Mary Upton (Dublin South Central, Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Question 489: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the national average turnaround time for houses which have been handed back to the relevant local authority and which are then re-let; if these houses are required by law to be refurbished before they can be let to new tenants; if a prospective tenant can agree to waive the necessity of refurbishment works to the house and give a written commitment to this effect, thus saving the relevant local authority time and money and simultaneously speeding up the process of housing a prospective tenant; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27793/09]

Michael Finneran (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Under section 58 of the Housing Act 1966, the management and maintenance of the local authority housing stock is a matter for individual authorities. The average time taken to re-let dwellings is a Local Authority Service Indicator and reports on these Service Indicators are available on the Local Government Management Services Board website, www.lgmsb.ie, under the "publications/reports" heading. The latest figures on the website relate to 2007; the 2008 figures will be available shortly.

Minimum standards for rental accommodation are prescribed in the Housing (Standards for Rented Houses) Regulations 2008, made under section 18 of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1992. With very limited exemptions, these regulations apply to local authority and voluntary housing units, as well as private rented accommodation, and all landlords have a legal obligation to ensure that their rented properties comply with the regulations.