Online platform launched to deal with disputes between tenants and landlords

In the first three months of this year, the Residential Tenancies Board received 2,388 applications for dispute resolution, with the most popular topics including rent arrears, deposit retention and breach of landlord obligations. File picture

A new online platform to resolve disputes between tenants and landlords has gone live, Ireland’s rental watchdog has said.

The Residential Tenancies Board (RTB) said the new platform will mean cases are resolved faster and make it easier for tenants and landlords to track updates on their dispute.

Its director Rosemary Steen said the decision to configure an existing platform instead of creating its own bespoke solution meant it could deliver the project “in the fastest and most cost-effective way”.

This new platform comes after the introduction of the RTB’s beleaguered online tenancy registration system in 2021 was subject to significant delays and cost overruns. It ended up costing €8.5m, which was €5.2m above the original expected cost, and came 29 months later than originally planned without some of its expected functions.

This IT overspend has been mirrored in reports that have emerged in recent months concerning other public bodies, such as the Arts Council spending €6.7m on a new proposed system that was later abandoned.

At a recent briefing for journalists, Ms Steen, who took the role as director in September last year, was keen to stress that the RTB had “learned from past experience of delivering IT projects” when creating the dispute resolution platform.

“We’ve chosen to configure the globally recognised ServiceNow platform, instead of building a bespoke solution,” she said. "That’s a different approach. 

We chose this because this is the most cost-effective, and it also enabled us to deliver a solution as quickly as possible in less than one year.

Its new system will allow landlords, tenants and third parties apply and pay for dispute resolution, submit evidence, check the status of a case, see when a hearing is scheduled and get in touch with their case officer.

Over 9,000 RTB customers used the dispute resolution service last year. In the first three months of this year, it received 2,388 applications for dispute resolution, with the most popular topics including rent arrears, deposit retention and breach of landlord obligations.

Over half (56%) of applications come from tenants. The RTB said that dispute application levels have stabilised in recent quarters but remain at a high level.

From this week, all new applications must be made through one online application form. “We will no longer have a separate application form for mediation or adjudication,” the RTB said.

“Instead, we will contact parties after they apply to discuss the dispute resolution options. At this point, we will agree to schedule their case for either a mediation or an adjudication hearing.” 

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For those with existing cases where they’ve already been contacted by the RTB, they will have to use the old system. The new platform can be found atop the RTB’s website.

In response to a recent parliamentary question, minister for housing James Browne said the RTB had reduced the time it takes to resolve cases after “better resources” were allocated.

“On foot of these new resources, the average time in 2024 to resolve a mediation case was seven weeks (10 weeks in 2023); an adjudication case was 17 weeks (23 weeks in 2023); and a Tribunal case was 15 weeks (29 weeks in 2023),” he said.