The housing charity Threshold has called for the ban on rent increases and evictions to be immediately extended.

The charity said there is a “huge level of fear and distress” among tenants and it has seen a substantial increase in calls due to the COVID-19 crisis.

It made the call after the Residential Tenancies Board (RTB) announced that rents again increased across the country in the months before the outbreak.

"Fear and distress"

Threshold CEO John-Mark McCafferty said: “Two thirds of the people contacting us due to Covid-19 have lost their incomes, and some are building up substantial rent arrears.”

“The Government moratorium is very welcome for these tenants but is due to expire on June 27th.

“It simply must be extended in order to reduce the huge level of fear and distress out there among tenants.”

CEO of Threshold John-Mark McCafferty. Picture: Suppled

The charity said many families are facing a crisis once the moratorium ends.

“Many people in the private rented sector have seen their incomes collapse and face an uncertain employment future,” said Mr McCafferty. “Particularly those working in hospitality and other sectors which have been badly affected.”

The RTB figures show that rents in the final three months of 2019 hit €1,226 per month – a 6.4% rise on the previous year.

Unsustainable rents

Mr McCafferty said the increase is the lowest year-on-year for six years and actually shows a slight decrease on the previous quarter.

However, he warned that rents were already at an “unsustainable level” and noted that the “financial catastrophe brought to many by COVID-19 renders such trends pretty meaningless as predictors of the future.”

Threshold is calling for the extension of the moratorium on rent increases and evictions introduced by the Government as a response to the #Covid19 crisis. https://t.co/4Sl5TQ0O5l pic.twitter.com/VwiJa0wV0L

— Threshold (@ThresholdIRE) April 22, 2020

Threshold Chairperson Aideen Hayden said that many people were paying more on rent than they would have been if they had a mortgage.

“Before the pandemic, those living in the private rented market were at great risk of poverty and social exclusion,” she said.

“In the new reality that risk is higher still.”

Rent Pressure Zones

She welcomed the latest Rent Pressure Zone designations in Mallow, Killarney, Athy, Tullamore and Mullingar, but noted that the need for the new zones “just reflects the reality that unaffordable rents are a feature of our entire rental system and are a national problem.”

On March 19th, the Government announced the ban on evictions and rent increases for the duration of the COVID-19 emergency.

The moratorium is currently due to end in late June.