Landlords should pay less tax in exchange for providing their renters with greater security of tenure, a homeless charity has argued. 

The eviction ban is due to end on March 31st and many tenants who have been given notice to leave their homes say they are struggling to find affordable properties to rent in their local areas. 

Landlord associations have previously suggested tax cuts to incentivise more homeowners to rent out property and Mike Allen of Focus Ireland said there is merit to the argument. 

“Landlords are saying they want to be treated as a business and they want to write off their costs and not pay the same sort of tax that they would if they were recognised as a business,” he told The Hard Shoulder. 

“We’re saying, if that’s - and we think there’s a good case for that - then the business is providing someone with a home. 

“The quid pro quo is that for landlords to get these tax benefits, [they] would agree that they were not going to evict the tenant to move family members in or to sell the property.” 

Lower Baggot Street, Dublin City, Ireland

Mr Allen added that this would not suit all landlords - some of whom only want to rent out their property for a short period of time. 

However, he argued it would be a step forward if more were given the option. 

“There are some landlords that know they’re going abroad for a year or so - we don’t want them to leave their house empty,” he said. 

“We want them to rent that out and provide a home for somebody at the moment. 

“If they know that if they rent their home out that year that they’ll never get it back again - they won’t rent it out.” 

The Irish Independent report the Government is considering introducing a tax free allowance for landlords and a reduction in capital gains tax if they sell to their tenant.

Main image: A landlord handing over keys to a property. Picture by: Alamy.com