60% failure rate not true reflection of rental stock says council

Over 60% of the private rental accommodation properties inspected in Westmeath last year did not meet the required standards.

That’s according to recently released figures from the Department of Environment which revealed that of the 959 rental properties inspected by the council’s housing department last year, 590 (61%) did not meet 'regulatory requirements’.

Last year’s failure rate is a marked increase on 2012 when 137 (44%) of the 311 properties inspected failed, while in 2011 only 14 (3%) of the 403 properties inspected were deemed not to be up to regulations standards.

Nationally, 58% of all rental properties inspected last year failed. The majority of inspections are chosen from the Private Residential Tenancies Board’s (PRTB) official register, while tenants unhappy with their accommodation can also call the council to request an inspection.

Speaking to the Westmeath Examiner, council official Roibeard O’Ceallaigh, explained that while the failure rate is high, the introduction of more stringent regulations in recent years means that the majority of properties fail “for something simple as not having a fire blanket”.

Due to the continuing growth of the rental sector, Mr O’Ceallaigh said that local authorities, in conjunction with the department of environment and the PRTB, “made it a priority, to get on top” of standards in the sector. This has led to both a marked rise in the number of inspections and more stringent regulations.

While the number of rental properties that are failing inspections is on the rise, that the majority are quickly brought up to the required standards by landlords, Mr O’Ceallaigh says.

“To be fair the vast majority of the private rental accommodation stock is relatively new and of a high standard. The majority of faults are small in nature, such as a vent in a bathroom not working or the house having no fire extinguisher. The issue is if landlords don’t reinvest and maintain property – that’s when problems will arise,” he said.

While the majority of the rental properties that are inspected are of an acceptable standard, Mr O’Ceallaigh says that the council are currently dealing with a number of “problem cases” and are currently drawing up improvement notices for the landlords in question. If the improvements are not carried out within the stipulated time frame, the council can issue prohibition notices, prohibiting the landlords from renting out the properties until the work is completed.