Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 19 January 2022
615. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the steps he is taking in response to the high rates of private rental properties that failed to meet minimum standards when assessed by Cork City Council's private rental inspection unit in 2021; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2615/22]
View answerThe Housing (Standards for Rented Houses) Regulations 2019 specify requirements in relation to a range of matters, such as structural repair, sanitary facilities, heating, ventilation, natural light and safety of gas, oil and electrical supplies. All landlords have a legal obligation to ensure that their rented properties comply with these regulations. Responsibility for the enforcement of the Regulations rests with the relevant local authority.
Under sections 18A and 18B of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1992, a housing authority may issue an improvement notice or prohibition notice, respectively, where a property is found to be non-compliant. Under Section 34 of that Act, any person who by act or omission contravenes the Regulations, fails to comply with an improvement notice, or re-lets a house in breach of a prohibition notice, will be guilty of an offence and will be liable, on summary conviction, to a fine not exceeding €5,000 or imprisonment for a term not exceeding 6 months or both. If the contravention, failure to comply or re-letting is continued after conviction, the person will be guilty of a further offence on every day on which the contravention, failure to comply or re-letting continues and for each such offence will be liable, on summary conviction, to a fine not exceeding €400 per day.
To aid increased inspections of properties and ensure greater compliance with the Regulations, increased Exchequer funding has been made available to local authorities each year since 2018 to enable them to build inspection capacity incrementally, with payments based on the number of inspections undertaken. Significant progress was made across the sector. The number of inspections more than doubled from 19,645 in 2017 to 40,728 in 2019, although pandemic restrictions have impacted on number of inspections undertaken since. A total of €10 million in Exchequer funding is being made available to local authorities in 2022.
Housing for All sets a target for the inspection of rental properties, which is 25% of all private residential tenancies. Since Housing for All was launched in September 2021, officials in my Department have met separately at a senior level with all 31 local authorities to discuss their local authority’s inspection performance to date and the effort required to reach their Housing for All target in 2022. These detailed engagements have also focused on the need for more consistent and greater use of the available enforcement mechanisms once deficiencies have been identified.
My officials are now in the process of writing to all 31 local authority Chief Executives seeking detailed implementation plans, outlining their plans for 2022 with a clear focus on for example, how they intend to achieve their targets and the approach they plan to take to ensure proper and effective enforcement. My Department will work closely throughout the year with the sector to support the achievement of these targets.
