Private Residential Tenancies Board Remit

Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 12 December 2013

Thursday, 12 December 2013

Questions (130)

Eoghan Murphy

Question:

130. Deputy Eoghan Murphy asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the way he intends to protect and improve the rights of renters of residential property. [53426/13]

Written answers

Minister of State at the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government

The Residential Tenancies Act 2004 sets out the rights and obligations of landlords and tenants in the private rented residential sector and represented the most significant legislative reform in the private rented sector in over a century. The Act provided real security of tenure for tenants in the private rented sector for the first time and, inter alia, provided access for both tenants and landlords to an inexpensive, informal and independent dispute resolution process operated by the Private Residential Tenancies Board (PRTB).

Nine years on from the passing of the Act, however, it is clear that there are aspects of the legislation that require amendment in order to improve the functioning of the rental sector. The Residential Tenancies (Amendment)(No. 2) Bill 2012 was published on 19 July 2012. The Bill builds on what has already been achieved by the 2004 Act, and by the PRTB, and is a key element in the delivery of the Government’s housing policy.

Among the main issues addressed by the amending legislation are the extension of the remit of the Residential Tenancies Act to Approved Housing Body tenancies; the Board of the PRTB to be reduced from 15 to 12 members; the separation of the governance and quasi-judicial functions of the Board; the merger of the PRTB and the Rent Tribunal; the simplification and streamlining of the mediation process and the introduction of a new procedure to enable the PRTB to deal effectively with tenants who do not pay rent during the dispute process.

While the Bill addresses a wide range of issues, there are some other aspects still under development which I hope to bring forward for consideration during the Bill’s passage through the Seanad. In particular, I am keen to progress the commitment in the Programme for Government to introduce a tenancy deposit protection scheme and I intend to provide for the establishment of such a scheme at Committee Stage of the Bill in the Seanad. The Bill is currently before the Seanad.