Minister for Housing Darragh O'Brien has come under pressure to modify his winter ban on evictions to further support renters.

As well as permitting evictions in cases of non payment of rent, anti social behaviour or damage of property, Section 2 of the Bill also allows landlords to issue an eviction notice where the property is overcrowded.

Calling on Minister O'Brien to remove the overcrowding exemption, Sinn Féin representative Eoin Ó Broin said: "This provision was a surprise and there is simply no reason for it to be in the Bill. It is rarely used as grounds for eviction. It has the potential to put large families, including those such as Travellers and Roma families at risk of eviction. These are the very same families who because of their size find it harder to exit homelessness.

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"There is also a concern that this provision could be used by landlords who want to evade the winter ban evictions. It creates an unnecessary and dangerous loophole in the legislation.

"I am urging Minister O'Brien to accept a Sinn Féin amendment to the Bill to remove the overcrowding exemption from the winter ban on evictions and to deliver on his promise to introduce a ban on all no fault evictions."