The Housing (Registration of Rented Houses) Regulations, 1996, require a landlord to register details of rented units with the relevant local authority, to update the information once yearly and to pay registration fees. Local authorities are responsible for the enforcement of the regulations and it is, therefore, the responsibility of Dublin Corporation to ensure compliance with the provisions of these regulations by landlords of properties located within the corporation's functional area. I am anxious to see an improved level of compliance with the provisions of the regulations and, to this end, authorities, including Dublin Corporation, have been regularly urged by my Department to take all steps open to them to secure compliance by landlords with the regulations. The income from registration fees is designed to assist authorities to meet the cost of their registration and enforcement activities.
The scope for involvement of an environmental health officer under the registration regulations is limited. However, the Housing (Standards for Rented Houses) Regulations, 1993, impose a number of requirements on landlords in relation to structural matters, sanitary, heating and cooking facilities, electricity and gas installations, ventilation, and maintenance of common areas, yards and forecourts. Where an inspection by an environmental health officer or other local authority official reveals a breach of any of these requirements, the local authority may serve a notice on the landlord specifying the matters that must be remedied to ensure compliance. If non-compliance continues, the local authority may institute court proceedings against the landlord. If convicted, the landlord may be fined up to £1,000 and up to £100 for each day of a continuing offence.
Where a tenancy is governed by a lease, a standard term will normally require the tenant to keep the garden tidy and well tended. The Litter Pollution Act, 1997, imposes certain obligations on owners of residences let in two or more dwellings, if visible from a public place, and on occupiers of all dwellings facing on to public roads in reduced speed limit areas to keep land and adjoining footpaths free of litter. The enforcement of this legislation is also a matter for the local authority.
In the circumstances I have no proposals to amend the standards regulations to insert a provision dealing specifically with the tending of gardens.
