Reporting by Ray Managh
Almost 10,000 people are currently on a Dublin City Council waiting list for two-bed homes in the capital.
In an appeal against a possession order in favour of Dublin City Council in the Circuit Civil Court today, Judge Sinead Ni Chulachain was told that the local authority had a waiting list of 9,600 for two-bed units alone in the capital.
It comes as a Coalition leader said in the Dáil on Thursday that the current housing market is “broken” and needs radical change.
Eamon Ryan said he would help steer change from within Government, which would do everything in its power to make sure a generation of young people are not left behind and can afford to buy a home.
The Environment Minister made the remarks during an exchange over housing with Sinn Féin’s Pearse Doherty, who said Mr Ryan is part of a coalition government that is “shattering the hopes and ambitions of an entire generation with bad housing policies”.
New measures
On Wednesday the Dáil passed the Government’s plan to increase stamp duty on investment funds in an effort to deter funds bulk-buying properties.
Tánaiste Leo Varadkar has said the role of local authorities and approved housing bodies would also need to be re-examined in light of the new measures on housing.
The changes, which came into effect at midnight, aim to deter investment funds from buying up large quantities of residential properties by introducing a 10 per cent stamp duty on those who buy more than 10 houses in a 12-month period.
However, the measures exclude acquisitions by local authorities and approved housing bodies.
The Government is also planning to further regulate short-term rentals on platforms such as Airbnb, in order to tackle the number of properties being taken from the long-term housing market.
