Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 27 April 2004
832 Mr. R. Bruton asked the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government his plans to introduce legislation to make it easier to deal with anti-social behaviour by tenants in private rented accommodation and where landlords fail to protect other residents in the area. [11998/04]
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At present the Residential Tenancies Bill is before the Dáil. It imposes an obligation on tenants not to engage in anti-social behaviour in, or in the vicinity of, dwellings to which the Bill applies. It allows landlords to terminate any tenancy where the tenant is engaging in or allowing others to engage in such behaviour with a notice period of only seven days in the case of serious anti-social behaviour or 28 days in the case of less serious, but persistent, behaviour.
The Bill imposes an obligation on landlords to enforce the obligations applying to tenants where a person, such as a neighbour, would be adversely affected by a failure to enforce the tenant obligations. It provides for the establishment of the private residential tenancies board on a statutory basis. One of its main functions will be to take over the role of the courts in dealing with disputes that arise in the private rented sector. The Bill gives third parties that are affected by anti-social behaviour a right to take a case to the board against a landlord who has failed to enforce the tenancy obligations of the tenant regarding anti-social behaviour. If the board upholds a complaint referred by a third party the landlord will be directed to ensure that the tenants comply with their obligations. It can, if necessary, enforce compliance through the courts.
