Mairead Farrell (Galway West, Sinn Fein)
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631. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government if he will provide details, for each of the 31 local authorities, on the number of inspections for minimum standards of private properties carried out in 2022 and to date in 2023, in tabular form; the number of enforcement orders made; the reason for each of the enforcements; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47708/23]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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The minimum standards for rental accommodation are prescribed in the Housing (Standards for Rented Houses) Regulations 2019 and specify requirements in relation to a range of matters, such as structural repair, sanitary facilities, heating, ventilation, natural light, fire safety and the safety of gas, oil and electrical supplies. These Regulations apply to all properties let or available for let. All landlords have a legal obligation to ensure that their rented properties comply with the standards set down in the Regulations. Responsibility for the enforcement of the Regulations in the private rental sector rests with the relevant local authority.

If a property has been found to be non-compliant with the Regulations, it is a matter for the local authority to determine what action is necessary and appropriate. Under sections 18A and 18B of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1992, a housing authority may serve an Improvement Notice or Prohibition Notice, respectively, where a property is found to be non-compliant. Data in respect of reasons for each enforcement action taken by local authorities is not held by my Department.

The Government is committed to ensuring that a stock of high quality accommodation is available for those who live in the private rented sector. Housing for All sets a target of 25% for the inspection of all private residential tenancies from 2021. A total of €9 million in Exchequer funding is being made available by my Department to local authorities this year to help them meet their private rental inspection targets.

Annual data in respect of the level of inspections and enforcement carried out by each local authority is available on my Department's website at the following link:

www.gov.ie/en/publication/da3fe-private-housing-market-statistics/.

Last year local authorities conducted an all-time high of over 49,000 inspections of private rented dwellings, up from circa 25,000 in 2020 and 20,000 in 2021, when pandemic restrictions had impacted on inspections. Figures from Q1 to Q3 2023 show that the number of inspections have continued to increase significantly this year with over 48,000 conducted to the end of Q3. Further details in respect of 2023, including the number of enforcement actions taken, are set out in the table below:

*Data only available in respect of Q1 and Q2 for Mayo County Council, Q3 awaited.