Thomas Gould (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein)
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189. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the number of HAP inspections carried out, the number that failed on first, second, third and so on, visit in 2023, by local authority, in tabular form; the action being taken against landlords who are refusing to carry out works; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22136/24]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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The 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.

The Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) scheme is underpinned by the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2014. Under section 41 of the 2014 Act, local authorities are required to commence the inspection process within 8 months of HAP support being provided in relation to a particular dwelling, if the dwelling was not already inspected within the previous 12 months. Local authorities carry out HAP inspections as part of their overall private rented inspections programme.

Failure to comply with the minimum standards can result in penalties and prosecution. 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. An Improvement Notice sets out the works that the landlord must carry out to remedy a breach of the regulations. In the case of a Prohibition Notice being enforced, a local authority may provide, or continue to provide, HAP in respect of that property for a period of 13 weeks, to enable the household to find an alternative dwelling.

Annual data in respect of the level of inspection and enforcement activity 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/#private-rented-inspections

Data in respect of the number of rented dwellings with HAP-supported tenancies that failed on first, second or subsequent inspections is not provided by local authorities to my Department.

The number of rental standards inspections conducted by each local authority in 2023 that related to HAP-supported tenancies are set out in the table below.