Call For Tenants’ Unions To Be Formed

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A small group of tenants in Stoneybatter quietly came together earlier this year to form the Dublin Tenants Association. Now they’re ready to go public.

Having come to the end of what they referred to as a “pilot phase”, they say they now know the ins and outs of tenants’ rights, and have helped about 15 people who were in difficulty with their rental accommodation.

“We’ve been deliberately keeping a low profile,” says one of the founders, MICK BYRNE, in conversation with Pat Meehan. But he is happy, now that they have the resources, to deal with more cases.

Dublin city councillor Pat Dunne, of the United Left, said such a group is needed.

“Most tenants aren’t aware of their rights under the Residential Tenancies Act,” says Dunne. He regularly comes across constituents who have given up tenancies when they didn’t have to, he says.

Dunne is one of the many who helped to educate the members of the Dublin Tenants Association. He gave them advice on dealing with the Private Residential Tenancies Board (PRTB) and on identifying invalid termination notices.

Now that they are feeling more prepared, the association is getting ready to grow in size and help more tenants.

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