Ten legal actions initiated against landlords as thousands found in breach of standards
Minister for Housing James Browne announced the record-breaking figures today. Local authorities' inspection teams have been allocated €10.5 million for 2025 to allow them to carry out further inspections.
Overall, the number of inspections conducted has quadrupled in recent years. In the period 2005 to 2017, inspection levels were averaging out at 20,000 a year.
Browne said that regardless of where tenants are living, it is important that their accommodation meets required standards. He said that he wants 'robust inspections' to continue.
'We want to ensure that rental tenants are afforded standards which ensure requirements such as adequate heating, ventilation, sanitation, and fire safety measures are met. It's the basics – and it is what renters should be able to expect from every landlord,' Browne said.
Advertisement
He praised the local authorities for the significant increase in inspections completed and said that the additional funding will help achieve the government's 'ambitious' inspection targets.
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 installations.
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.
Cork City Council carried out the largest number of inspections – 17,559 – while Longford County Council carried out the least: 280.
Of the 62,085 dwellings inspected, 37,800 did not meet the regulatory requirements on the first inspection. 55,310 Improvement Letters were issued to landlords for improvements on the property to be carried out, and 2,330 Improvement Notices were served on landlords.
210 Prohibition Notices were served on landlords, which means they are not able to let the property until the necessary improvements have been carried out. Letting a property while under a prohibition notice can lead to prosecution.
Ten separate legal actions on landlords were initiated as a result of the inspections: five in Donegal, two in Dublin city, one in Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown, and two in Wicklow.
Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone...
A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article.
Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation.
Learn More
Support The Journal
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Journal
a day ago
- The Journal
The money candidates for President can claim back in expenses is going up by €50,000
THE VALUE OF election campaign expenses that candidates running to be President of Ireland can claim back is increasing by €50,000. The maximum amount of election expenses that can be reimbursed to a candidate at a presidential election is rising from the previous amount of €200,000 up to €250,000. Election expenses are reimbursed to a candidate at a presidential election if the candidate is either elected or receives enough votes to reach more than one-quarter of the quota. Advertisement Minister for Local Government James Browne signed an order today bringing the change into effect. A statement released by his department this evening said that the change was made under ministerial powers to adjust the maximum value of expenses alongside inflation. 'Applying the Consumer Price Index increase since the amount was last revised resulted in a potential increase to €252,700, which has been rounded down to €250,000,' the statement said. Under the Electoral Act 1997, a candidate in a presidential election is not allowed to spend more than €750,000 in total on their campaign. As President Michael D. Higgins is reaching the end of his term, an election for his successor must be held by 11 November. Related Reads Labour Party throws support behind Catherine Connolly as Left unity candidate for president Fianna Fáil staying schtum on presidential candidate, but here's the names in the mix (so far) A date has not been formally set yet but there's plenty of talk in political circles about who the candidates will be. So far, two candidates with enough support to be on the ballot have formally declared themselves: Former EU Commissioner Mairéad McGuinness for Fine Gael and Independent TD Catherine Connolly, who is jointly backed by the Social Democrats, People Before Profit and Labour as a left-wing candidate. Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone... A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation. Learn More Support The Journal
The Journal
a day ago
- The Journal
Water supply in Dublin, Kildare and Wicklow could be interrupted this weekend due to major works
MAJOR REPAIR WORKS are underway in Dublin, Kildare and Wicklow, which may affect water supplies. Uisce Éireann said the critical and complex repair works concern a major pipeline that supplies drinking water to a third of the Greater Dublin Area. The water running through this major pipeline will be turned off to facilitate the works, which began on Friday night and are expected to last the full Bank Holiday weekend. Uisce Éireann is appealing to customers in Dublin, Kildare and Wicklow to only use water for essential needs to help maintain everyone's supply. It said the August Bank Holiday was chosen because there is generally a lower demand for water at this time. 'However, there is still a risk that customers in Dublin and parts of Kildare and Wicklow may experience interruptions to their water supply including low pressure, discoloured water, or water outages,' the utility added. In preparation for the works, treated water reservoirs in the counties affected were filled up to maximum capacity. Advertisement Head of Water Operations at Uisce Éireann, Margaret Attridge, said the major pipeline can only be shut down for up to 28 hours before the water storage levels become too low. 'Therefore, the specialist repair crews have a very tight deadline to finish the repairs and refill the pipeline with water,' she explained. 'We will work through the day and night this weekend to complete these essential works as quickly and safely as possible.' Customers in the counties affected are asked to hold off on filling baths, washing cars, power hosing, window washing and filling paddling pools until Tuesday. The Uisce Éireann team have been preparing to carry out the complex works for nine months. 'Specialist teams are ready to go inside the pipeline to repair five active leaks using bespoke methods, while another team will remove 35 metres of worn-out pipeline and install a new section of pipe,' Declan Healy, Programme Manager at Uisce Éireann, said. Customers are warned that following this type of work, 'occasionally issues' such as cloudy water (air bubbles) or internal airlocks may arise. Advice on how to resolve these issues can be found at on the Uisce Éireann website . The Uisce Éireann customer care helpline is open 24/7 on 1800 278 278. For updates and a live interactive map, customers can visit the Water Supply Updates section of the same website . Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone... A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation. Learn More Support The Journal
The Journal
2 days ago
- The Journal
Customers report problems trying to pay with Visa cards at tills
CUSTOMERS HAVE FACED problems paying for their purchases in some shops in Ireland today as transactions with Visa card payments fail to process correctly. Shoppers at a range of different retailers, including Dunnes Stores and Aldi, have reported not being able to use Visa cards at tills for their purchases. A reporter for The Journal observed several customers having trouble trying to pay with Visa cards in a Dunnes Stores in Co Wicklow. Advertisement Problem-tracker website Down Detector has received dozens of reports today of issues with Visa cards in Ireland. The Journal understands that Visa is aware that customers have been experiencing issues. It's understood that Visa's own systems have been operating normally today and the company is working with external partners to investigate the cause of the problem. Some Visa card users in the UK have also described experiencing issues today. Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone... A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation. Learn More Support The Journal
