Census figures show gap between number of rented houses and number registered

Advocates have said that the difference between the figures show many landlords are simply not registering with the regulator. File photo: Mark Stedman/RollingNews.ie

There is a significant disparity between the number of private rental properties currently occupied by tenants and the number of houses registered by private landlords, new figures show.

According to new figures from Census 2022, there are a total of 330,632 properties that are being leased out to renters by private landlords. However, this is significantly higher than the number of private rental properties that have been registered with the Residential Tenancies Board (RTB).

The RTB has recorded that 276,223 rental properties have been registered by private landlords at the end of 2021. Census 2022 itself was held on April 3 last year. Up-to-date figures for the end of 2022 are yet to be released by the RTB.

Under legislation, landlords must register tenancies with the RTB or face a fine or potentially a criminal conviction.

While the RTB admitted disparities in the data and said a new requirement for landlords to register annually will strengthen its own data collecting, advocates said that the difference between the figures show many landlords are simply not registering with the regulator.

Dr Rory Hearne, assistant professor in social policy at Maynooth University, said: “You can say pretty definitively that this is the first time we’re seeing a figure showing a significantly higher number of people in the rental sector not registered with the RTB.

Enforcement is clearly not happening enough and the imposition of fines is not enough of a deterrent.

In a statement, the RTB said there are several factors which contribute to disparities between its data and the CSO’s.

“One of the primary reasons for differences lies in the distinct data collection methods employed by the two organisations,” it said. “The RTB primarily relies on data reported by landlords through registration processes. In contrast, the CSO gathers information through self-reported censuses.

“Another is the reporting timeframes. The RTB's data provides real-time insights due to the nature of its daily operations. In contrast, the CSO's data is based on periodic surveys or censuses and reflects a point in time.” 

The RTB said that annual registration was introduced in April 2022, and this requirement “greatly improves the quality of data collected and held by the RTB”.

It added it takes non-compliance very seriously, and makes every effort to inform landlords of their obligations with legal action taken “as a last resort”.