Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 24 June 2014
366. Deputy Robert Dowds asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government when he expects the legislation to be enacted to allow residents' associations to submit complaints to the Private Residential Tenancies Board. [26726/14]
View answerThe Residential Tenancies (Amendment)(No. 2) Bill 2012 is currently before the Oireachtas and will amend the Residential Tenancies Act 2004 to provide, inter alia, for:
- the inclusion of the Approved Housing Body (AHB) sector within the remit of the Residential Tenancies Act 2004;
- the introduction of a new fast-track procedure to deal with non-payment of rent;
- the transfer of the functions of the Rent Tribunal to the PRTB on foot of the Government decision on the rationalisation of State agencies;
- the introduction of a deposit protection scheme.
The Bill has passed all stages in the Dáil, together with Second Stage in the Seanad.
The Residential Tenancies Act 2004 provides that a third party affected by anti-social behaviour may take a case to the PRTB against a landlord who has failed to enforce a tenant’s obligation not to engage in anti-social behaviour. The Bill will include amendments, to be introduced at Committee Stage in the Seanad, to make it easier for a third party to make a complaint concerning anti-social behaviour. The amendments will provide that the third party may refer a complaint to the PRTB where they have attempted to resolve the issues with the landlord alone, rather than with both landlord and tenant which they must do under the Act currently. In addition, the amendments will provide that an owners’ management company, a residents’ association or a neighbourhood watch scheme may bring a third party complaint to the PRTB.
The anti-social behaviour amendments are currently being drafted by the Office of the Parliamentary Counsel and it is my intention to introduce the amendments at Committee Stage of the Residential Tenancies (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2012 in the Seanad shortly.
