Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 22 January 2026
230. Deputy Rory Hearne asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if the attention of him and his Department has been drawn to the growing crisis of mould and damp in private rental and social homes; the actions his Department is taking to combat the serious mental and physical harms of mould and damp in homes; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5062/26]
View answerThe Housing (Standards for Rented Houses) Regulations 2019 specify minimum standards for private rental accommodation across a range of areas, including structural repair, sanitary facilities, heating, ventilation, natural light, fire safety and the safety of gas, oil and electrical supplies. They also require that every room used, or intended for use, by the tenant as a habitable room must have adequate ventilation and that adequate ventilation be provided for the removal of water vapour from every kitchen and bathroom.
The Regulations apply to all properties let or available for let, including social housing. All landlords must ensure their rented properties comply with the standards set down in the Regulations. Local authorities are responsible for enforcing compliance in private rented accommodation, this includes Approved Housing Body social homes. Private rental tenants can contact their local authority and request it inspects their accommodation vis-à-vis assessing its compliance with the minimum standards.
Local authorities aim to inspect 25% of registered private residential tenancies each year. My Department is providing €10.5 million to local authorities this year to help them meet this target.
While the management and maintenance of local authority owned social homes is the statutory responsibility of local authorities, my Department provided some €200 million as a contribution towards the remediation and maintenance of local authority homes through various funding programmes in 2025. This will increase to around €260 million this year.
My Department is also supporting local authorities to transition to a more proactive, evidence-informed approach to the cyclical maintenance of their housing stock, with funding provided on the basis of completed stock condition surveys by local authorities. It is intended local authorities will survey their full housing stock over the next four or five years, with 10,600 homes surveyed to date.
Critically, Department funding merely complements local authorities’ own investment in their housing stock. Ultimately, the onus is on local authority elected members and officials to ensure adequate funding is allocated through the annual budgetary process for the upkeep of their social homes.
Similarly, the upkeep of AHB owned properties is a matter for each AHB, with costs funded primarily through tenant rents. In some instances, funding may also be available from my Department as a contribution towards the upkeep of properties. For example, a contribution may be available under the Rental Accommodation Scheme towards a tenant's rent in a Capital Assistance Scheme funded property; a monthly Payment and Availability payment is paid under the Capital Acquisition and Leasing Facility scheme; and, an annual maintenance payment is paid under the Capital Loan and Subsidy Scheme. Ultimately, the onus is on each AHB to ensure adequate budgetary provision is made for the proper upkeep of their social homes.
My Department has produced a video and leaflet to help inform the public on the importance of proper ventilation in the home. They are available at the following links:
• www.gov.ie/homeventilation
• www.gov.ie/aeráiltí.
