Webinar: Built Environment - Residential Landlord & Tenant Update

As always, this area is topical with proposed eviction bans currently being discussed. During this webinar, we considered the recently introduced eviction ban, rent arrears procedure and other recent legislative changes relevant to the sector.

Speakers:

Colm Farrell, Partner, Mason Hayes & Curran LLP

Finnian O’Neill, Senior Associate, Mason Hayes & Curran LLP

Mema Byrne BL

This webinar was chaired by Jamie Fitzmaurice, Partner, Real Estate, Mason Hayes & Curran LLP.

Industry Survey Results

Our audience survey at this event found that 88% of property industry professionals believe that Government Housing Policy disproportionately relies on the private sector to address the social and affordable housing crisis.

The survey also found that the majority (60%) prefer telephone mediation to in person/virtual mediation to resolve landlord/tenant disputes through the Residential Tenancies Board (RTB).

Our partner Colm Farrell said: “The Residential Tenancies Board has moved to telephone mediation as the default position for dispute resolution for two main reasons: firstly, because it’s a free service, and secondly, because it’s a quicker process than trying to set up meetings, be they virtual or in-person. However, what we’re hearing from clients is that where you have two parties on two ends of a telephone call with a mediator, you don't get the same buy-in as you do with an in-person or an online adjudication”.

The event also discussed recent amendments in the legislation around tenancies of unlimited duration, which were introduced this summer, and the additional obligations imposed on landlords by this legislation. Respondents were split 50/50 on whether tenancies of unlimited duration will make a difference to how institutional landlords approach their operations.

Partner Jamie Fitzmaurice commented: “Even though landlords continue to have the ability to terminate tenancies on specified grounds, the even split in the views from our respondents demonstrates that a very real level of uncertainty remains, which cannot be good for industry.”

The survey results were covered by Irish Legal News and the Law Society of Ireland Gazette.