David Stanton (Cork East, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State for his response. I understand tenants are obliged to continue to pay rent while awaiting a decision under the dispute resolution process. However, I have come across many cases where they do not, and landlords feel the seriousness of this matter is not being accounted for at the hearings. Determination orders are issued as a result of the dispute resolution process. However, this does not really improve the situation for landlords as tenants often ignore them. The PRTB can, by law, enforce the determination orders in court but it is not obliged to. Where does that leave the landlord? This is a major problem for some landlords who have approached me in recent years. It is open to landlords to take the tenants to the Circuit Court for not complying, but this can be very costly, and can range from €5,000 to €10,000. Therefore, many landlords cannot afford it. The tenant may be in arrears, thereby complicating the issue. As I stated, 70% of landlords have loans.

The figures the Minister of State outlined show just how much we are depending on the private rental sector for housing. I have come across a number of landlords who say they are very annoyed and upset and having sleepless nights over circumstances like these. They are thinking of getting out of the sector altogether as it does not pay and is not worth the hassle, trouble and stress. If the landlord makes one mistake, he can find himself before the courts or subject to a serious fine. The PRTB interprets the regulations for notice extremely strictly. I came across one case where the notice was texted and handed in the door two days later. It was deemed that the written notice was not given in the right timeline so the whole case went into limbo after that.

This is a serious matter. There are devils on both sides of the argument but the fact that landlords who are paying the property tax and other charges are being left in limbo is not being addressed. The process should be speeded up dramatically, as in New Zealand.

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