Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
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Question 151: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government if his attention has been drawn to the fact that only 7% of properties registered with the Private Residential Tenancies Board were inspected by local authorities in 2008; if he will commit to fully resourcing local authorities in order that they may implement regulations under the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2009; the mechanisms he will introduce to ensure that local authorities can inspect all relevant properties; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35684/09]

Michael Finneran (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Fianna Fail)
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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. All landlords have a legal obligation to ensure that their rented properties comply with these regulations and responsibility for enforcing the regulations rests with the relevant local authority. Following commencement, shortly, of the relevant provisions of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2009, a strengthened sanctions regime will be available to local authorities and fines for non-compliance with the Regulations will be significantly increased; the maximum fine will be increased from €3,000 to €5,000 and the fine for each day of a continuing offence will be increased from €250 to €400.

Local authorities are supported in their enforcement activity by a dedicated stream of funding allocated by my Department. This funding increased significantly between 2005 and 2008, rising from €1.5m to €4m per annum. The latter figure is being maintained in 2009, bringing total funding allocations since 2004 to €15m. Details of the amounts paid to each local authority in respect of the years 2004 - 2008 and of the first funding tranche for 2009 are available on my Department's website at www.environ.ie and in the Oireachtas Library. My Department keeps the level, and the methodology for payment, of this funding under review.

In general, local authorities have significantly expanded their inspection activity in recent years with the number of inspections more than doubling in the period 2005 to 2008, reaching some 17,200 inspections last year. More detailed information on the number of inspections carried out each year up to and including 2008 is included in my Department's Annual Housing Statistics Bulletins, copies of which are also available on my Department's website. The significant increase in inspection activity reflects the positive impact of the overall Action Programme on Standards, including increased funding, introduced on foot of a commitment in the Towards 2016 social partnership agreement, and the ongoing progress with the implementation of the Rental Accommodation Scheme.

In interpreting the data, it is important to note that registrations with the Private Residential Tenancies Board are registrations of tenancies rather than registrations of rental properties. The tenancies registered are of varying duration and a single property may be the subject of a number of registered tenancies. As such, the number of registrations with the Private Residential Tenancies Board does not reflect the number of rental properties in the market at any particular point in time. Accordingly, in considering the level of inspections by local authorities, the total volume of actual inspections is the key measurable indicator.

It is also important to note that, in line with the wider housing market, there can be considerable variation in the type and quality of accommodation provided by the private rented accommodation. As such, in order to best use the available resources, local authorities should focus their inspections on accommodation that is more likely not to be compliant with the regulations. While it is a matter for each individual local authority to decide on the specific details of its inspection arrangements, my Department encourages authorities to have regard to the report Good Practice Guidelines for Local Authorities on Standards in the Private Rented Sector: Strategic Planning, Effective Enforcement, published by the Centre for Housing Research in November 2007, which makes a range of recommendations on matters relevant to inspection procedures, including identifying and targeting inspection requirements.