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EVERY YEAR FROM 31 October to 31 March there is a ban on evictions in France.
The ‘trêve hivernale’, or the winter truce, has been a part of French law since 1956. There are some exclusions, for example where a judge has ordered the expulsion of an abusive partner from a home. Squatters are also not covered by the winter truce.
The ban is designed to give low income families in particular reprieve during the harsh winter months in France. There are similar measures in place for energy cuts.
In a poll for RTÉ’s Claire Byrne Live/TheJournal.ie by Amarách Research, 54% of people said they think evictions during winter should be illegal.
According to the poll 28% of people do not think winter evictions should be banned and 18% said they didn’t know.
There have been a number of protests recently calling for an end to evictions – many organised by an Irish Yellow Vest movement, inspired by France’s ‘gilet jaunes’.
They demonstrations followed the eviction of a family in Roscommon by private security workers who were later forced out of the house by a group of anti-eviction activists.
Three people required hospital treatment after the incident and a security dog suffered injuries and had to be put down.
Two men arrested in connection with this incident were released without charge and a file is being prepared for the Director of Public Prosecutions.
A number of KBC bank branches have also been targeted, with significant damage done to the Swords branch last week when it was set on fire. The bank has said it is taking additional measure to ensure the safety of its staff.
At a protest in Strokestown, Co Roscommon on Sunday, independent TD Michael Fitzmaurice said families should “always be given the chance to stay in their homes”.
He said legislators need to “get together” to make sure legislation is put in place to stop a repeat of the violent events at the house in Roscommon.
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It would be a big step in the right direction. The deprivation and poverty all over the country is real. Despite what we’re told.
@Dave Doyle: Would you be a landlord? You may as well hand over your property and forget about it as an investment. Anyone with sense wanting to invest in property should buy a REIT fund. You’re profiting off the big property funds, but beats being a private landlord.
@Dave Doyle: “the deprivation and poverty all over the country is real” says the man who lives in Bulgaria and uses the journal as his source of info
@Dave Doyle: I think there should be a period over Christmas where someone shouldn’t be removed from a property, but certainly not 5 months!!! (which would just invite abuse).
Perhaps 4 – 6 weeks with some exceptions.
@Larry Fitzwell: take your investment and ram it tbh speculating at the expense of families is disgusting.
@talkingsense: “deprivation and poverty all over the country “
Very Game of Thrones!
@Chin Feeyin: Dave is known for his amateur dramatics in fairness
@Chris OB: if landlords were to listen to you there would be nowhere to rent. We need twice the amount of people to invest in rental property. Are not all providers of services not speculating at the expense of families and people. Eg. Are not Tescos speculating on making a profit as they know families need food.
@RM: There is nothing wrong with a rental market if controlled properly and not full of greedy swines. There will always be places to rent and for you to suggest otherwise is completely false and the comparrison to a supermarket is pathetic. Everyone should have a right to a home and raise a family if you care to do so and without some greedy asshat trying to speculate on your home. We need the government to build houses that mere mortals can afford not more screw you jack landlords that only care for their bank balance.
@Chris OB: i think you miss my point. I said if landslords did what u suggest “take their investment and ram it tbh” there would be nowhere to rent. We need landlords and we need more of them Because the government is Not doing what if should do i.e. build social housing. A family will never have there own home in the private market . It will always be temporary as a landlord may want to move on and sell. Familys need permanent social housing if renting. The private rental market was alway used for temporary accomadation. Ie students , young people, people between houses. I gre up in social housing
@DrRexButts: they could always just sell their properties and not be landlords anymore.
@Chris OB: There will always be places to rent. That is correct. However today there are 1,778 fewer landlords than there were three years ago, while tenancies have declined by 8,829. These are RTB figures from last week. Landlords are leaving the market in their droves Chris hence the shift to try to make it harder to evict tenants. Now why would landlords leave a profitable market where they are supposedly making shed loads of money? Answers on a postcard but if you want to help Chris you should buy your own place, do it up and rent it out.
@Conrad Shields: no there shouldn’t, people should pay their bills all year round and this wouldn’t be an issue. If you cannot afford your rent, you shouldn’t be spending money at Christmas that you don’t have.
@DrRexButts: Landlords are getting 28 million a month in welfare. Doesn’t sound like poverty to me.
@talkingsense: Seems i’ve upset a few of the fanboys lately. Doesn’t matter where i live, Dublin born and bred, came from tenement conditions, social welfare housing, owned my own home became an accidental landlord for a couple of years. There’s a multitude of sources all over the internet.
@talkingsense: Nothing compared to you for dramatics when you’re in a bad mood.
@Dave Doyle: And of that, how much is taxed and spent on repairs to their property, because tennants had no respect for the property they were living in.
@Dave Doyle: of course it matters because it’s no where near as bad here as you and the other perpetual doom mongers on here make it out to be. Yes, there are glaring issues that need to be resolved but for those willing to get up and go to work everyday it’s not that bad but of course you don’t want to hear that because it doesn’t suit your narrative
@talkingsense: It’s every bit as bad and worse. You do realise that nearly 25% of those who get up to work every day earn no more than 400 euro a week? That wouldn’t pay for a months rent in Dublin and in many places around the country. That’s before you put food on the table, or clothes on your back. Then there’s the hundreds i read about in the Midland areas who depend on donated food so they can feed their families. Food banks weren’t seen in the country before FG took the reins of power. I have close family living in Dublin. One of them an addiction counsellor, and a volunteer driver for Ruhama. My comments don’t suit the narrative you and your “i’m all right” ilk put about, the narrative the bought and paid for very partial MSM and Leo’s SCU like to brag about. Living in the poorest country in the EU allows me to compare how things are done differently. Those differences are stark.
@Dave Doyle: I am alright Bulgarian Dave and I’ll make no apologies for it. I work, pay my rent and save what I can. Should I feel guilty for being comfortable? You’re such an angry bitter man. You should lighten up and try enjoying life instead of being you’re usual bitter self.
@talkingsense: You’re sounding very much like Chin Feeyin, who came out with the same drivel. I’m far from bitter, i have a lifestyle here you can only dream of. I own a mortgage and debt free home. I’m sitting here right now enjoying some apricot rakiya, made from my own apricots, while nibbling on dates and walnuts.
I have no problem with you being comfortable. Able to pay your rent and save. I do have a problem with how you look down on those who can’t or find it hard to pay their rent, put food on the table. And those without either.
How many pay packets are you from being in the same boat? None of us knows what’s around the corner for us. You have much more in common with those you moan about than you will ever realise.
@Dave Doyle: If your life is so fantastic then enjoy it instead of being a bitter whinger on here all the time. You pontificating over the internet from Bulgaria isn’t going to fix anything here.
@Dave Doyle: Dave do you mind me asking if you bought your Bulgarian property as an investment property initially during the Celtic Tiger (as did many back then) or whether you just fancied living somewhere different? It certainly does seem a very cheap place to live. I read that a coffee that would cost €3 here costs just 30 cents in Bulgaria and that a large one bed apartment in Sunset Resort which is popular with the Irish sold for €45K. A world of difference for sure.
@talkingsense: How many times do i have to tell you bitter is far from what i am? My comments are as valid as anyone else’s here. The fact i post under my real name with a valid profile makes them more valid than yours, posted under an anonymous name. I may not fix anything at all, but i can make people aware of the reality of life in Ireland for so many.
@Dave Doyle: The fact I live and work in Dublin city centre gives me a better idea of the reality of life in Ireland than you Bulgarian Dave but sure carry on spewing your crap from overseas if it makes you happy. Far be it from me to curb your fun
@Sean: Personal circumstances brought me here. It’s in no way an investment, it’s my home. The cost of living is very cheap here, though that may change if Bulgaria change to the Euro, the government is under pressure to change. Wages are very low compared to other EU countries. The Public health service is far better than in Ireland, as is public transport.
Sunny beach is not a place i would buy or recommend anyone to buy in. To many scammers involved. Property is priced in Euro here!! A family apartment in a housing area would cost in the region of 65-90 thousand. Euro. The old Communist style apartments, if you can get your hands on one, are very well laid out and spacious compared to what is being built now. A holiday apartment for 45,000 wouldn’t be worth the money. Go more South for better value.
@talkingsense: You’re talking from your comfortable position. Not the reality the less well off have to endure. Can you not comment without letting your bitterness shine through?
@Dave Doyle: I’ve nothing to be bitter about, I’ve a positive outlook on life. You should try it sometime
@talkingsense: Give over for God’s sake. I have more to be positive about than you will ever know. The fact i call out the FFG government on it’s lies, spin, division, and the social deprivation it has caused to so many, shouldn’t cause you so much angst. Unless of course you have a vested interest.
@Dave Doyle: Chill out Dave, it’s Christmas after all
@talkingsense: You to. Wish you all the best for the New Year.
@Dave Doyle: “seems I’ve upset a few of the fanboys lately”.
You flatter yourself.
@Dave Doyle: I never agreed with your views but now, I no longer respect them either. Living in Bulgaria, contributing nothing to the economy here, nothing in taxes, not voting but pontificating on everything.
All the while, living a comfortable life in Europe’s most unequal country
Hypocrite.
@Dara O’Brien: Pathetic!
We have a mild climate, i see no need for a ban.
@Irish Protestant: why dont you go live on the streets then
@Chris OB: because i pay my bills and work hard.
@Irish Protestant: yes because your life has allowed you to do so. My point was if it is warm enough to live on the streets maybe you should try it before suggestimg others do so.
@Irish Protestant: simplistic view from someone who has never stepped out of his millieu or mentally.
@Irish Protestant: correct
The state of the economy in France will tell you how well this wonderful socialist country is managing itself . It is a complete basket case . One of the Hi-vis leaders is a 60 yr old civil servant who while been paid a full wage of 90k a year has not done a days work in 20 yrs due to some insane law He was protesting primarily against high taxes !!!!
@jerry slattery: have you got a link to the Civil Servant. I wouldn’t mind reading about that.
@jerry slattery: I would love to see that link as well Gerry. Where did you get the information from?
@Edmund Murphy: its hard to find links to blatant lies he probably heard from a guy in a pub
@jerry slattery: bull crap you are picking one person out of how many???
@Roy McDonnell: Daily Mail, which has an anti- Europe, and especially anti- France bias. It can reasonably be assumed that not all of the facts are in the story…
@jerry slattery: due to overtake Britain next year as world’s sixth largest economy
@Roy McDonnell: where does it say anything about his being a leader of the yellow hi-viz movement? My understanding is that part of the ‘problem’ with the protests is that there aren’t any identifiable leaders with whom to negotiate.
@jerry slattery: Jerry are you getting all your information from the British red tops or what?
Far from being a basket case France is the 7th largest economy in the world and it is predicted to overtake Britain to take 6th place over the coming years.
@ed w: then Britain to overtake them again due to French socialist policy
@Martin Hession: 5th vs 6th biggest economy is a fair trade off in return for policies that put the welfare of all citizens ahead of big business.
@john doe: Tell that to the generation of jobless French youth who are excluded from the labour market by wacky socialist policies. They’re rotting away in the Banlieue or moving to London or NY or Dublin if they can while the well paid and well protected union and public workers retire at 60 on full wages or just don’t turn up to work at all as French law makes almost impossible to sack a full time worker.
@jerry slattery: Funny how hostile the replies are. I’m half French most of my family live there. I’ll take their word over some Irish socialist keyboard warriors.
@jerry slattery: I want to know about this too! Where is the link?
Wrong decision. We have mild winters by continental standards. I don’t see how it’s fair for anyone to live in a property for nothing. A nice way of punishing landlords, many of whom are letting out property as an investment for extra cash for the winter period.
@Daniel Donovan: I have 3 properties. Mortgage free. There are 10 beds between the 3 of them. I have 26 people paying me money every month. Life is good
@Bluey: what do ya want? A blue Peter badge or something
@Seosamh Púinse: pft I could just buy one if I wanted
@Bluey: Can’t tell if you’re a troll or just a s**mbag.
@Adrian Mac: what makes me a s**mbag?
@Bluey: 26 people in 10 beds, thats some setup you have going there. It must be like a submarine in your gaffs with people hot bunking.
@Bluey: fantastic trolling bluey, well done
@Bluey: troll or not the sad thing is there’s lots of landlords out there actually like this now. It’s despicable.
@Bluey: Hey bro I’m sure you could maximize your profits by adding 2 more tenants to each of those beds!
The other 50% are in favour of personal responsibility
@Padraig Bateman: or have never been in a rental crisis.
@izotope: Are you implying that people in rental crisis don’t have any personal responsibility?
@Padraig Bateman: You cannot apply “personal responsibility” to the poor when banks and developers never took any personal responsibility for their debts.
@Dave Doyle: Why can’t you apply it to everyone? If a banker jumped off a cliff, would you jump off too?
It takes up to two years to remove someone from your property both here and in France .All the time they sit there without paying rent and more often then not wrecking the gaff not for the faint hearted is the life of a landlord
@jerry slattery: could always not be a landlord.
@Dave Thomas: Remember that for every landlord who decides not to be a landlord there are tenant(s) who now needs to find somewhere else to live in an ever-shrinking pool of rental stock. Is that what you are calling for?
More than 50% of people are naive
There must be more exceptions than the article highlights as otherwise you could stop paying on Oct 31st and sit pretty until March 31st in France
@Dow Dubrov: how does that work? Do people get loans to cover backdated rent of 5 months or is them 5 months forgotten about.
Think before you post.
@Dow Dubrov: and be blacklisted from ever being able to rent again.
@Ali Ní Dhomhnaill: You move in March and backpay nothing. There must be some sort of blacklist register to prevent this happening
What about a banker/bondholder bailout ban, that would have saved €66 billion.?
@Charles Williams: Do you use euro in wales?
@Charles Williams: apples 13 billion too.
@Bluey: not Irish money, blue as well you know
@Padraig Bateman: That’s a Kerry Dragon.?
@Charles Williams: is it? Because under your profile picture you commented, and I quote “Dragons are for good luck in Chinese tradition, this is a Welsh Dragon and Williams is a Welsh name.”
Why is the private sector expected to house people on social welfare. It’s up to the government to house these people
Id like if we introduced the no income tax on overtime payments,
Help people avoid eviction and give people more money to spend on items that already have taxes added to them in the form vat ect
The other 50% vote FFG…
An other French law :your landlord cannot increase the rent as he sees it fit for himself… But I am afraid that for most of the irish this is too much on the socialist side (or should I say the CHRISTIAN side?)
@Andre le Flohic: you’ve never heard of rent control zones?
@Robin Pickering: I did but obviously it doesn’t work! With an average rent of 1500€a month in Dublin (a very small capital city), it obviously doesn’t work!
@Andre le Flohic: You know there is an entire academic scientific literature that looks at the effects of rent control and rent ceilings on property shortages and costs. The evidence is overwhelming… they make housing shortages worse and actually drive up costs over the long term. Its very basic economics.
Why not go all the way and do the same for electricity, heating, food, petrol and clothes. It has the same logic.
Step in the right direction..
Not a frickin’ cent in rent would be paid in those months by the chancers.
Imagine how busy April 1st would be….
…and who’s going to define ‘winter’ around here. ..?… if let to a Dept to define, winter would probably be January to December. ….
Absolutely… take back some control from the demonic, parasitic banking system. However, small landlords should have some protection in the form of state help
It should be implemented. It would give another few months rent free to the cynical group that never intends to pay rent at all. They deserve a break, in fairness; they must have a pain in their heads answering the door to their stupid landlords.
Our winter has hardly been a winter. How does France take into account the different climates.
That just means they’ll throw people out before Christmas comes.
Great idea. Now all the chancer tenants can simply stop paying rent to their landlords and then just leave after a few months. It’s no wonder landlords are leaving the market in droves, being an easy target for FG who need someone to blame for their own problems.
have your say