COMHAIRLE CONTAE ÁTHA CLIATH THEAS
SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

MEETING OF SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

Monday, February 13, 2023

QUESTION NO. 3

QUESTION: Councillor M. Johansson

To ask the Chief Executive for a report into the Council responsibilities with regards to the Housing (Rent Books) Regulations 1993. Report to include actions taken by the Council for enforcement under this section and how private tenants can request action.

REPLY:

Under the Housing (Rent Books) Regulations, 1993 as amended, (SI 146/1993), the Council is responsible for the enforcement of the law relating to rent books and standards for the area in which a rented house is located. The regulations apply to rented dwellings, with certain limited exceptions such as student-specific accommodation).  A landlord (including a local authority or approved housing body) is obliged to provide each new tenant with a rent book (or other documentation serving the same purpose) at the commencement of the tenancy.  All payments which include rent and details of any other payments for services such as heating, or utilities should be included.  It is recommended that a pragmatic approach between the landlord and tenant is taken in their dealings with each other as parties may be content to rely on records of electronic funds transfer as receipt of payments made, however both landlord and tenant should keep their own records of payments made should a dispute arise.

These regulations are applicable to local authority tenancies and within this Council, through our tenancy agreements/tenant handbooks/online housing portal, we provide the required information including: tenancy address, landlord's name/address, tenant name(s), date of tenancy commencement, amount of rent and how it is to be paid, an overview of landlord and tenant rights and responsibilities, rent statements and details of rent charges and payments.  Our tenants can self-serve and access/download their rent statements and view their account 24/7 through our Housing On-Line Portal with assistance provided for older tenants, JAM Card holders or persons who require assistance by our Rents team as required.

Where a dispute relating to a rent book arises, it is expected that tenant and landlord should try to resolve the issue between them but if this fails, the dispute can then be referred to the Residential Tenancies Board (RTB) and where a resolution cannot be found following this dispute application, the Council can enforce the regulations through legal action if appropriate.  Further information on Landlord and Tenant Rights can be found on the RTB website at the following link: https://www.rtb.ie/rights-and-responsibilities.