Written answers

Tuesday, 19 July 2011

Department of Environment, Community and Local Government

Private Rented Accommodation

10:00 pm

Photo of Maureen O'SullivanMaureen O'Sullivan (Dublin Central, Independent)
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Question 359: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the number of tenancies in Dublin Central that were registered with the Private Residential Tenancies Board in each of the past five years. [21232/11]

Photo of Maureen O'SullivanMaureen O'Sullivan (Dublin Central, Independent)
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Question 360: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the number of landlords that have been issued repeated warnings for failing to register their tenancies in Dublin Central to the Private Residential Tenancies Board in each of the past five years. [21233/11]

Photo of Willie PenroseWillie Penrose (Longford-Westmeath, Labour)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 359 and 360 together.

I have no function in the operational matters of the Private Residential Tenancies Board (PRTB), which is an independent statutory body established under the Residential Tenancies Act 2004. The PRTB publishes tenancy registration statistics on its website www.prtb.ie. These statistics are broken down by Local Authority area. The website also contains the published register of tenancies maintained by the PRTB.

The PRTB enforces tenancy registration requirements in accordance with the provisions of the Residential Tenancies Act 2004, specifically sections 144 and 145, which provide for the issuing of notices to landlords and/or occupiers of the dwellings in question and the prosecution of offenders for non-compliance with the registration requirement. Up to December 2010, the Board had issued over 14,000 enforcement notices to landlords and/or occupiers of dwellings.

Photo of Maureen O'SullivanMaureen O'Sullivan (Dublin Central, Independent)
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Question 361: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the number of landlords that have been convicted for failing to register their tenancies in Dublin Central with the Private Residential Tenancies Board despite repeated warnings in each of the past five years. [21234/11]

Photo of Willie PenroseWillie Penrose (Longford-Westmeath, Labour)
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I have no function in the operational matters of the Private Residential Tenancies Board (PRTB), an independent statutory body established under the Residential Tenancies Act 2004. It is a matter for the PRTB to enforce tenancies registration requirements in accordance with the provisions of the Act, specifically sections 144 and 145 which provide for the issuing of notices to landlords and/or occupiers of the dwellings in question and the prosecution of offenders for non-compliance with the registration requirement. Under section 9 of the Act, a person guilty of an offence is liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding €3,000 or imprisonment for a term not exceeding 6 months or both, and daily fines of €250.

Photo of Maureen O'SullivanMaureen O'Sullivan (Dublin Central, Independent)
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Question 362: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if he is promoting greater co-operation between Private Residential Tenancies Board and the rent supplement section of the Department of Social Protection; if his attention has been drawn to the fact that this has been an area of tax evasion and poor quality standards in the housing of vulnerable persons, with a high concentration of this type of cheaper accommodation in Dublin Central; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21236/11]

Photo of Willie PenroseWillie Penrose (Longford-Westmeath, Labour)
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I have no function in the operational matters of the Private Residential Tenancies Board (PRTB), which is an independent statutory body established under the Residential Tenancies Act 2004.

The Act makes provision for the exchange of information between the PRTB and the Department of Social Protection and, on foot of an amendment contained in the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2009, it also gives the Revenue Commissioners access to the register of tenancies maintained by the PRTB which facilitates tax compliance checks by Revenue. Recent IT innovations at the PRTB have allowed it better to cross-reference its records with those held by the Department of Social Protection regarding the landlords in respect of whom rent supplement payments are made. That analysis has shown that a significant proportion of such landlords may not be registered with the PRTB and this is an area of particular focus for the PRTB in accordance with its tenancy registration enforcement powers under the Act.

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. These Regulations were further amended by the Housing (Standards for Rented Houses) (Amendment) Regulations 2009 which expanded the definition of 'a proper state of structural repair' to allow for all aspects of the internal and external appearance of a dwelling to be taken into account for the purposes of the Regulations.

All landlords have a legal obligation to ensure that their rented properties comply with these Regulations. Responsibility for enforcing the Regulations rests with the relevant local authority, supported by a dedicated stream of funding allocated by my Department.

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