Private Rented Accommodation

Dáil Éireann Debate, Friday - 6 September 2019

Friday, 6 September 2019

Ceisteanna (1930, 1931, 1932, 1933)

Thomas P. Broughan

Ceist:

1930. Deputy Thomas P. Broughan asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government the amount allocated to each local authority to carry out inspections of private rented dwellings in each of the years 2014 to 2018; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34940/19]

Thomas P. Broughan

Ceist:

1931. Deputy Thomas P. Broughan asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government the reason improvement notices have not been issued in respect of all private rented dwellings which failed to meet the regulatory requirements (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34941/19]

Thomas P. Broughan

Ceist:

1932. Deputy Thomas P. Broughan asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government 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 in each of the years 2014 to 2018, by local authority, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34942/19]

Thomas P. Broughan

Ceist:

1933. Deputy Thomas P. Broughan asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government the number of tenancies which have ended as a result of the private rented dwelling failing the local authority inspections; the proportion of same which were registered HAP properties in each of the years 2014 to 2018; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34943/19]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government

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.