Cork landlord issued with five written cautions over rent pressure zone breaches

The RTB — a regulatory body that has oversight of the housing market in Ireland — today published details of 38 sanctions ranging from a written caution up to a fine of €3,963.76

More than 85% of the 76 sanctions for improper conduct published to date are for breaches of Rent Pressure Zone (RPZ) limits on rents

A landlord who failed to abide by legal limits on rent increases in relation to five properties in Cork's College Road area is among those sanctioned by the Residential Tenancies Board (RTB) for being out of line with tenancy laws.

Denis Cooper of Crookstown, Co. Cork, was issued a written caution, five times over, for failing to keep within the bounds of rent increase limits set by the Rent Pressure Zones legislation in the College Road area.

Other landlords were issued with monetary fines, including Muhammad Suhail Ahktar and Attiya Suhail, who were fined €2,000 for failing to register a tenancy in Douglas, County Cork.

Alice Buckley and Jeremy Buckley were also issued a written caution for failing to register with the RTB within one month of tenants moving in and failing to notify the public body of changes made to the tenancy.

The RTB is a regulatory body that has oversight of the housing market in Ireland. Where a landlord has committed improper conduct, they can be sanctioned by an independent decision maker and issued a written caution and/or a fine of up to €15,000.

All decisions to sanction landlords are confirmed by the courts. The board has now published figures that reveal that 169 investigations were carried out in 2021.

Reports to the board included 135 counts of rent raised above Rent Pressure Zone limits, 30 counts of failure to register rented properties, 11 counts of false or misleading reason on notice of termination given to tenants, and 11 more of failure to offer a tenant tenancy back.

Meanwhile, the RTB has published a new resource for landlords in the form of a template Residential Tenancy Agreement.

RTB director Niall Byrne said that while the vast majority of landlords comply with their obligations and have good relations with their tenants, there are exceptions.

Mr Byrne said:

There is also a small proportion of landlords who do not abide by the law and who cause harm to their tenants.

“Neglectful and badly intended landlords also damage the reputation of the responsible landlords across Ireland who comply voluntarily with the law and who work every day to ensure their tenants are treated fairly and with respect.

“The RTB is committed to ensuring that these people are identified and are held to account for their improper conduct,” he said.

The RTB has returned more than €338,000 in overcharged rent to tenants since 2019. Over €60,000 has been paid by landlords in sanctions to date, these fines are paid to the Exchequer.