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Progressive Politics NI

Downpatrick - Housing & Homelessness

Urgent legislation is needed to tackle the growing homelessness problem
Landlords should be taxed for empty properties
There should be rent caps on properties
Application administration fees should be abolished
There should be a defined & enforced Human Right to Housing
There should be a vacant land tax or the option to receive grants for "rewilding" and planting of native species for those who own vacant land
There needs to be further regulation of Houses of Multiple Occupancy
Tenants should have greater rights to security of tenure in private rental housing and protection from no fault eviction
Legislation should be brought in to prohibit the discriminatory practice of refusing tenancies to those in receipt of social security benefits
There should be a legislative cap on holiday homes, in seaside towns
An enforceable Charter for Renters Rights should be introduced
Third party surveillance of homeless and emergency shelters should be mandated
Comments
  • On question: There should be a legislative cap on holiday homes, in seaside towns - Housing is a human right. We support measures to curb the increasing shift from housing as homes to investments. There is a housing crisis and this is acutely felt in, but not unique to, seaside towns. We would not want to see legislation that takes power out of the hands of people living in communities but do support giving all local areas more say in the planning and licensing of housing. We believe accommodation to support the tourism sector can go hand-in-hand with increased provision for housing as homes by putting more power in the hands of people who live in the communities affected.