People Before Profit Councillor Madeleine Johansson has voiced her deep concern regarding the lack of enforcement actions taken by South Dublin County Council following inspections of private rented homes. This comes after the latest council meeting revealed troubling statistics about the council’s inspection and enforcement practices in 2023 and the first quarter of 2024.
At the May council meeting, Councillor Johansson who represents the Palmerstown-Fonthill LEA raised a question about the number of inspections and enforcement actions taken on private rented accommodations. The council’s management reported that in 2023, a total of 3,139 inspections were conducted, resulting in 2,032 improvement letters being issued. Despite these numbers, no enforcement or improvement notices were served. Similarly, in Q1 2024, out of 815 inspections, 707 improvement letters were issued, yet no enforcement notices followed.
Councillor Johansson expressed concern over these figures, stating, “It’s alarming that despite identifying significant issues in thousands of inspections, the council has failed to issue any enforcement notices. This raises serious questions about the effectiveness of our enforcement policies and the council’s commitment to ensuring safe living conditions for tenants.”
The statistics revealed at the council meeting underscore the need for a more robust enforcement mechanism.
Councillor Johansson is calling for immediate action to address this issue, emphasizing the importance of holding landlords accountable and ensuring that rental properties meet required standards. “The fact that Environmental Health Officers have the authority to serve improvement and prohibition notices, yet none have been issued, suggests a gap between policy and practice. We must bridge this gap to protect our residents,” Johansson added.
People Before Profit will continue to advocate for stronger enforcement measures and greater accountability to safeguard the rights and well-being of private tenants in South Dublin.
