Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 28 July 2026
1595. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the position regarding the mechanisms in place to ensure that any rental properties advertised as being available Monday to Friday are compliant with all rental legislation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54892/26]
View answer1596. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage his views on whether the RTB is sufficiently equipped to ensure that any rental properties advertised as being available Monday to Friday are compliant with all rental legislation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54893/26]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 1595 and 1596 together.
The Residential Tenancies Acts 2004 to 2026 (RTA) regulates the landlord-tenant relationship in the rented residential sector and sets out the rights and obligations of landlords and tenants.
The Residential Tenancies Board (RTB) was established as a quasi-judicial independent statutory body under the RTA to operate a national tenancy registration system and to facilitate the resolution of disputes between landlords and tenants.
The RTA applies to every dwelling that is the subject of a tenancy, subject to a limited number of exceptions. Dwellings covered by the RTA include the private rental sector, the cost rental sector, the approved housing body sector and student accommodation (including tenancies and licences in student specific accommodation).
The dwellings to which the RTA does not apply are set out in section 3(2) of the RTA, and include for example, a dwelling within which the landlord also resides.
Where a dwelling is occupied by a person under an arrangement or agreement which is not a tenancy covered by the RTA, for example, where a bona fide licensing arrangement exists, the RTB does not have any jurisdiction or function. It is a private contractual matter between the parties as to the type of agreement/arrangement to put in place.
If a dispute arises as to whether a purported licence is in fact a tenancy, the RTB can determine on the matter and if it is a tenancy, the RTA applies.
When landlords, tenants and third parties bring disputes to the RTB through mediation, adjudication or tribunal, they receive a legally binding Determination Order, which, if not complied with, can be enforced through the District Court. Further information is available at: https://www.rtb.ie/dispute-resolution-services.
The RTB's dispute resolution service is available to assist any party with a tenancy issue and the RTB has powers to investigate and sanction improper conduct by landlords. Provisions of the Housing and Residential Tenancies (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2026, signed into law on 22 July 2026, will come into operation shortly to further strengthen the RTB's enforcement powers by providing for the RTB to serve Fixed Payment Notices in respect of certain offences. Court enforcement of RTB dispute determination orders will also be streamlined.
Exchequer funding allocated to the RTB for 2026 is €22.8M, a significant increase of over 70% on the initial 2025 allocation for its day-to-day operations, taking into account existing services and also significant policy changes relating to rent regulation and renter rights, which came into effect on 1 March 2026.
This increased resourcing of the RTB will ensure that both tenants and landlords will be supported in securing a prompt resolution to any disputes. Critically, the RTB will be better equipped to take enforcement actions where there are breaches of the rental legislation.
The 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 3 states that the Regulations apply to all houses which are let, or available for letting, for rent or other valuable consideration solely as a house. Responsibility for the enforcement of the Regulations in the private rental and Approved Housing Body sectors rests with the relevant local authority.
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 - sets a target of inspecting 25% of private residential tenancies each year. 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 2008 to 2017 to over 49,000 in 2022, 63,500 in 2023, 80,000 in 2024 and an all-time-high of over 82,500 in 2025.
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/.
The Government remains focused on growing the supply of much-needed rental accommodation by keeping existing landlords in the market and attracting new landlords, while ensuring strong and balanced tenancy protections for both tenants and landlords. Delivering Homes, Building Communities recognises that the rental market is an important element of a well-functioning housing system.
My Department and the RTB keep the operation of the Residential Tenancies Act and the residential rental sector under review and will work to ensure that an appropriately balanced policy and legislative framework is maintained.
