Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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320. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government if his attention has been drawn to the complications with the new Residential Tenancies Board tenancy registration system; what assistance will be provided to the RTB to address this matter, particularly in light of the new requirement for landlords to register their tenancies annually; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3272/23]

Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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322. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the number of complaints lodged regarding the Residential Tenancies Board in each of the past 12 months; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3277/23]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 320 and 322 together.

The Residential Tenancies Board (RTB) was established as an independent statutory body under the Residential Tenancies Act 2004, as amended, to operate a national tenancy registration system and to resolve disputes between landlords and tenants. Accordingly, the implementation of the new tenancy management system that registers tenancies annually is an operational matter for the RTB.

Since 4 April 2022, landlords are required under the Residential Tenancies (Amendment) Act 2019 to register their tenancies with the RTB every year, within one month of the anniversary of when the tenancy began. This applies to both new and existing tenancies. As before, landlords continue to be required to register a tenancy within one month of its commencement.

Although many landlords and agents have successfully registered their tenancies on the new RTB tenancy registration system, I have been made aware that some landlord and agent customers are encountering issues with the system. The RTB has assured my Department that it is working collaboratively and constructively with the sector to assist anyone experiencing difficulties.

The RTB has recently almost doubled the staffing in its outsourced call centre to deal with these issues and has been working hard to find the right balance between ensuring that contracted staff are adequately trained and capable of assisting customers with their queries, ranging from linking tenancies, verifying accounts, and data-inputting paper applications.

Following recommendations in the RTB Workforce Plan (2018 – 2021) and engagement with the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform, the RTB received sanction for significant additional staff over the past three years and my Department will continue to work with the RTB to ensure it is sufficiently resourced to deliver on its expanded mandate, including any specific requests with regard to annual registration. To this end, additional funding of €2.352M will be provided to the RTB for 2023, bringing its total allocation to €13.370M.

In relation to the data sought, arrangements have been put in place to facilitate the provision of information by State Bodies to members of the Oireachtas. Following the issue of Circular LG (P) 05/16 on 20 September 2016 from my Department, the RTB set up a dedicated email address for this purpose. The RTB may be contacted at OireachtasMembersQueries@rtb.ie to establish the extent to which it may hold the additional information sought.

Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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321. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government if he has engaged with the RTB in relation to the delays being experienced by landlords and tenants submitting inquiries and applications; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3274/23]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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The Residential Tenancies Acts 2004-2022 regulates the landlord-tenant relationship in the rented residential sector and sets out the rights and obligations of landlords and tenants. The Residential Tenancies Board (RTB) was established as an independent statutory body under the Acts to operate a national tenancy registration system and to facilitate the resolution of disputes between landlords and tenants and as such, the implementation of the new tenancy management system is an operational matter for the RTB.

I am aware that some landlord and agent customers are encountering issues with the new RTB tenancy management system and unfortunately, it has taken longer than expected to overcome these issues, but the RTB has given its assurance that it is committed to working collaboratively and constructively with the sector to move through this period.

The RTB has assured my Department that their customer service teams are spending considerable time with landlords supporting their transition over to digital services, or continuing to support them where paper applications may be more appropriate for them. My Department continuously engages with the RTB to ensure that they are availing of the resources and support available to them in transitioning to this new system and resolving these issues.

Should further information be required by the Deputy, the RTB set up a dedicated email address for this purpose and may be contacted at OireachtasMembersQueries@rtb.ie.