Earlier in March, news broke in the Irish Examiner that 36 households in one estate in Co. Wexford had been served with eviction notices just hours before new rental rules kicked in.
36 families with nowhere to go would be a crisis in any context, but with record homeless figures, an incident like this in the Housing Minister’s James Browne’s own constituency would have been a political disaster for the government as well as a personal one for all of those concerned.
The uproar compounded when a Ring doorbell video emerged in the days that followed, showing the landlord’s agent stating clearly that the evictions were directly related to the new housing rules.
Following political outcry, Patchflow Ltd, which is owned by two local businesspeople with extensive other interests in the south-east, retracted the eviction notice.
Irish Examiner Acting Political Editor Paul Hosford broke the story. He’s the guest on today’s podcast.
Landlord withdraws eviction notices for 36 households at Wexford housing estate
Doorbell video shows agent linking Wexford eviction notices to new rental rules
Government urged to intervene after 36 Wexford homes given eviction notices
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