COMHAIRLE CONTAE ÁTHA CLIATH THEAS
SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL
MEETING OF SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL
Monday, September 12, 2011
QUESTION NO. 19
QUESTION: Councillor G. O'Connell
To ask the Manager if he is aware that the increased level of leased or rented-out houses in private residential estates is leading to a discernable breakdown in the family-owned ethos of neighbourhoods and can he please indicate what options are open to the Council to support local communities and individual residents in dealing with related issues pertaining to health and safety that arise?
REPLY
The council is aware of the level of rented homes in South Dublin and has mapped this group of housing as well as other housing data sets - Council owned homes; leased homes; RAS homes; Voluntary homes; Private rented homes where the tenancy is registered with the PRTB.
This is done to assist in rolling out the RAS and Social Leasing schemes in an attempt to drive social integration and to manage and control the tenure mix in every road, estate or apartment block in the county so that the level of social housing of all types does not exceed 10/15% with the balance comprising home owned properties and non rent supplemented private rentals.
There has always been a very high level of private rented stock across the private housing estates in the county because of the number of "starter homes" and attractive price of these houses to "buy to let",private investors. This phenomenon increased during the recent property boom.
When the council receives complaints about private rented houses it is usually about anti social behaviour, badly maintained homes/ gardens,dumping/litter in gardens or rodent infestation .Litter wardens are directed to the houses where the complaint is about litter or dumping and an Environmental Health Officer will call where their is a rodent problem.
Where there is ASB in a privately rented house the council has no current powers or role. In these cases the local community must take the matter up with the offending parties, with the landlord and ultimately with the PRTB as a third party complaint.
The Community Services Department through its Community Work Team, can and does offer advice and assistance to community groups and residents associations across the Council's administrative area. The trained Community Workers work in conjunction with their colleagues in Housing and other Council departments and make themselves available to meet with communities to deal with a wide range of issues. The Community Team can be contacted through the Community Services Department or through the Council website