Offaly County Council extends its official agreement with the Inspex team for the provision of housing inspections, IT and support services to ensure properties available for letting in the Offaly County Council administrative area are in compliance with the Housing Standards Regulations 2019.
The current minimum standards for rented accommodation are set out in the Housing (Standards for Rented Houses) Regulations 2019 and specify the requirements in relation to a range of matters including structural repair, sanitary facilities, heating, ventilation, fire safety as well as the safety of gas and electrical supply.
Annually, the Department of Housing Local Government & Heritage (DHLGH) requires that 25% of all registered tenancies with the Residential Tenancies Board (RTB), in the administrative area of all Local Authorities, are inspected to ensure compliance with the Housing (Standards for Rented Houses) Regulations 2019. At end June 2020, there were 3,630 private registered tenancies in the Offaly County Council administrative area.
Where properties are deemed to be non-compliant following inspection, the Housing Acts 1966 to 2014 allocate the responsibility for enforcement of the Regulations to the Local Authorities.
All landlords, including Approved Housing Bodies (AHBs), have a legal obligation to comply with the standards and must ensure their properties are fully compliant with fire safety and minimum standards regulations for rental properties.
As part of its agreement with Offaly County Council, Inspex notifies landlords and or tenants of the requirement for a property to be inspected, inspects the rented property and determines whether the property complies with the minimum standards.
Failure to comply with the minimum standards set out in the Regulations can result in penalties and prosecution. Offaly County Council may issue Improvement Notices and Prohibition Notices to landlords whose properties remain in breach of the Housing (Standards for Rented Houses) Regulations 2019.