John Lahart (Dublin South West, Fianna Fail)
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234. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government his views on census figures which show a much higher proportion of properties being rented out than those that are registered; his views on the discrepancy; how this can be addressed to ensure tenants have a fair deal from their landlords; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [49279/23]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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The Residential Tenancies Board (RTB) was established as an independent statutory body under the Residential Tenancies Acts 2004-2022 (RTA) to operate a national tenancy registration system and to resolve disputes between landlords and tenants.

From 4 April 2022, landlords are required under the Residential Tenancies (Amendment) Act 2019 to register their tenancies with the RTB every year, within one month of the anniversary of when the tenancy began. This applies to both new and existing tenancies. As before, landlords continue to be required to register a tenancy within one month of its commencement.

My Department understands that there are differences between the RTB’s registration data and the figures published by the CSO from the 2022 Census. The Department is aware the RTB has been engaging with the CSO on this matter since July 2023. The RTB has informed my Department that it will support the CSO as a matter of priority in undertaking an analytical exercise to commence in November, which will allow it to better understand the reasons behind the difference between the CSO data and the RTB Register.

My Department continues to work with the RTB to ensure that it is sufficiently resourced to deliver on its mandate, including the enforcement of tenancy registration requirements.