Rasmussen hits out at landlords “cherry-picking” tenants

Cork County Councillor Cathal Rasmussen has lashed out at reports he has received on landlords refusing to accept rent supplements from genuine cases of individuals looking to secure safe and warm accommodation.

“I have received many reports over the last number of weeks of landlords in my own locality in the Cobh electoral area refusing to accept genuine rent supplements in favour of waiting for non-supplement tenants,” said Cllr Rasmussen.

“The blowback from this is empty houses and apartments as the landlords cannot get the private tenants then. This is a disgrace, when you consider the amount of people on the housing waiting list, looking to get secure accommodation.”

“It is well within the realms of reason that landlords should be taking whatever tenants they can get – as long as those tenants commit to the terms of a lease, there should be no issue. I worry that because of a brief rise in property and rent prises nationally, that some landlords are getting \ahead of themselves.”

Cllr Rasmussen confirmed he will continue to work with any constituent on any concerns they may have and urged them to contact him directly.

“There must be some controls by Cork County Council or a statutory body to have influence over landlords and their refusals to accept legitimate State supports. This is a serious issue that I am pursuing on a daily basis.”