{"id":374448,"date":"2026-03-31T09:43:07","date_gmt":"2026-03-31T09:43:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/374448\/"},"modified":"2026-03-31T09:43:07","modified_gmt":"2026-03-31T09:43:07","slug":"church-of-ireland-less-likely-to-let-vacant-rectories-due-to-rent-reforms-the-irish-times","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/374448\/","title":{"rendered":"Church of Ireland \u2018less likely\u2019 to let vacant rectories due to rent reforms \u2013 The Irish Times"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Church of Ireland<\/a> has warned it is much less likely to rent<\/a> out vacant rectories and curates\u2019 houses due to \u201csignificant challenges\u201d in repossessing the properties for newly appointed clergy under reformed rental rules.<\/p>\n

The representative body of the Church of Ireland sought a meeting with Minister for Housing James Browne<\/a> and Minister of State John Cummins to discuss the \u201cpossibility of an exemption\u201d from the new rules.<\/p>\n

For tenancies created after March 1st, landlords are required to provide rolling six-year tenancies, with the church saying parishes could face \u201csignificant challenges\u201d in repossessing properties when new rectors or curates are appointed.<\/p>\n

In correspondence sent in October, the property arm of the Church of Ireland explained that rectories or curates\u2019 houses were previously offered on to the rental market during periods of vacancy.<\/p>\n

It is understood that a \u201chandful\u201d of such properties become vacant each year due to retirements or movements to new parishes. These vacancies can last for months and, occasionally, years.<\/p>\n

In the letter obtained under the Freedom of Information Act, the church\u2019s representative body said the legislation had implications for the \u201coperational efficiency\u201d of the church and \u201cunintended negative implications for our parishes\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe result will be that the parish will be much less likely or willing to offer the property on to the market during the vacancy period,\u201d the letter reads.<\/p>\n

Reformed eviction rules mean new tenancies cannot be terminated unless a tenant fails to comply with their obligations, including paying rent, or if the property is no longer suitable for a tenant\u2019s needs.<\/p>\n

[\u00a0What will new rent rules really mean for Irish tenants?Opens in new window<\/a>\u00a0]<\/p>\n

Although the rules for smaller landlords differ, such as allowing a termination if the property is required for themselves or an immediate family member to live in, none of the valid reasons for termination would cover the Church of Ireland\u2019s scenario.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe operational efficiency and incumbency movements of our church are seriously affected by this legislation,\u201d the letter reads.<\/p>\n

The church raised further concerns over the vacant homes<\/a> tax<\/a> (VHT), which applies to residential properties that have been lived in for fewer than 30 days a year, saying: \u201cThe reality is a rectory or curate\u2019s house can become subject to VHT well before a parish finally appoints a new rector or curate.\u201d<\/p>\n

The representative body sought a meeting with both Ministers to discuss the issues raised, alongside the \u201cpossibility of an exemption\u201d, though no meeting has taken place to date.<\/p>\n

The Department of Housing<\/a> said it would not comment on specific scenarios, though responding correspondence, also released under freedom of information laws, notes: \u201cThis legislation was passed by the Houses of the Oireachtas<\/a> with a view to giving all tenants subject to a tenancy increased protections with regard to security of tenure.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you do not wish to create such a tenancy, as an alternative, there may be other options open to you to use this accommodation on a shorter-term basis.\u201d<\/p>\n

[\u00a0Government was advised that rent reforms carried \u2018significant\u2019 risk of evictionsOpens in new window<\/a>\u00a0]<\/p>\n

In a statement, a spokesperson for the Church of Ireland said it had sought a meeting to discuss the \u201cunintended consequences of this legislation and to see if there is some way to remove the risks and increase the supply of rental properties\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe church would very much like to be able to offer its temporarily vacant properties for short-term rentals.<\/p>\n

\u201cHowever, this has become more difficult under the new legislation, as the legislation restricts the church\u2019s right to regain access to its property when needed, even when this is agreed in advance.\u201d<\/p>\n

The spokesperson said the ability to let the vacant houses on a short-term basis would, \u201cwe believe, make a contribution, however small, to the nationwide demand for rental accommodation at a reasonable price\u201d.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Church of Ireland has warned it is much less likely to rent out vacant rectories and curates\u2019…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":247747,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[5784,12466,61,60,7116,43,12636,3665,5066,68742],"class_list":{"0":"post-374448","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-ireland","8":"tag-church-of-ireland","9":"tag-department-of-housing-local-government-and-heritage","10":"tag-ie","11":"tag-ireland","12":"tag-james-browne","13":"tag-news","14":"tag-oireachtas","15":"tag-renting","16":"tag-tax","17":"tag-vacant-property"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/374448","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=374448"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/374448\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/247747"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=374448"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=374448"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=374448"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}