How are the regulations enforced?
• We arrange inspections, which can be carried out by
o Dún Laoghaire- Rathdown County Council Housing Inspectors
o HSE Environmental Health Officers
o Private Contractors – Dún Laoghaire Rathdown engage the services of Inspex Ltd. to conduct inspections on our behalf.
• We try to contact the landlord in advance of the inspection however, there is no legal requirement for us to do that.
• If inspectors are stopped from carrying out their duties, penalties may be applied which may include prosecution in the District Court.
• If you are a tenant and you believe your rented property does not comply with minimum standards, you should discuss this with the landlord, whether you are renting from a private landlord or an Approved Housing Body.
• If the property is below the minimum standards and the landlord refuses to carry out repairs as required you can contact our Housing Standards Section by using the Complaint Form
• Only complaints received on the Complaint Form can be investigated by the Housing Standards Section.
What happens after an inspection?
• After an inspection of a property, if there are issues of non-compliance landlords are issued with an Improvement Letter which outlines the issues of non-compliance and a timeframe for the issues to be remedied. The landlord is also advised that a follow up inspection will be organised.
• If landlords continue to fail to remedy the issues in a property, we can issue an Improvement Notice. An Improvement Notice is the first step in enforcement of the Housing Standards Regulations. The Improvement Notice outlines the works that must be carried out to bring the property to compliance with the Housing Standards Regulations.
• If a landlord does not do the necessary works to the property, we can issue a Prohibition Notice which prohibits the landlord from re-letting the property until it reaches compliance with the Housing Standards Regulations. If a landlord is served with a Prohibition Notice by Dún Laoghaire Rathdown County Council, it means we are of the opinion that the landlord has failed to comply with the Improvement Notice.
• If the landlord re-lets the property while in breach of a Prohibition Notice
they may be prosecuted and on conviction, may be subject to a fine not exceeding €5,000 or imprisonment for a term not exceeding 6 months or both along with a daily fine of €400 for a continuing offence.
• Prohibition Notices are served under Section 18B Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1992 (as amended)
Contact details for our Housing Standards Section:
Phone 01-2054334 or by email standards@dlrcoco.ie