I propose to take Questions Nos. 912 to 918, inclusive, together.
The 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. With very limited exemptions, these apply to all private rented residential accommodation.
All landlords have a legal obligation to ensure that their rented properties, regardless of tenancy type, comply with these regulations. Responsibility for the enforcement of the Regulations rests with the relevant local authority.
In relation to private rental inspections of rent allowance properties, unassisted renters' properties, fixed-term tenancy properties, approved housing bodies properties and sub-letters properties the information requested is not reported by local authorities to my Department and is not available.
The number of Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) and Rental Accommodation Scheme (RAS) properties inspected by Limerick City and County Council, for compliance with the minimum standards in rental accommodation, is available from 2018 to the end of March 2020 and is set out in the table below.
Year
|
RAS
|
HAP
|
2018
|
317
|
838
|
2019
|
509
|
1,002
|
Q1 2020
|
200
|
243
|
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:
http://www.housing.gov.ie/housing/statistics/house-building-and-private-rented/private-housing-market-statistics