home that’s “at full capacity.” She said this household is now paying €500 in rent per week and they fear they may have to evict one of their children to reduce the cost. “No one should be in that predicament, nobody should have to think of putting their child out of their home,” Cllr Henry stated.
Right To Change Cllr Pat Dunne criticised the rent raises as “the most horrendous” increase he’s seen. “A private landlord couldn’t do that because this is supposed to be a rent controlled zone in Dublin,” he said.
He called out the council for thinking they “can do what they like” and said he attended meetings where council officials voiced an intention to raise the rates from 15% of net income to 20%. Ultimately, the Differential Rate for primary earners was set at 18%.
A statement from Dublin City Council on the Differential Rent Scheme outlined the main changes as follows:
The Differential Rate for primary earners will move from 15% to 18% of net income.
“The new Differential Rent Scheme will generate an increase of c.€33m in income over a full 12-month period. The additional income will fund improvements to our existing homes and will ensure the City Council can take a more financially sustainable approach to the maintenance of homes. The types of work will include; energy efficiency upgrades; boiler replacements; improvements to our flat complexes and communal areas; replacement of window, doors and roofs; and adaptations to existing homes,” the statement from the council said.
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