Rental Sector

Tuesday, 27 January 2026

Questions (647, 648, 649)

Barry Ward

Question:

647. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the actions he is taking to address cases of low quality rented property; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6031/26]

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Barry Ward

Question:

648. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the position regarding any initiative he is proposing that seeks to encourage the uptake in retrofitting projects by landlords to ensure that rented properties meet a high level BER rating; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6032/26]

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Barry Ward

Question:

649. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the position regarding any engagement he is having with the Residential Tenancies Board in relation to addressing situations whereby landlords are renting properties with very low BER ratings and as a result are cold and damp; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6033/26]

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Written answers

Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage

I propose to take Questions Nos. 647, 648 and 649 together.

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, natural light, fire safety, ventilation and the safety of gas, oil and electrical supplies. Regulation 8 requires that every room used, or intended for use, by the tenant of the house as a habitable room has adequate ventilation and that adequate ventilation is 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, with limited exemptions. All landlords have a legal obligation to ensure that their rented properties comply with the standards set down in the Regulations.

Responsibility for the enforcement of the Regulations in the private rental sector rests with the relevant local authority. In this regard private rental tenants can contact their Local Authority and request its private rental inspection team to carry out an inspection of their accommodation to assess whether it meets the minimum requirements.

The Government is committed to ensuring that a stock of high quality accommodation is available for those who live in the private rented sector. The Government’s Action Plan on housing supply and targeting homelessness -Delivering Homes, Building Communities 2025-2030 - sets a target for the inspection of 25% of all registered private residential tenancies. A total of €10.5 million in Exchequer funding is being made available by my Department to local authorities this year to help them meet their private rental inspection targets.

The number of rental inspections conducted by local authorities has increased significantly in recent years. Increasing from an average of 20,000 a year in the period 2005 to 2017 to over 49,000 in 2022, over 63,500 in 2023, and an all-time-high of over 80,000 in 2024.

Detailed data in respect of the level of inspections and enforcement actions carried out and legal actions initiated by each local authority is available on my Department's website at https://www.gov.ie/en/publication/da3fe-private-housing-market-statistics/.

My Department has produced a video and leaflet with the aim of educating the general public on the importance of proper ventilation in the home. It is available here:

www.gov.ie/homeventilation

www.gov.ie/aeráil-tí

My Department is committed to improving energy efficiency in the private rental market, which will contribute to meeting our overall national climate targets in relation to emissions reduction, help alleviate fuel poverty, help to protect tenants' health and improve comfort levels in rental homes.

Work in this area is being informed by research my Department commissioned from the ESRI. An ESRI research paper published last year explores the investment requirements for energy efficiency upgrades in the private rental sector. It found that there are significant investment needs in the sector as most properties have a BER rating below a B, with the aggregate cost of upgrading residential rental stock estimated to be between €7-8bn in 2023 prices. The report also identifies a number of barriers to investment by household residential landlords. Any measures introduced must be feasible and proportionate, and not have unintended consequences which will impact on supply in the rental market.

Delivering Homes, Building Communities 2025-2030 commits to examining policy measures to incentivise increased energy efficiency in the private rental market. The ERSI’s valuable research will support the development of appropriate policy and actions.

As part of Ireland’s residential retrofit programme, the Government launched a new package of supports targeting homes that were built and occupied pre-2011. These supports have been made available to non-corporate landlords and Approved Housing Bodies (AHBs) to improve the efficiency of their rental properties. They include The Home Energy Upgrade Loan Scheme and a tax incentive up to €10,000 per property to encourage small-scale landlords to undertake retrofitting works while the tenant remains in situ.

Question No. 648 answered with Question No. 647.

Question No. 649 answered with Question No. 647.

Question No. 650 answered with Question No. 641.