Sir, – The unsustainable rise in the cost of renting in Ireland and the role it plays in the worsening of the homelessness crisis are well publicised.
Whole or partial deposit retention by the landlord remains an additional but often equally catastrophic (and worse, hidden and frequently unforeseen) burden for tenants, who can lose up to as much as an entire month’s rent in one fell swoop, sometimes after they’ve been forced to leave due to rent hikes.
In this climate, withheld deposits can run into many hundreds or even thousands of euro, sums that for many people represent life savings – or indeed the deposit required to rent another property.
Although the deposit is the property of the tenant, under the current system, the landlord holds it, so in practice they retain effective control over its return. While the Private Residential Tenancies Board (PRTB) mediates disputes over deposits, often it does not have the resources to pursue cases properly.
For more than 20 years now, various bodies, including the Society of Chartered Surveyors, have recommended the creation of a scheme whereby deposits are held by a third party. In 2013, then housing minister Jan O’Sullivan announced plans for such a scheme. Three years later, it has yet to materialise.
If ever there was a time to fast-track the introduction of this or a similar insurance-based system, it is now. And while we’re at it, can we make landlords provide references too?
Measures like this would go some way toward redressing the power imbalance between the parties. – Yours, etc,
SUZANNE BYRNE,
Dublin 6.