The Dublin Inquirer reports:
Back in November 2012, Threshold estimated that landlords were keeping deposits worth up to €2million.
Today, it estimates that the amount of tenant-deposit money being held by landlords could be €700million, a spokesperson says.
“Which is an extraordinary sum largely belonging to people of modest or moderate incomes.”
There’s still a need, they said, for a deposit scheme to make sure tenants who have done nothing wrong get their deposits back.
Threshold’s Dublin Access Housing Unit received 800 referrals in 2013, an increase of 77 per cent on the previous year.
The unit supports people who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless to source accommodation in the private rented sector.
Fionnughla McLoughlin, Assistant Manager of the Access Housing Unit, said: “Referrals to our service almost doubled in the past year, due to a range of factors. Demand for accommodation in the private rental sector has been rising steadily in Dublin in recent years, and there is a serious shortage of rental accommodation in the city. This has driven average rent prices up. Add to that welfare cuts and rent supplement caps, and the result is that many low-income, vulnerable families are no longer able to make their rent or find suitable accommodation within their price-range.”
Threshold Homeless Service in Dublin Records Busiest Ever Year (Threshold)
Sam Boal/Photocall Ireland
