Calls have been made for the system of inspecting rental accommodation to be overhauled.
It’s after it emerged that Clare County Council hasn’t issued any improvement orders or improvement notices to landlords since 2017, even though other Councils around the country have invoked these measures a combined 56,000 times over that period.
Since the beginning of 2018, Clare County Council have inspected 1,647 privately rented homes and of those, over 1,400 have failed to meet at least one regulation governing rented accommodation.
According to official figures, 57,000 Improvement Letters or more stringent Improvement Notices have been sent out by councils across the country in instances like this.
None of these were in Clare.
Clare County Council has told Clare FM that instead it has issued what it calls ‘notices of works’ as these have been found to be more conducive and that most of the works required are minor.
The local authority insists that it remains aware of the legislative route open to the Council.
But Chair of Clare County Council’s Housing Committee, Independent Councillor Gerry Flynn says the current system simply isn’t working.
Threshold says too much emphasis is being placed on the local authority to follow up substandard living for private rental tenants.
The charity’s Western Regional Services Manager Karina Timothy believes a NCT-style certification system which would require landlords to demonstrate compliance before renting a property would be the best option.
