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.