DUBLIN — A large-scale eviction on Dublin’s Mountjoy Square has intensified pressure on the Government to introduce emergency protections for renters, after dozens of long-term tenants were ordered to leave an apartment block so the landlord can sell the property.
Up to 40 residents including families with infants, low-income workers and long-term Dubliners were served Notices of Termination in recent weeks, citing the landlord’s “intention to sell” the building. The move is legal under Ireland’s tenancy laws but has become increasingly contentious amid a severe housing shortage.
Several of the affected households say they are unable to secure alternative accommodation, with many facing the possibility of entering emergency homeless services as the winter period sets in.
One mother of two, who has lived in the building for several years, said the looming deadline had left her family “terrified.”
“I have two babies and nowhere to go,” she told M10News. “We are applying everywhere, but the rents are insane. Most landlords won’t even look at us because we’re on HAP.”
Landlord Exit Trend Intensifies
The Mountjoy Square block is the latest example of landlords selling rental properties with vacant possession, a trend that has escalated sharply over the past two years. Housing analysts say properties sold empty can fetch tens of thousands more on the open market — an incentive that continues to fuel evictions even as homelessness hits record levels.
Advocacy groups warn that the policy framework is effectively pushing landlords to exit while leaving tenants exposed.
Housing Groups Demand Immediate Government Action
Focus Ireland, the Dublin Renters’ Union and other organisations have urged Housing Minister Darragh O’Brien to intervene, saying existing protections are too weak to prevent mass displacement.
Sarah Kelly, spokesperson for the Dublin Renters’ Union, said the Mountjoy Square case reflects “a system that prioritises asset liquidation over families’ basic need for a home.”
“The law’s nine-month rule is meaningless when the eviction happens immediately,” she said. “These families are being broken apart because one landlord decided it was the right time to sell. That should not be possible during a housing emergency.”
What the Law Says About ‘Intent to Sell’ Evictions
Under current legislation, a landlord who ends a tenancy to sell the property must:
- Issue a written Notice of Termination with a statutory declaration confirming the intent to sell.
- Commit to entering a binding contract for sale within nine months of the tenant vacating.
- Provide a notice period ranging from 90 to 224 days, depending on tenancy length.
- Offer the property back to the former tenant if it is not sold within the nine-month window.
Tenant groups argue these safeguards are rarely enforceable, noting that landlords can relist properties or delay sales without consequence, while tenants often cannot afford to wait months for an RTB hearing.
Tenants File Dispute With RTB
Residents of the Mountjoy Square block have lodged a formal challenge with the Residential Tenancies Board, questioning the validity of the eviction notices. However, with RTB disputes often taking several months or longer, tenants fear they will be forced out long before a ruling is delivered.
Local representatives have described the situation as “a humanitarian emergency in the heart of the capital” and called on the Government to consider temporary bans on sales-based evictions in multi-unit buildings.
Pressure Mounts on Government Response
The eviction comes as homelessness figures continue to break records, and as the rental market remains severely undersupplied. Housing experts say that without urgent intervention to limit no-fault evictions, similar mass displacements will become increasingly common.
For the tenants of Mountjoy Square, the race is now on to find alternative housing in a market where demand far outstrips supply — and where eviction often means falling straight into homelessness.
