Madam, - The silence from the Government following the disturbing report from the Centre for Housing Research ( The Irish Times, March 18th) is almost as shocking as the report itself.
The report revealed that 78 per cent of private rented properties in Dublin where tenants are on rent supplement do not comply with basic legal minimum standards. Deficiencies included a lack of hot or cold running water, mould growing on walls or ceilings, vermin infestation and tenants living in windowless rooms.
I support the call from Threshold for an effective certification system to ensure that all rented property meets a decent standard. The long-term solution is to reduce the large number of people needing rent support. This means building more social housing - which is more feasible now that many building workers are being laid off - and especially re-introducing and enforcing the 20 per cent social housing requirement in all new developments. This will have the added long-term benefit of mitigating the boom-bust cycles which are so disruptive to the economy and to ordinary working people. - Yours, etc,
RAY CORCORAN, Hollywell, Ballymun, Dublin 11.