Results 761-780 of 1,129,116 for in 'Dáil debates' OR in 'Committee meetings' (speaker:John Carty OR speaker:Roderic O'Gorman OR speaker:Kieran O'Donnell OR speaker:Seán Fleming OR speaker:Mary Lou McDonald OR speaker:Darren O'Rourke OR speaker:Martin Heydon OR speaker:Francis Noel Duffy OR speaker:Imelda Munster OR speaker:Matt Shanahan OR speaker:Cian O'Callaghan OR speaker:James Lawless OR speaker:Niall Collins OR speaker:John Brady OR speaker:Maurice Quinlivan OR speaker:Steven Matthews OR speaker:Colm Burke OR speaker:Gino Kenny OR speaker:Róisín Shortall OR speaker:Peter Burke)

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Analysis of Private Rental Sector Discrepancies: Discussion (Resumed) (15 Oct 2024)

Cian O'Callaghan: I thank the witnesses for their work in this area. I am trying to understand the 47,754 in the unknown category, as the witnesses put it. The opening statement suggests that those living in possible informal rented dwellings or this unknown category were paying 30% less rent than households in formal rented dwellings. Is that just 30% less in overall terms, or is it comparing like with...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Analysis of Private Rental Sector Discrepancies: Discussion (Resumed) (15 Oct 2024)

Cian O'Callaghan: I am asking because the statement also points out that what the CSO considers to be unknown or informal dwellings are also in rural areas. If it was comparing like with like and was 30% less, that would suggest a number of these may well be informal rental arrangements or discounted rents between family members. However, if it is overall, that does not suggest any family discounts in that...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Analysis of Private Rental Sector Discrepancies: Discussion (Resumed) (15 Oct 2024)

Cian O'Callaghan: Is it the suggestion, then, that most of those in detached houses that are informal and predominately in rural areas are probably renting from family members? That would not fit with regard to licensees.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Analysis of Private Rental Sector Discrepancies: Discussion (Resumed) (15 Oct 2024)

Cian O'Callaghan: It says they are detached houses in rural areas. I am trying to understand why we think they are informal settings. There is nothing in what Mr. Culhane is saying to suggest they are licensees and nothing from the rental database to suggest they are at a particular discount that might indicate family arrangements. Of course, not all family arrangements are going to get a discount but some...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Analysis of Private Rental Sector Discrepancies: Discussion (Resumed) (15 Oct 2024)

Cian O'Callaghan: Therefore, a possible explanation for those in the informal or unknown category is that they are informal letting arrangements, but the information that Mr. Culhane has given us suggests ruling out licensees, for the most part, because licensees are generally in rent-a-room situations. That is generally ruled out by the description that Mr. Culhane has given me. This is just my summation....

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Analysis of Private Rental Sector Discrepancies: Discussion (Resumed) (15 Oct 2024)

Cian O'Callaghan: Rather than these being informal letting arrangements, it could be just as likely that there is a pattern or description that matches the lack of registration. This could simply be the characteristics of rental properties that are not registered as often. That could be the case. I am just trying to tease it out. It could be either but we do not know.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Analysis of Private Rental Sector Discrepancies: Discussion (Resumed) (15 Oct 2024)

Cian O'Callaghan: But they could be required by law to register.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Analysis of Private Rental Sector Discrepancies: Discussion (Resumed) (15 Oct 2024)

Cian O'Callaghan: That is what I am trying to understand. Just because they are categorised by informant does not mean they are not required by law to register with the RTB. Mr. Culhane is saying we just do not know. It could be that they-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Analysis of Private Rental Sector Discrepancies: Discussion (Resumed) (15 Oct 2024)

Cian O'Callaghan: A good chunk of them might be required to, a good chunk might not be; we do not know. Is that a fair statement?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Analysis of Private Rental Sector Discrepancies: Discussion (Resumed) (15 Oct 2024)

Cian O'Callaghan: That is helpful. When this information came out initially, some people were making assumptions that these 47,000 property owners were perhaps required to register. The case is we do not know. It could be that a good number of them are required to register and a good number are not. I thank Mr. Culhane. It is useful to have that clarification. Will the RTB witnesses provide more...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Analysis of Private Rental Sector Discrepancies: Discussion (Resumed) (15 Oct 2024)

Cian O'Callaghan: I thank Ms Loughlin for her answer. However, we have established that, out of the 47,000 we are discussing, it is not likely that many of those will be licensees, who are generally in the rent-a-room category. The properties in question are predominantly detached dwellings in rural areas. We have also established that there is a good likelihood that a significant portion of the 47,000 -...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Analysis of Private Rental Sector Discrepancies: Discussion (Resumed) (15 Oct 2024)

Cian O'Callaghan: I thank the witnesses.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Analysis of Private Rental Sector Discrepancies: Discussion (Resumed) (15 Oct 2024)

Steven Matthews: I have a couple of questions to follow up on as well. To follow the line of questioning from Deputy Ó Broin, the RTB might engage with a landlord where a report is made that there should be a registered tenancy, and if the landlord does not respond, it sends a second notice. If we look at the figures, the option available to the landlord is to register and become compliant with the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Analysis of Private Rental Sector Discrepancies: Discussion (Resumed) (15 Oct 2024)

Steven Matthews: I referenced knocking on doors for years, and we come across all sorts of different living arrangements and various set-ups. I have often gone to what looked like one house at point and found there were two doors and two letterboxes. We do not know whether that is just a family member and they have segregated that off. I do not underestimate how difficult it is.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Analysis of Private Rental Sector Discrepancies: Discussion (Resumed) (15 Oct 2024)

Steven Matthews: I appreciate that the RTB has had a considerable workload over the past couple of years. I know it is growing the organisation and the IT systems it has, etc. I would be interested in the results in terms of the number of landlords who choose to leave - I cannot call it the market because they are not really in the market; they should have been registered in the first place to be considered...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Analysis of Private Rental Sector Discrepancies: Discussion (Resumed) (15 Oct 2024)

Steven Matthews: Is a landlord with a registered tenancy who exits required to inform the RTB?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Analysis of Private Rental Sector Discrepancies: Discussion (Resumed) (15 Oct 2024)

Steven Matthews: We see the reasons, such as a landlord selling property or a family member moving in.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Analysis of Private Rental Sector Discrepancies: Discussion (Resumed) (15 Oct 2024)

Steven Matthews: I am interested in knowing how many landlords who were registered state, on investigation, that they have exited. When a rental property is vacant for two years, it can be reregistered then. Where somebody was evicted from a property, for whatever reason, and the property comes back into the system again, is it flagged with the RTB?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Analysis of Private Rental Sector Discrepancies: Discussion (Resumed) (15 Oct 2024)

Steven Matthews: It is like any management system in that one must seek to improve it continuously. I take Ms Loughlin’s point on it. My final question is for the CSO representatives. With regard to the question to be answered on the CSO form, do they envisage any way of changing the question, adding more questions or seeking to have an explainer for people that might give us better clarity at the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Analysis of Private Rental Sector Discrepancies: Discussion (Resumed) (15 Oct 2024)

Steven Matthews: A fine line has to be treaded in that if a form is made too complicated, people will fill it out incorrectly. If I understand Mr. Halpin correctly, changing a question too much affects the ability to compare trends in all the data collected over the years. My next question is for the representatives of the RTB and was alluded to by Deputy Ó Broin earlier. Let me refer to where there...