'These are real people': Government called out over evictions in Kildare
The criticism was made by a TD representing Kildare South
A TD has levelled criticism towards both the government’s housing policies and the level of evictions throughout Ireland, including those in County Kildare.
Sinn Féin TD for Kildare South, Shónagh Ní Raghallaigh, claimed that the latest figures published by the Residential Tenancies Board ‘exposes the devastating reality of Fianna Fáil (FF) and Fine Gael’s (FG) housing policy’.
The new figures show a 50 per cent increase in evictions in the first three months of the year, with more than 7,000 eviction notices issued to renters, which is the highest number ever recorded.
The Kildare town-based rep alleged: “The number of evictions skyrocketed as a direct result of FF and FG’s rent hike bill. “
She also urged the government to admit that the rent changes have made the housing crisis ‘worse’ and called for them to be reversed.
Deputy Ní Raghallaigh elaborated: “More than 7,000 eviction notices were issued to renters in the first three months of this year, the highest number ever recorded.
“These are real people — real families, workers, parents, young couples and older renters, whose lives have been thrown into turmoil as a result of government policies.
“This massive increase in evictions did not happen by accident; this is a direct result of Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael’s rent hike bill , which is a charter for rent hikes and evictions.”
She further claimed: “We [Sinn Féin] warned that the consequences would be dire, that weakening rent protections would drive up rents, that landlords would use these changes to force tenants out, and that renters would pay the price for this disastrous legislation.”
‘A DELIBERATE POLITICAL CHOICE’
The Deputy also alleged that the government ‘knew exactly what they were doing’.
“They made a deliberate political choice to side with institutional investors, vulture funds and big landlords over ordinary renters,” she claimed. “The impact of their decision is now clear and the reality facing people is brutal — more evictions, higher rents, rising homelessness and more insecurity.”
“That is the reality of Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael’s housing policy — young workers are being locked out of ever owning a home, couples are moving back into box rooms in their parents’ homes and families are terrified of the next rent increase or eviction notice.”
Deputy Ní Raghallaigh concluded by issuing the following appeal to the government: “They must admit that their rent hike bill has made the housing crisis dramatically worse and reverse the disastrous legislation before even more renters are driven out of their homes.”
The Leinster Leader has contacted a number of local FF and FG representatives, in addition to the Department of Housing, in relation to Deputy Ní Raghallaigh’s comments.
In response to Deputy Ní Raghallaigh’s statement, a representative for the Department of Housing said: “The Rental Tenancies Board data published yesterday shows that the Irish rental market continued to grow in the fourth quarter, and the number of tenancies (246,477) is now at the highest number recorded since the current data series began.
“There are always landlords entering and leaving the rental market with new notices of termination and new registrations.
“Although 7,062 Notice of Terminations received in Q1 2026, the Residential Tenancies Board also received 16,548 new tenancy registrations for Quarter 1 of 2026, which serves to highlight the consistent changes within the rental market.”
The rep added: “It’s also important to note that Notice of Terminations do not always lead to tenant leaving a rental property; tenants have legal rights to challenge it, and the landlord must follow strict procedures through the Residential Tenancies Board to enforce it.”
Furthermore, one local councillor who was asked about the Deputy’s comments, Fine Gael Cllr Tracey O’Dwyer, replied to the Leader: “No comment.”
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