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THE GOVERNMENT IS considering a proposal to introduce rental property inspections to ensure they meet the proper standards.
The measures were first reported by the Irish Examiner and include the establishment of a national inspection unit which would carry out checks on homes. The Department of the Environment said no decisions have been made yet, but the regulations underpinning the enforcement of standards will be reviewed sometime this year.
Options including ‘certification’ will be considered as part of this review. The department said it will also focus on “promoting best practice in implementing the existing regulatory framework across all local authority areas”.
‘Serious issues’
Threshold services manager Stephen Large told TheJournal.ie that ‘standards and repairs’ is the biggest single issue people are contacting the housing service about this year.
At the moment, in terms of attention, it’s all on rent increases and the difficulties in finding accommodation but there is also a huge number of people who contact us in relation to standards and getting repairs.
The majority of issues relate to dampness, poor ventilation, heating and a lack of fire safety measures in properties.
“Sometimes there are serious issues with electrics – exposed wiring, faulty wiring or sometimes water running into electrics,” he said.
Large said during the economic downturn, some landlords may not have had the money to carry out repairs and standards in some areas have slipped.
People are reluctant to do anything because they think: ‘What if the landlord asks me to leave?’, or the rent hasn’t been raised in a while so maybe they’ll increase it if you complain. People are afraid to report things and to take matters further.
He said the proposals for a national inspection unit would remove some of the burden on tenants. Current legislation is enforced by local authorities and Large said that while some, like Dublin City Council are “quite proactive”, there are regions in the country where “there don’t appear to be any inspections undertaken”.
“It would be good to have a national authority that would apply the standards across the board.”
Energy efficiency
Though this move would be welcome, Large said there is a need for the government to look at including measures in legislation to improve the general quality of living in the private rental sector.
“With things like energy efficiency, in terms of minimum standards, there are no provisions for energy. Particularly if someone is on a low income, if the homes is poorly insulated, their heating costs are greater and less effective and there’s no minimum standard for the BER cert.”
Large stressed that tenants should be aware of their rights and bring issues to the attention of their landlords, as most issues are resolved without any problems. Tenants who are unhappy with the interaction with their landlord can contact Threshold for help or take their grievances to the Residential Tenancies Board.
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Sounds like a decent idea, will create jobs, oh but wait… Who’s gonna pay for it? Ok, so that’s another rent increase gonna happen.. Way to go guys!
OU,
You say it’s a good idea and then use sarcasm to ridicule the idea.
So is it a good idea or not?
I think he means at first it sounds like a good idea but actually it’s a terrible terrible idea.
Jack is correct. It is a good idea but will result in landlords exiting the market and additional charges being wrapped into rent putting yet more pressure on the rental market.
If you are in Dublin City Council area as a landlord this already happens. So no real effect in the area with the largest issue of supply.
Good idea but I know that this is going to push even more landlords out of the renting business. It’s way more hassle than it’s worth already without extra charges.
It will push up costs.
This is another nanny state measure. I hope they don’t introduce it.
Renters will end up paying for it.
If they’re renting mould and damp-ridden slums, maybe they should be pushed out of the renting business.
It won’t push landlord out of the market, it’s much too lucrative at the moment!
No doubt students end up in the worst places, been in a few of them. In one converted 4 bed semi recently, the 3 biggest bedrooms were divided into 2 rooms each, garage was another 2 rooms and also the dinning room. Total of 11 rooms 2 toilets 1 shower. Some of the rooms were so small you had to step over the bed to get to the door.
Mind you the most common cause of mould in a room is lack of ventilation, lost count of the times I have unblocked vents sealed up with various objects i won’t mention to “keep the heat in”.
That and batteries removed from smoke alarms …..
AN other
Really should do some research before you make pronouncements.
In 2011 there was 20,000 houses on daft.ie now there are about 3,500. Where are they all gone?
Landlords leaving the business in their droves
I manage houses and I have lost 4 since February.
The absentee landlord is back and evictions have made a return under Kenny and Noonan
Jho> There has been absolutely no change to eviction process on rental properties. A tenant still can just stop paying rent with it taking over a year round get them out and no recorse to retrieve rent
PJ Nolan – the missing 16,500 are occupied by tenants paying 50% more than they did in 2011… Daft.ie shows the amount of vacant properties after all doesn’t it?
Are you suggesting landlords are not leaving the business?
It will make things worse and harder to get a place to live as well as an end to cheap rents!
John. Why should one pay for an over priced Apartment that a person cannot live in. They have had their fun and money now its the people who rents turn.
Boohoo. My heart bleeds for landlords.
Trying to find a decent one bed flat is impossible. Now looking ouside Dublin city and even a warm garden shed will do me.
Well that should solve the supply side issue plaguing our housing and rental market.
NCT style, eh? But will the landlords be able to insure their buildings if they’re over ten years old?
no end to the relentless regulations in the quest to replace common sense with men with clip boards
And what of the tenant who wrecks the place? What of the tenant who knows the shower is leaking and says nothing for months and months until the place is destroyed to the level of costing a lot to replace? What of the tenant who never ever cleans the place? You would not believe how people treat property they do not own. If tenants were responsible most landlords would be also.
I have saying here for a while many professional landlords would trade increased rent certainty for a realistic way of removing nightmare tenants.
That’s what deposits are for surely.. And references..
Jenny
The minimum legal cost to remove a tenant through the court system will in the region of €6,000 lost rent can be anything from €8,000 upwards to €20,000 repairs can be up to €30,000
Will deposit cover all that?
One nightmare tenant can bankrupt a small operator.
References are only some one else’s opinion, nothing more.
Why are landlords leaving the business at the same time as rents are going up?
Headline should read government proposes new way to increase private rental costs and make more ppl homeless.
‘Certification’ is a key word there and translates to ‘another stealth tax’. Sick to the teeth of our government – invent a new regulation, invent a certificate that one needs to have, charge let’s say €240, more money to cover those expensive Dail bar bills. This is about MONEY. Not tenants living conditions.
@ Graham, completely agree with you. Like the BER certs, trying to get one recently for the house and was quoted between Eur150 to Eur320 form various people.
As someone who lived in terrible accommodation in my first year of college, where the mould and damp was so bad that I’ve now developed chest problems, this idea is GENIUS. When I finally left I asked for my deposit back and they refused, because THEY believed that the house was up to standard and didn’t believe my medical issues were real. Yes it’s an extra cost, but for people who are forced into living in sub – standard in fear of making a complaint, this is going to mean that places are actually livable. I think this is especially important for student accommodation – students are treated terribly and this kind of legislation is going to help them to be treated with respect.
@Orla Therese see my post above. The exact same thing happened my daughter who was a student in a very similar situation. Landlords regularly take advantage of students.
I lived in a house where one window wouldn’t shut properly and this was during the big freeze of 2010. Useless landlord.
There’s a lot of money grabbing charlatans creaming a fortune out of substandard accomodation. Instead of an NCT, force the landlord to live in their slums for a month.
Why didn’t you get one of your relations or friends to fix it?
Why didn’t you get her a nicer place?
NCT style you say? Perfect! So I just give the corrupt inspector a €50 bribe to look the other way if he shows up, nice and easy so :)
Yes niall totally agree the standard in this country is just terrible.
And what are Landlords paying the PRTB for??? yet another quango on top of all the other taxes and charges..!!!@
Any chance they’d do spot checks on the rental properties to see how the tenants are turning some of them into dumps?
If people want high quality service whether they be apartment rental or water or whatever, these services come at a cost. Typical Irish attitude of wanting the service but not wanting to pay for it
*not being able to pay fof it. There, I fixed it for you, Nick.
Nonsense, anyone renting a property is entitled to that property being fit for purpose. You clearly haven’t had the experience of living in substandard accommadation.
Ed> obviously you have never dealt with tenants. They also have obligations to keep a place clean and ventilated. Had a tenant who dried all their clothes inside with the vents blocked by them and windows never opened. Then there was a damp problem which was my fault according to them. Place rented for 20 years with no damp issues until she moved in. Lifestyle has more to with damp than anything else
Agreed
If you saw the TV3 documentary ‘Firetrap Homes’ you should view the following documentary, which you will see for yourself the fraudulent certification and criminality that has gone on and continues to do so within the Irish construction industry, aided and abetted by state authorities. Here is the link to the video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8LHGwwlC8rs
Local authorites already have the power to check private properties are up to standard under the housing regulations
Yes but local authorities are totally corrupt
About time I hope that includes Wicklow council
Why would it not?
Most landlords are businessmen/women.
They take good care of their business by keeping the tenants happy.
Same way as a good shopkeeper takes care of the shopper.
Or a good garage takes care of the motorist.
I suspect that most rented property is of a far higher standard than private housing.
Or else the tenants vote with their feet..
@Pat Gorman that’s simply not true. You constantly hear of tenants living in substandard accommodation. My daughter rented a flat on Thomas Street several years back where the walls were damp, the windows leaked and the mains water hadn’t enought pressure to reach her 3rd floor flat so the shower didn’t work. After a struggle where I had to get invloved the landlord very reluctantly gave her deposit back. An absolute nightmare. I’m sure this quite common. You say tenants vote with their feet but it’s not that easy to move when the landlord has your deposit and there’s a disagreement.
And I would have gotten away with it too, if it weren’t for you meddling kids!
Check #RentRipOff on twitter. You might be surprised!
Yet another measure to reduce the number of rental properties for rent. Remember the ban on bedsits? Another successful measure to make more people (especially older single men) homeless.
They’re already in place if letting to those on rent allowance. I have had my second inspection of my rented property in six years.
if its as useless as the flippin NCT forget about it
Does it mean that if a flat/house fails it will be condemned. The tenant will be evicted causing more homelessness. A repeat of the ban on bedsits. is this government trying to increase homelessness?
a lot of landlords would love a hassle free way to evictory tenents. If he runs down the accommodation the government will help with eviction
Lips service and soundbites. Nothing will change while the golden circle are raking it in.
The quicker they give companies a big tax break as a incentive to open outside Dublin the better . People are being robbed blind in Dublin for rentals as the Government sit back as usual.
They do. The cost of the building etc is tax deductible.
Definitely should happen my daughter lives on the north circular Rd and her bedsit is infested with cockroaches she is worried if she complains she will not get her contract renewed.
Well done. There are houses if you can call it that, with no minimum conditions of living in it.
More landlord bashing will not produce supply, another smoke screen for successive failed ministers. Give people choice and they will be able to demand good standards. I wonder how many social housing units meet the minimum standards.
You have to NCT your car but you don’t have to move in to a particular property. If you don’t like it then don’t move in.
I’m not in
Landlords should be ashamed of themselves
Finally some common sense
Just what is needed.make more people homeless instead of building social housing
Nrilliant idea delighted at the news. If it happens.
have your say