Latest news with #Ann-MarieO'Reilly
Irish Examiner
24-07-2025
- Business
- Irish Examiner
Housing charity says it has prevented almost 1,000 households from becoming homeless since April
The housing charity Threshold says it has prevented almost 1,000 households from becoming homeless since April alone. And it says tenancy termination remains the biggest issue facing renters, accounting for just over a third of all the queries it has dealt with in the second quarter of this year. The details are contained in its impact report for the period April to June of this year, published on Thursday. It shows Threshold advisers have supported more than 8,500 households, including over 11,400 adults, and more than 7,000 children. Of the new households that contacted the charity since April, 1,595 were at risk of homelessness, and the charity helped the occupants of 951 households to stay in their home or find a new home, where possible. Tenancy termination accounted for 35% of all queries, with other queries including advice on leases, accessing social housing, and general rent queries. Single-occupant households accounted for 40% of households helped, with one-parent families accounting for 20% of the cases. Threshold's national advocacy manager Ann-Marie O'Reilly said while the charity was still concerned about the strains on renters, she was encouraged to see people contacting them for support and guidance around their rights as private-sector renters. 'Our Q2 impact report highlights the need for continued work and advocacy to support private renters across Ireland, even with the updated rent pressure zone [RPZ] legislation, which extends the RPZ rent controls across the nation,' she said. Since June 20, 2025, all counties have been classified as an RPZ, meaning all tenancies benefit from the cap on rent increases — rent cannot be raised by more than 2%, or the rate of inflation if lower, every 12 months. Any rent increase must be issued through an official rent review, with a formal notice provided to tenants at least 90 days in advance. In the areas newly designated as RPZs, landlords must wait 24 months from the date of the last rent review before issuing another. This must also be delivered as a formal physical document, as informal methods such as text messages or phone calls do not meet the legal requirements. Ms O'Reilly said the national extension of the RPZ was welcome, and provided crucial protection to an additional 41,000 households. 'We now want to ensure that all renters know that they are protected by the 2% rent increase cap and encourage renters to get in touch if they have any questions, worries, or concerns,' she said. 'We support the revised National Development Plan, given the importance of delivering housing and infrastructure to support housing development. 'We will continue to engage with the Government and other stakeholders in the coming months on further proposed changes to seek the best outcome for the rental sector as a whole.' Threshold's service is available by phone, Monday to Friday, 9am-9pm at 1800 454 454, or online at
Irish Independent
24-07-2025
- Business
- Irish Independent
Charity prevented 950 households from becoming homeless and supported more than 7,000 children in past three months
The national housing charity, which released its Q2 2025 impact report today, supported over 8,500 households from April to June this year, including 11,400 adults and more than 7,000 children. Meanwhile, tenancy termination remains the biggest issue that renters face, with one in three (35pc) queries related to this, similarly to previous quarters. Of the new households that contacted the charity since April, nearly 1,600 were at risk of homelessness. Threshold's National Advocacy Manager, Ann-Marie O'Reilly, said: 'While Threshold continues to be concerned about strains on renters in 2025, it is encouraging to see people reaching out to us for support and guidance around their rights as private sector renters." "Our Q2 impact report highlights the need for continued work and advocacy to support private renters across Ireland, even with the updated Rent Pressure Zone (RPZ) legislation, which extends the RPZ rent controls across the nation," she added. Threshold welcomed the nationwide extension of the RPZ to all counties on June 20, which means that all tenancies benefit from the cap on rent increases. Ms O'Reilly said: 'Threshold welcomes the extension of Rent Pressure Zones (RPZs) nationally, providing crucial protection to an additional 41,000 households." "We now want to ensure that all renters know that they are protected by the 2pc rent increase cap and encourage renters to get in touch if they have any questions, worries or concerns. 'We support the revised National Development Plan, given the importance of delivering housing and infrastructure to support housing development. "We will continue to engage with the Government and other stakeholders in the coming months on further proposed changes to seek the best outcome for the rental sector as a whole," she added.
The Journal
07-05-2025
- Politics
- The Journal
Bill that would see deposits kept by third party rather than landlord brought to Leinster House
A HOUSING CHARITY has brought a bill to Leinster House that would see deposits lodged with an independent third party rather than the landlord. The bill, entitled the Deposit Protection Scheme Bill (DPS Bill), would establish a third-party custodial model at no extra cost to tenants or landlords that would keep the deposit for the duration of a tenant's occupation of a property. Once the tenancy is over, the deposit would be returned to the tenant – unless the landlord has claimed evidenced expenses. National housing charity Threshold presented a draft bill for the establishment of a DPS to TDs and Senators in Leinster House today. Advertisement Threshold says that the campaign to bring this forward has been widely supported. Latest Residential Tenancies Board (RTB) data shows that 94% of deposit retention disputes in 2021 showed the landlord acting unlawfully. More renters lodged RTB disputes seeking the return of their deposit in 2024 than those disputing notices of termination. The campaign is being run in collaboration with a number of student unions. The charity collected over 1,000 signatures supporting the scheme from college campuses during Renters' Rights days. Threshold's National Advocacy Manager Ann-Marie O'Reilly said that the scheme, which is already in place in a number of other countries, such as the UK, would 'remove stress and uncertainty for renters and landlords alike'. Vice President for Campaigns at the Union of Students Ireland (USI), Nathan Murphy, said that students are among the most vulnerable renters as it is often their first time renting. He said that every year students have large sums of money in deposits withheld by landlords and management companies, and that the DPS Bill would bring 'much needed protection' for student renters. Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone... A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation. Learn More Support The Journal
