Tenants’ rights to be highlighted in ad campaign

Tenants’ rights concerning rent increases and long-term letting are to be promoted in an ad campaign

The initiative by the Private Residential Tenancies Board (PRTB) is partly in response to the rapid rise in rents in recent years, particularly in Dublin.

With these and other factors in mind, an education and awareness advertising campaign for tenants and landlords is planned, with spending on budgets ranging from €100,000 to €300,000.

According to tender documents for the campaign, the immediate priorities will be to focus on the level of rent increases allowable, and tenancy entitlements.

“Once a tenant is in place for six months, they can remain in the accommodation for four years, unless a valid notice of termination is served by the landlord,” says the PRTB.

Despite this, just 29% of tenants in a 2014 Red C survey said they would be more likely to rent long-term if a lease of three to four years was guaranteed.

The ad campaign will also promote knowledge of rights under law governing residential tenancies.

A rent rise can only occur once year, and then only after 28 days’ written notice, and in line with market rates.

Other rights and responsibilities to be highlighted will relate to lease agreements, along with the PRTB telephone mediation service.

For landlords, information is to be provided about termination notices, online registration with PRTB, tenancy registration and accommodation standards.

A rapidly-growing proportion of households are in private rented accommodation, currently standing at around one in five.

More than 300,000 tenancies and 158,000 landlords were registered with the board last October.

The PRTB quarterly rent index shows year-on-year increases in average Dublin rents in every quarter since early 2011, driven particularly by apartment rents which have jumped 23% in that time to €1,170.

Rents outside Dublin have shown much more modest increases over the last two years, rising by just over 5% to €637 for apartments and by a similar rate to €655 for houses.