COMHAIRLE CONTAE ÁTHA CLIATH THEAS
SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

MEETING OF SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

Monday, April 06, 2009

QUESTION NO.5

QUESTION: Councillor S. Crowe

To ask the Manager if he can confirm that South Dublin County Council has new responsibilities regarding the monitoring  of private landlords and their  up keep of the properties following new  guidelines from the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government?

B) what new resources have been allocated to monitor private properties in the South Dublin County Council area?

C) What Department covers this section and who heads up this section?

D) What staff if any have been allocated to this task?

E) Have warnings or fines been given in relation to these  guidelines and where?

REPLY:

The  inspection of private rented properties under the Housing (Standards for Rented Houses) Regulations 1993 and-- since 1st February 2009-- the Housing (Standards for Rented Houses) Regulations 2008 is the responsibility of all Local Housing Authorities. In this council it is managed by the Rental Accommodation Scheme (RAS) Unit.  This arrangement has been in place since the inception of RAS in late 2005 and 1840 rented homes have been inspected since that date.  

The primary objective of the new regulations is the effective removal of bedsit accommodation from the rental market by 2013.  Other provisions include regulations for independently controlled, permanently fixed space heating appliances and requirements for food preparation, storage and laundry.  The remaining provisions relate to updated standards for ventilation, lighting, electricity and gas and new standards in relation to refuse facilities and fire safety. 

Inspections are carried out by the Environmental Health Officers (EHO) on behalf of the Council.  In the case of a property failing to meet the standards a letter is issued to the property owner by the EHO.  This letter sets out the areas where standards have not been met, details the works required to rectify this and the time frame within which these works must be completed.  A follow up inspection is carried out after the appropriate time has elapsed.

It is the experience of the RAS Unit to date that the necessary works are carried out within this timeframe and as a result no prosecutions have been taken.  The fact that the vast majority of dwellings in the county are of modern construction and in good condition also contributes to this.

Priority is given to carrying out inspections of properties which are being contracted into the Rental Accommodation Scheme  as compliance with the standards is one of the preconditions of  participating in the scheme and the fact that the number of rent supplemented tenancies is such a large subset of the total number of private rented homes in the county. However inspections on foot of a complaint are dealt with immediately.

With the intent of putting in place a proactive, planned inspection regime, the Council is in discussion with the EHO service.