Council receives funding to inspect rented accommodations

Cavan County Council has received €15,400 to help support the local authority in carrying out rental property inspections.

Neighbouring Co Monaghan meanwhile has received €17,150 in funding, Leitrim Council €18,500, Longford €9,550, and Meath €105,950.

Between 2005 and 2019 meanwhile, over €43 million was paid to local authorities to assist in performing functions under the Housing Acts, including inspecting of rented accommodation.

Over 298,000 inspections were carried out during this period.

Provision has been made for €6 million of Exchequer funding to be made available to local authorities in 2020, with the intention of providing a further increase in 2021 to facilitate a targeted inspection rate of 25% of rental properties annually at that stage.

There are, according to the Department, more than 52,500 households having their housing needs met via HAP and over 30,000 landlords and agents in receipt of HAP payments.

Under the HAP scheme, tenants source their own accommodation in the private rented market, the majority of the cost of which is met by the local authority.

At the end of 2019 there were 342 HAP tenancies in the Co Cavan with the average rental payment to landlords made at €464.

In Monaghan there were 586 HAP tenancies, with average rental payments of €514.

Elsewhere in the region, there were 254 HAP tenancies in Leitrim at €419 per landlord; 330 in Longford (€415); and 2,089 in Meath (€957).