I propose to take Questions Nos. 1930 to 1933, inclusive, together.
The Strategy for the Rental Sector, published in December 2016, set out a series of measures to be introduced to ensure the quality of private rental accommodation by strengthening the applicable standards and improving the inspection and enforcement systems.
Minimum standards for rental accommodation are prescribed in the Housing (Standards for Rented Houses) Regulations 2019 made under section 18 of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1992. The regulations focus on tenant safety and include measures covering heating appliances, carbon monoxide and window safety. My Department published a guidance document to assist and support local authorities in implementing the Regulations in July 2017. All landlords have a legal obligation to ensure that their rented properties comply with these regulations.
Under Section 18 of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1992, responsibility for the enforcement of the Regulations rests with the relevant local authority. Section 18A of the 1992 Act provides that where, in the opinion of a housing authority, a landlord is contravening or has contravened the standards, the authority may issue an improvement notice. It is a matter for the relevant housing authority to decide whether to issue an improvement notice in each individual case.
Between 2005 and 2018, over €39 million has been paid to local authorities to assist them in the performance of their functions under the Housing Acts, including the inspection of rented accommodation. Over 258,000 inspections were carried out during this period.
The Rental Strategy recognises the need for additional resources to be provided to local authorities to aid increased inspections of properties and ensure greater compliance with the Regulations. Exchequer funding of €4.5 million is being made available to local authorities in 2019 for this purpose, with the intention of providing further increases each year in the period to 2021 to facilitate a targeted inspection coverage of 25% of rental properties annually at that stage.
Detailed information in relation to inspections carried out by each local authority since 2005 is available on my Department's website at the following link:
www.housing.gov.ie/housing/statistics/house-building-and-private-rented/private-housing-market-statistics.
Details of the amounts paid to each local authority since 2014 are set out in the following table:
Year
|
2014
|
2015
|
2016
|
2017
|
2018
|
Local Authority
|
€
|
€
|
€
|
€
|
€
|
County Councils
|
|
|
|
|
|
Carlow
|
38,300
|
30,500
|
35,050
|
35,500
|
41,450
|
Cavan
|
80,800
|
63,300
|
73,400
|
53,000
|
64,400
|
Clare
|
54,800
|
56,750
|
66,250
|
52,450
|
56,850
|
Cork
|
82,300
|
61,700
|
80,950
|
125,800
|
91,600
|
Donegal
|
57,600
|
52,200
|
52,850
|
92,950
|
122,850
|
Dun L Rathdown
|
51,600
|
38,450
|
42,200
|
50,700
|
161,750
|
Fingal
|
32,950
|
27,550
|
36,250
|
86,450
|
295,350
|
Galway
|
5,950
|
8,700
|
3,000
|
118,800
|
84,250
|
Kerry
|
71,200
|
224,450
|
95,450
|
79,950
|
105,750
|
Kildare
|
63,400
|
52,450
|
40,400
|
46,150
|
64,500
|
Kilkenny
|
44,700
|
42,750
|
33,150
|
94,000
|
59,600
|
Laois
|
17,600
|
7,700
|
4,500
|
17,250
|
33,400
|
Leitrim
|
6,350
|
8,200
|
5,500
|
11,600
|
19,900
|
Limerick
|
41,300
|
99,050
|
137,950
|
106,600
|
123,600
|
Longford
|
5,550
|
5,050
|
4,900
|
7,200
|
32,700
|
Louth
|
2,300
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
59,984
|
Mayo
|
10,200
|
25,650
|
10,100
|
23,000
|
75,400
|
Meath
|
14,300
|
14,800
|
11,900
|
38,500
|
42,150
|
Monaghan
|
38,900
|
38,700
|
30,600
|
42,150
|
48,150
|
Tipperary
|
19,100
|
10,300
|
11,000
|
72,550
|
104,900
|
Offaly
|
5,250
|
4,150
|
3,900
|
12,800
|
20,650
|
Roscommon
|
76,600
|
74,800
|
13,550
|
33,300
|
39,700
|
Sligo
|
88,700
|
60,972
|
44,150
|
33,750
|
56,450
|
South Dublin
|
289,900
|
189,450
|
152,350
|
169,750
|
208,500
|
Waterford
|
89,100
|
87,800
|
84,300
|
113,900
|
76,300
|
Westmeath
|
86,450
|
90,650
|
36,450
|
92,950
|
59,600
|
Wexford
|
90,800
|
21,050
|
19,100
|
41,950
|
91,650
|
Wicklow
|
36,600
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
City Councils
|
|
|
|
|
|
Cork
|
137,100
|
111,650
|
110,750
|
86,350
|
76,750
|
Dublin
|
369,050
|
354,250
|
452,100
|
240,350
|
692,750
|
Galway
|
17,000
|
19,650
|
10,250
|
22,450
|
26,750
|
Total Payment
|
2,025,750
|
1,882,672
|
1,702,300
|
2,002,150
|
3,037,634
|
Information in relation to the number of improvement notices in respect of private rented dwellings which resulted in the carrying out of the prescribed works and successful passing of the follow-up inspection by the local authority as well as the number of tenancies which have ended as a result of the private rented dwelling failing the local authority inspections is not held by my Department.
At the end of Q2 2019, a total of 14,478 households were reported on the HAP Shared Services Centre system as having exited HAP: this included tenant led exits; compliance exits; transfers to other forms of social housing; and landlord exits. This report is based on cessations as submitted by local authorities. Reasons for these cessations are typically provided by the tenant and/or landlord. To end Q2 2019, 399 exits from the scheme were reported as relating to property standards.