Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 14 February 2024
215. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will fund a public awareness campaign to increase awareness of private residential tenancies legislation among older renters; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7042/24]
View answerThe Residential Tenancies Board, (RTB), was established as a quasi-judicial independent statutory body under the Residential Tenancies Acts 2004-2022 to regulate the rental sector; provide information to tenants and landlords; maintain a national register of tenancies; resolve disputes between tenants and landlords; and conduct research and provide information to inform policy.
In line with its Statement of Strategy 2023–2025, the RTB is committed to effective and meaningful engagement with stakeholders to help their customers understand the role of the RTB and promote compliance in the sector. The RTB have a significant programme of stakeholder engagement and a comprehensive communications plan aimed at supporting tenants and landlords to better understand their rights and obligations. This includes many forms of communication; website content (guidelines, videos etc), social media campaigns as well as virtual and in-person briefings. The RTB statement of strategy further states that the RTB are aware that there are many groups which are currently outside of their reach, which can leave some tenants marginalised and, possibly, open to exploitation. The RTB commits to developing a more targeted communications approach relevant to these groups.
