77% of 'rent review' cases invalid; €1.6m awarded to landlords for rent arrears - RTB report
Tenants and landlords are both making mistakes when it comes to following renting regulations, a report has found.
The latest Annual Report for 2017 from the Residential Tenancies Board shows 77% of all rent review cases brought last year were rejected, while €1.6m was awarded to landlords for rent arrears.
In more than 90% of cases, the deposit was fully or partially refunded to the tenant.
The board saw a record demand for services including 170,000 calls, an increase of 31% since 2016.
The majority of landlords (44%) served notice for rent arrears, while 20% served noticed because they intended to sell their property, according to the report.
Reflecting on the report, RTB Director, Rosalind Carroll said: “We have learnt a lot through the analysis of the disputes that are being brought forward.
"Through this information, we can look at the issues that are arising for landlords, tenants and third parties and use it to adopt a proactive approach to dispute prevention through education and awareness," she said.
The RTB also launched their Strategic Plan 2018-2022 today which "provides the longer-term vision for the organisation to support changes in the rental sector" over the next five years.
The board says it hopes to engage further with people in the rental sector. Their analysis shows that at the end of 2017, there were 339,447 registered tenancies, 714,000 occupants and 174,000 landlords in the sector with 70% of landlords owning one property.
2017 was a busy year for the RTB. Watch this video to find out why. pic.twitter.com/vtwFOL7FSP
— Residential Tenancies Board (@RTBinfo) April 11, 2018
As part of their strategic plan, the RTB says it will RTB will be investing more than €5m in new ICT systems and infrastructure.
“One of the most significant changes for both the RTB and the rental sector with the enforcement powers coming down the line is the expansion of the role of the RTB to allow us to proactively enforce the legislation and play a more active and direct regulatory role in the sector," Ms Carroll said.
"A key focus of our strategic plan factors is on how the RTB will support landlords and tenants through this change and help them to understand their rights and responsibilities in what is a complex regulatory framework."
