Council seeks private company to inspect private rented dwellings in Cork

Cork City Council is to spend up to €3.5m to hire a private company to carry out inspections of private rented dwellings in the city.

The local authority has issued a tender seeking a provider to inspect private rental accommodations to ensure they are compliant with minimum standards set out in the Housing (Standards for Rented Houses) Regulations 2019.

The contract is for a two-year period with a possible extension for a period of up to 12 months with a maximum of three such extensions. It follows on from a doubling of the number of inspectors by the council from three to six last year as part of measures to improve the rate of inspection of private rented dwellings.

The council noted that its administrative area grew nearly five times in size as a result of last year’s historic boundary extension which saw Cork City expand to include some area that were formerly under the control of Cork County Council including Ballincollig, Blarney and Glanmire.

Figures published by a local authority watchdog, the National Oversight and Audit Commission, show that just 698 of 16,997 registered tenancies in the council’s administrate area were inspected in 2018 — an inspection rate of just 4.1%. Of those inspected, 80.4% were found to be non-compliant with standards for rental accommodation. Subsequently 139 of the properties became compliant with the regulations before the end of 2018.

The regulations specify requirements in relation to a range of matters such as structural repair, absence of damp and rot, sanitary facilities, heating, ventilation, light and safety of gas and electrical supply. All landlords have a legal obligation to ensure that their rented properties comply with the regulations, while local authorities are responsible for the enforcement of the regulations.

Under the Government’s Rebuilding Ireland’s strategy for the rental sector, local authorities are required to introduce measures to increase inspection levels. The Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government has set a target number for inspections by Cork City Council of 3,150 this year, rising to 4,200 in 2021 and every subsequent year up to 2024.

Landlords whose rental accommodation are not compliant with the regulations are issued with an improvement letter which advises them of the works required to bring their building up to the required standards.

Bidders have been advised by the Council that based on past experience approximately 85% of dwellings are found to be non-compliant on initial inspection. Any breaches are that considered to put the lives of the occupants in danger are required to be notified to the council immediately.