Tommy Broughan (Dublin Bay North, Independent) | Oireachtas source

In looking at media quotes from 2014, I read: “Close to 60% of all private rental premises that were inspected by local authorities last year [2013] failed basic minimum requirements – prompting calls for landlords to be compelled to undergo ‘NCT-style’ inspections on their properties.” There were 100% failure rates in some local authority areas, with failure rates of over 90% in others. The article, by the journalist Allison Bray of the Irish Independent, concluded, “Tenants are suffering in silence”. One would think these were quotes following the recent programme, "Nightmare To Let", but we knew this was the situation for three years. The current Government has done nothing to try to ensure that tenants are given some kind of safe and decent accommodation. Vulnerable people are still being exploited and placed in grave danger.

As a result of my growing concerns about the rental sector, I requested a research paper from the Oireachtas Library and Research Service on landlord obligations. In particular, I asked that it look at the UK Housing and Planning Act 2016 and the UK housing Department’s guidance for local authorities on civil and criminal sanctions for landlords. The research indicated a number of measures which were introduced in the UK, namely, civil penalties up to £30,000, extending rent repayment orders to cover other areas of breaches, a database of rogue landlords and agents and banning orders for particularly bad landlords. The research paper concluded that the essence of that legislation could easily be introduced in this country. I believe that Part 2 and Schedule 9 of the UK Housing and Planning Act 2016 could be brought forward tomorrow morning, if the Government wanted to do so.

On Thursday last, the country was shocked by the horrendous exploitation of tenants by some landlords in Ireland. We saw young migrant workers desperately trying to access affordable accommodation in this city. The programme, "Nightmare To Let", showed the appalling disregard for human life and dignity in some properties around Ireland. What was particularly astonishing is that it took eight weeks to reply to an email of complaint on fire safety. It reminds that, seven or eight years ago, I referred the Priory Hall complex in Dublin Bay north to the chief fire officer, as well as to Dublin City Council. Of course, it eventually led to the closure of the complex. The kind of conditions we saw in Priory Hall go on and on, and we have seen even worse conditions in the past few days. That is why many people will be sympathetic to the recent call of Councillor Éilis Ryan of the Workers’ Party for a total management change in Dublin City Council because there has been such significant risk to residents. I note the deputy city manager, Brendan Kenny, has called for fines of up to €1 million for landlords flouting the law and also asked for 100 additional inspectors.

In light of the statistics provided in that programme and elsewhere, how many of the thousands of dwellings in respect of which legal actions were initiated relate to repeat offenders? Is the Department investigating whether any council knew that tenants were living in fire traps? Has the Minister ordered an investigation into the management of local properties in this regard? We need urgent action on this matter. Sympathetic words and talk of NCTs and so on from the Fine Gael-Fianna Fáil party, if we want to call it that, have come too late.

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