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What do we expect from the new Minister for Housing?

  • 27-06-2020 5:18pm
    #1
    Registered Users, Subscribers Posts: 5,796 ✭✭✭


    So our new Minister for Housing is Darragh O'Brien.

    Judging by his previous comments on airbnb I'd expect him to try and hit the ground running with a clamp down on short term lets.

    If for any reason he does not, then I think the theory that Irish governments prioritise maintaining high house prices above all else holds true.



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Comments

  • Registered Users Posts: 237 ✭✭nerrad01


    They need a vacant property tax asap, letting all these apartments it empty to maintain an artificially inflated rent level is scandalous


  • Registered Users Posts: 2,000 ✭✭✭Hubertj


    schmittel wrote: »
    So our new Minister for Housing is Darragh O'Brien.

    Judging by his previous comments on airbnb I'd expect him to try and hit the ground running with a clamp down on short term lets.

    If for any reason he does not, then I think the theory that Irish governments prioritise maintaining high house prices above all else holds true.

    Is the issue not that there is already legislation in place but councils are not enforcing it? Something about lack of resources to investigate? Something would have to be done in conjunction with revenue to make it more effective - if it is a stl property enforce planning and also check if a tax return has been made on the rental income.


  • Registered Users, Subscribers Posts: 5,796 ✭✭✭hometruths


    Hubertj wrote: »
    Is the issue not that there is already legislation in place but councils are not enforcing it? Something about lack of resources to investigate? Something would have to be done in conjunction with revenue to make it more effective - if it is a stl property enforce planning and also check if a tax return has been made on the rental income.

    If a minister wishes to enforce it, it is easily done. There is no issue with enforcement other than the political will to do so.


  • Administrators Posts: 53,125 Admin ✭✭✭✭✭awec


    It'd be easy to introduce enforcement options now given the volume of short term lets is so small at the moment.

    Make them all require a licence, and then put the onus on AirBnB and co to ensure that all their users have said license.


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,806 ✭✭✭Jizique


    nerrad01 wrote: »
    They need a vacant property tax asap, letting all these apartments it empty to maintain an artificially inflated rent level is scandalous

    Agree; huge issue in other large cities globally, but particularly the UK


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  • Registered Users Posts: 4,993 ✭✭✭c.p.w.g.w


    Jizique wrote: »
    Agree; huge issue in other large cities globally, but particularly the UK

    I think vacant retail lots should be heavily taxed...

    A buddy of mine was looking for a premises and the quotes he got were outrageous...on the same street 7 vacant premises...all quoting the same price...this was 3 years ago 5 of the 7 units have remained vacant over the 3 years, the other 2 units have 5 different business's between them in the same period...

    His focused his business almost entirely online as a result and it's still going strong...along with market stall at certain markets


  • Registered Users Posts: 4,315 ✭✭✭Pkiernan


    nerrad01 wrote: »
    They need a vacant property tax asap, letting all these apartments it empty to maintain an artificially inflated rent level is scandalous

    I agree.
    Let's also introduce a vacant spare room tax for people who could rent a room out too.


  • Registered Users Posts: 129 ✭✭dickface


    Pkiernan wrote: »
    I agree.
    Let's also introduce a vacant spare room tax for people who could rent a room out too.

    Let's not


  • Registered Users Posts: 2,599 ✭✭✭antimatterx


    Pkiernan wrote: »
    I agree.
    Let's also introduce a vacant spare room tax for people who could rent a room out too.

    That's bs. You are quite entitled to live alone in more than a 1 bed if you can afford it. If I can afford a 3 bed on my own in a few years I'm going to have 1 bedroom, 1 study, 1 home gym.


  • Registered Users Posts: 4,315 ✭✭✭Pkiernan


    That's bs. You are quite entitled to live alone in more than a 1 bed if you can afford it. If I can afford a 3 bed on my own in a few years I'm going to have 1 bedroom, 1 study, 1 home gym.

    But we're in the middle of a homelessness crisis.

    Thats seems sufficient to make up any retro active laws we want.


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  • Registered Users Posts: 106 ✭✭perfectkama


    just Tax more, Reg, license, and ban any evictions from private LLs, that should increase the the rate of exit of these freeloaders


  • Registered Users Posts: 6,126 ✭✭✭screamer


    More of the same, the same as we should expect from any new minister, new faces same old track. Look they left Pascal Donohue where he is, why? My guess is the fiscal policies are not going to change so no point changing there, we are still following an imf/eu mandated fiscal policy from which there is very little room for manoeuvre


  • Registered Users Posts: 32,802 ✭✭✭✭NIMAN


    I expect nothing to change.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 3,445 ✭✭✭Rodney Bathgate


    just Tax more, Reg, license, and ban any evictions from private LLs, that should increase the the rate of exit of these freeloaders

    By freeloaders you mean HAP recipients?


  • Registered Users Posts: 6,133 ✭✭✭Claw Hammer


    Hubertj wrote: »
    Is the issue not that there is already legislation in place but councils are not enforcing it? Something about lack of resources to investigate? Something would have to be done in conjunction with revenue to make it more effective - if it is a stl property enforce planning and also check if a tax return has been made on the rental income.

    the legislation that is there is difficult to enforce. Some more refined and targeted legislation is needed.
    There are difficulties catching people in the act, running prosecutions where the witnesses reside outside the jurisdiction, meeting the evidential burden required under the planning acts for a conviction.
    New offences capable of being more easily detected and prosecuted are needed.
    For example, an offence of having an external key box outside a house unless it is registered. Same for keypad access.


  • Registered Users Posts: 106 ✭✭perfectkama


    By freeloaders you mean HAP recipients?
    Just sarcasm,

    deflection airbnb & LL = homeless,

    many new reports V the absence of policy because there is no funds, plan to increase availability


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,730 ✭✭✭mrslancaster


    ....New offences capable of being more easily detected and prosecuted are needed. For example, an offence of having an external key box outside a house unless it is registered. Same for keypad access.

    How would that work? who do you think the external keybox/keypad access products should be registered with?


  • Registered Users Posts: 106 ✭✭perfectkama


    How would that work? who do you think the external keybox/keypad access products should be registered with?


    A new agency similar to the RTB once you have a database you can regulate it into oblivion


  • Registered Users Posts: 471 ✭✭robinbird


    That's bs. You are quite entitled to live alone in more than a 1 bed if you can afford it. If I can afford a 3 bed on my own in a few years I'm going to have 1 bedroom, 1 study, 1 home gym.

    Guess what I use my three bedrooms for.


  • Registered Users Posts: 8,370 ✭✭✭lawrencesummers


    If anybody wants to have a serious idea looked at then I think there should be a ban on the foreign ownership of property.

    Of course there can be exceptions where a person has been an Irish person has been a tax payer Here in the previous ten years, Or a foreign person who has some connection like a employment orhas a Registered business employing people here etc.

    If people want to invest in property then well and good, the economy needs investors, but it doesn’t need vulture funds buying up assets all over the place to flip them and make a quick quid


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  • Registered Users Posts: 4,993 ✭✭✭c.p.w.g.w


    If a vacant bedroom tax was to be introduced, they would have to have a legal definition of what constitutes a bedroom...we have 3...

    1 is our master bedroom
    1 is guest room/makeup room for herself
    1 is storage & my bike room as storing them in a shed isn't save(on the advise of local Garda)

    Would find such a tax very unfair for privately owned property owners in their primary residence


  • Registered Users Posts: 471 ✭✭robinbird


    Easy solution. Abolish HAP. Use the billion euro a year saved for increased welfare payments and social house building.
    Rents and property prices would collapse.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 443 ✭✭Hairy Japanese BASTARDS!


    nerrad01 wrote: »
    They need a vacant property tax asap, letting all these apartments it empty to maintain an artificially inflated rent level is scandalous

    Controlling private property is something that'd happen in Nazi Germany. It's unconstitutional.


  • Registered Users Posts: 13,863 ✭✭✭✭Dav010


    Pkiernan wrote: »
    I agree.
    Let's also introduce a vacant spare room tax for people who could rent a room out too.

    You want an extra tax on people who don’t want strangers in their house? Have a think about that, an elderly widow/widower gets taxed because they don’t want to let the extra bedroom in their house.

    Pkiernan wrote: »
    But we're in the middle of a homelessness crisis.

    Thats seems sufficient to make up any retro active laws we want.

    No, it really doesn’t.


  • Registered Users Posts: 709 ✭✭✭wowy


    robinbird wrote: »
    Easy solution. Abolish HAP. Use the billion euro a year saved for increased welfare payments and social house building.
    Rents and property prices would collapse.

    And while waiting for all this extra social housing to be delivered, what happens to the thousands of tenants no longer receiving HAP who get evicted for non-payment?


  • Registered Users Posts: 6,133 ✭✭✭Claw Hammer


    How would that work? who do you think the external keybox/keypad access products should be registered with?

    The local council. Anyone caught with an unregistered one would have it removed forthwith, followed by a summons to the District Court.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 443 ✭✭Hairy Japanese BASTARDS!


    It's the states responsibility not private citizens

    Why don't we just build a 30 storey block in every urban area, one in Swords for Fingal, one in Dún Laoighre for SCD one in the city centre, one in Galway, Cork etc.

    These will be means tested and rent will be payable based on your needs and stopped at source.

    If you turn down the offer, you will be deemed to be not "homeless".


  • Registered Users Posts: 6,133 ✭✭✭Claw Hammer


    It's the states responsibility not private citizens

    Why don't we just build a 30 storey block in every urban area, one in Swords for Fingal, one in Dún Laoighre for SCD one in the city centre, one in Galway, Cork etc.

    These will be means tested and rent will be payable based on your needs and stopped at source.

    If you turn down the offer, you will be deemed to be not "homeless".

    That kind of thing was tried time and again over the last 80 years. It didn't turn out well.


  • Registered Users Posts: 932 ✭✭✭Fred Cryton


    Stop talking about new taxes.

    If someone pays €100 million for a vacant site - think about it, if nothing is built here someone is going to take a huge loss. Developers will want to develop. There are a lot of other factors - namely getting planning permission (which can take years), making sure the product fits market demand, raising financing for construction - this is both equity and debt, then trying to get contractors on site which was very difficult pre-Covid.

    Adding a tax onto all of this simply because there's' no construction boots on the ground right now is such a typically irish stupid populist response to a complex problem. The tax will be simply added onto the cost of the project, delaying things further. And will be passed onto the end consumer - us.


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  • Closed Accounts Posts: 443 ✭✭Hairy Japanese BASTARDS!


    That kind of thing was tried time and again over the last 80 years. It didn't turn out well.

    High rise didn't turn out bad because it was high rise, it turned out bad because if the vermin in it.

    Introduce proper zero tolerance justice along with it.


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