Record numbers of landlords registered under new scheme

An estimated 75,000 tenancy registrations have been filed under new landlord and tenant legislation.

Landlords must now register with the Private Residential Tenancies Board (PRTB), set up to regulate the sector and implement measures to give landlords and tenants more security and to operate a dispute-resolution service.

Minister for Housing and Urban Renewal Noel Ahern announced the number and said that it is still rising.

"This is a remarkable response in a short period and shows a lot of good will on the part of landlords to making the new system a success, which I believe it will be," the Minister said.

The total number recorded as registered with all local authorities by June of this year was less than 22,000, and it is understood that, during the eight years or so that the registration function rested with local authorities, the numbers recorded never reached 30,000.

Although the new registration system came into effect on September 1, the vast bulk of applications began to arrive in late November.

This caused a glut of applications to the board and a deluge of queries to them and the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government.

As a result, some people have had difficulty in making contact about registration.

The board has taken a sympathetic approach with late applicants, but this latitude is not expected to extend beyond January and defaulters can then expect to be rigorously pursued.

The registration figure is expected to rise further in the New Year.