GOVERNMENT AND local authorities were warned three years ago about the high incidence of sub-standard private accommodation leased to thousands of vulnerable families and individuals who qualified for assistance under the rent supplement scheme. Since then, the situation has worsened and the great bulk of these properties at the lower end of the market now fail to meet legal minimum standards for proper heating and ventilation.
Minister of State with responsibility for housing Batt O'Keeffe has said the Government is preparing new standards for rented accommodation. But, on the basis of past performance, it may take years to pass such measures into law and, even then, there is no certainty they will be rigorously enforced. In 2005 and 2006, local authority inspectors around the country found that roughly one-third of all the properties they visited were sub-standard and vermin infested, lacking hot water and with mould growing on the walls. But only a handful of prosecutions were taken. Last year, the Centre for Housing Research reported that three-quarters of homes let to such tenants in Dublin did not meet basic minimum standards.
Threshold, a voluntary tenants support group, wants the Government to introduce a certification system that would establish basic quality and fire safety standards before a property could be rented. It has complained for years about Strumpet City-style accommodation being provided by uncaring landlords. And it has drawn attention to poor quality apartment blocks built in Dublin for rent-to-let investors because they lacked storage space; had nowhere to dry clothes; were not properly insulated and were not designed with the needs of children in mind. These concerns have been reflected by Dublin City Council's decision to set higher standards for the construction of new apartments.
The recent dramatic slow-down in house building will not help the situation. But the Government cannot allow a housing shortage to precipitate a further deterioration in the quality of accommodation for those least able to afford it. Some 60,000 people are in receipt of rent supplements at a cost of up to €400 million a year. That is a huge amount of money. Local authority rentals now account for roughly 40 per cent of the private market. And, with such financial muscle, they are well placed to demand a significant improvement in housing standards. The sooner basic standards of accommodation are established in law, the better. And local authority inspectors should be encouraged to enforce them.