The State is trying to "get the balance right" as it considers whether or not to extend the current ban on no-fault evictions, Minister of State Jack Chambers has said.
Mr Chambers, who is the Minister of State at the Department of Transport, said that homelessness figures would have been worse throughout the winter without the ban, but that it was time to reassess the Government's position.
"We have to look at this in a wider context, and there is a concern that in the medium-term if we were to extend it [the ban] for a very short period that it could exacerbate the underlying difficulties that we have within the rental market," he said.
An eviction ban was put in place by the Government from the end of October 2022 until the end of March 2023.
The latest homelessness figures show that 122 people became homeless in January which brings the total figure to 11,754 - the highest to amount to date and represents a rise in numbers for a seventh consecutive month.
The January 2023 figures also report a total of 1,609 families with 3,431 children homeless.
His comments come as Tánaiste Micheál Martin said the latest data showed there had been an exodus of homes available to rent in the last year as landlords chose to sell their rental properties.
"If a lot of small landlords decide to exit the market at the point at which you extend the eviction ban, you could make the overall homeless figures worse," Mr Chambers said.
Min. of State @jackfchambers says Gov is trying to "get the balance right" as it considers whether or not to extend the current ban on no-fault evictions. pic.twitter.com/awssxQQYrS
— Saturday RTÉ (@SaturdayRTE) February 25, 2023
However speaking on RTÉ’s Saturday with Colm Ó Mongáin programme, Sinn Féin senator Lynn Boylan said landlords are leaving the market because house prices have reached record highs.
"The Residential Tenancies Board’s independent research underpins that most landlords are leaving because house prices have reached an all-time high," she said.
Ms Boylan added that people who did not want to become landlords are also leaving the market because their property has emerged from negative equity, along with people who purchased houses as an investment for their pension and are cashing in.
She added that small tax measures will not stop landlords from selling their rental properties.
Labour TD for Dublin Fingal Duncan Smith called for the eviction ban to be extended until homelessness figures begin to drop.
He added that local authorities around the country are inconsistent when it comes to purchasing homes from landlords who wish to exit the market.
"The Minister for Housing [Darragh O'Brien] said last July he wanted local authorities to buy these homes, but it's been inconsistently applied and it's not good enough," he said.
"While we’re not facing one cliff-edge at the end of March, we’re facing three in just under two-and-a-half months and we’re going to see these numbers skyrocket".
