Posted by Updated / Saturday, 28 Feb 2026 20:39 UP DATED BY WATCHERS MARCH 1ST
South East Correspondent
A number of tenants in Bridgetown, Co Wexford have been served with notice that their landlord intends to sell their properties.
The Notices of Termination, which have been served in recent days, come as the Government’s new rental rules are due to come into effect tomorrow.
It is understood that upwards of 30 households in the Hazelwood housing estate have been told that their tenancies are due to be terminated.
From tomorrow, landlords will have to keep rent price increases capped at 2% or the rate of inflation annually, but with a new tenancy the owner can reset it to the market rate with no limit.
Under the new rules, tenancies created after 1 March will also have a minimum duration of six years and there will also be more limited grounds for eviction.
The Government hopes the new rules will result in more investment and more property – a way of addressing the massive shortfall in housing.
The landlord in question has been contacted for comment.
The Department of Housing has said it is not aware of the full details regarding the situation in Bridgetown.
However, Minister for Housing James Browne, who is a TD for Wexford, has advised that supports are available to those who have been issued with the Notices of Termination.
A spokesperson for the department said: “The Minister understands that Wexford County Council are available to advise anybody who may have questions or has received a notice to quit from their landlord, and clinics will held on next week at their offices to offer support and signposting.”
The spokesperson also pointed to certain sections of the relevant legislation that offers protection to renters.
They said: “Section 35A (known as the ‘Tyrrelstown amendment’) of the Residential Tenancies Acts provides that where a landlord proposes to sell 10 or more units within a single development at the same time, that sale is subject to the existing tenants remaining in situ, other than in exceptional circumstances.
“The ‘Tyrrelstown amendment’ was carefully drafted to promote security of tenure in the interest of the common social good.
“If tenants believe they have been issued with an invalid Notice of Termination, they should raise a case with the Residential Tenancies Board,” the spokesperson added.
‘Utterly disgraceful’
Local representatives have called for intervention from the Government after learning that residents in Hazelwood were issued with Notices of Termination.
Local Sinn Féin councillor Aoife Rose O’Brien said today “devastation” hit her local village.
Councillor O’Brien said: “A suspected 36 families have been served eviction notices in Hazelwood estate. These families all have one thing in common; their landlord. The vast majority of these families will be expected to leave on the 28th of August.
“I am horrified of the events that are unfolding. It is utterly disgraceful to see so many families in desperation after finding this notice passed through their letter box in the late hours of Friday evening; families that have nowhere to go.
“I was brought to tears today hearing their stories. One man old me that he had just been let go from work, to return home and find his eviction notice. Another family were refused a mortgage just a few hours before this heartbreaking news was delivered to them. It is completely unacceptable.”
Councillor O’Brien went on to say: “The responsibility lies with our Government for enforcing the new rental law changes from Monday 2nd of March. Fine Fáil and Fine Gael went against our advice and they should be absolutely ashamed of themselves allowing a rip-off rent hike bill to pass.
“I have requested an emergency meeting with the housing staff at Wexford County Council who will facilitate a clinic at the Youth Centre in Bridgetown on Monday from 4 – 6pm to address this. I would like to thank the Community Action Tentants Union for their unwavering support during this difficult time.”
Meanwhile, Labour TD for Wexford, George Lawlor described the development as “deeply worrying”.
In a post on social media, Deputy Lawlor said: “To hear that 36 Notices of Termination have been issued by a single developer in Wexford is deeply troubling.
“Behind every one of those notices is a family, a worker, a child in a local school, a person who has built their life here in Wexford and who now faces the very real prospect of losing their home.
“This is a disgrace. It is no coincidence that this wave of notices comes on the back of the new rental rules brought in by Government.
“Wexford already struggles with housing supply and soaring rents. Families cannot simply pick up and find another affordable home at short notice. There aren’t affordable options sitting idle. When 36 notices land at once, the ripple effect hits the entire community.”
“I’m calling on Government to step in immediately, to examine these cases in detail and to ensure that every legal protection available to tenants is enforced.
Who Watches the Watchers? 