Jennifer Murnane O'Connor (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I am in agreement with the previous speakers. My issue with the Minister over the past few months is that there are only 21 local authorities in the rent pressure zone areas. That is a significant issue in that the amount neighbouring counties will be lower. In my own county of Carlow, rents have increased from €700 to €1,000-€1,100. What is actually happening is that landlords are able to increase rents. We have good landlords but on the other side, we have landlords who do not do work for their tenants and this is a major issue.

I welcome the extension of the notice to tenants in the Bill. That is crucial. On several occasions a landlord would just put it in writing but it is not a legal letter. That lack of information is part of the awareness issue raised by the witnesses. It has to be a legal letter to a tenant. Tenants do not know that so when they receive a letter from a landlord, they think it is part of their notice to quit. There are 325,000 tenancies registered with the RTB, which is a significant number. However, tenants who come to me do not have the information to which they are entitled.

That is the biggest issue for them. As other speakers have stated, staffing is a significant issue, although that is no fault of the witnesses.

A very important issue which I have dealt with in many recent cases is the role of the RTB in terms of local authorities. Local authorities operate the housing assistance payment, HAP, scheme and the rental accommodation scheme, RAS. However, in my area many tenants who are on the housing list and receiving a HAP payment are in non-regular accommodation in which the heating may not be working or there may be health and safety issues with the windows. What is the role of the RTB in terms of councils and, in particular, in regard to the RAS, because those on the RAS are local authority tenants? Do local authorities work with the RTB? Is there an agreement with the RTB or with the landlord or tenant? That must be clarified. Many tenants are unaware of the situation in that regard and most are confused in terms of dealing with the local authorities. Does the RTB have a protocol or plan in that regard?

I live in an area with two excellent third level colleges. Lack of supply is the biggest issue facing everybody here today. However, student accommodation is occupied by students for the nine months of the academic year but some landlords then take on tenants for the remaining three months of the year, after which those tenants must leave. That is another problem, in particular in smaller towns such as my own where there is, as I said, two colleges. What can we do for such tenants? Can anything be done for students? Are they only entitled to a nine month tenancy? Can a person taken on a tenancy for three months? Can a landlord state he or she will only take a tenant for three months and the tenant must vacate by the end of August because the student tenants return in September? Those are issues which we need to address in the long term.