Property standards - Safety is paramount

At least one third of Irish rented property is failing to pass basic safety standards of inspection carried out for the Department of Environment.

Just because rents have dropped by 25% since their peak in 2008 should not be seen as an excuse for any slippage in standards.

In the Fingal area of Dublin, where over 95% of those properties passed inspection, privately rented properties were found to be of particularly high quality. But elsewhere in Dublin, 42% of rented accommodation failed its quality inspection.

A third of the rented houses in Cork city and Limerick city failed to reach the required standard, although many of the failings were of a relatively minor nature, rather than serious structural deficiencies. The failings included a lack of fire blankets or emergency evacuation plans, which were rectified by landlords on foot of improvement notices.

The culture of indifference and even contempt for renters among certain slum landlords during the past century should act as a warning of the need to enforce standards. The abuses and indifferences of the past should never be allowed to occur again.