Landlord’s Obligations

12.—(1) In addition to the obligations arising by or under any other enactment, a landlord of a dwelling shall—

( a) allow the tenant of the dwelling to enjoy peaceful and exclusive occupation of the dwelling,

( b) subject to subsection (2), carry out to—

(i) the structure of the dwelling all such repairs as are, from time to time, necessary and ensure that the structure complies with any standards for houses for the time being prescribed under section 18 of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1992, and

(ii) the interior of the dwelling all such repairs and replacement of fittings as are, from time to time, necessary so that that interior and those fittings are maintained in, at least, the condition in which they were at the commencement of the tenancy and in compliance with any such standards for the time being prescribed,

F29 [ ( ba ) provide receptacles suitable for the storage of refuse outside the dwelling, save where the provision of such receptacles is not within the power or control of the landlord in respect of the dwelling concerned, ]

( c) subject to subsection (3), effect and maintain a policy of insurance in respect of the structure of the dwelling, that is to say a policy—

(i) that insures the landlord against damage to, and loss and destruction of, the dwelling, and

(ii) that indemnifies, to an amount of at least €250,000, the landlord against any liability on his or her part arising out of the ownership, possession and use of the dwelling,

( d) subject to subsection (4), return or repay promptly any deposit paid by the tenant to the landlord on entering into the agreement for the tenancy or lease,

( e) notify the tenant of the name of the person, if any, (the “authorised agent”) who is authorised by the landlord to act on his or her behalf in relation to the tenancy for the time being,

( f) provide to the tenant particulars of the means by which the tenant may, at all reasonable times, contact him or her or his or her authorised agent,

( g) without prejudice to any other liability attaching in this case, reimburse the tenant in respect of all reasonable and vouched for expenses that may be incurred by the tenant in carrying out repairs to the structure or interior of the dwelling for which the landlord is responsible under paragraph (b) where the following conditions are satisfied—

(i) the landlord has refused or failed to carry out the repairs at the time the tenant requests him or her to do so, and

(ii) the postponement of the repairs to some subsequent date would have been unreasonable having regard to either—

(I) a significant risk the matters calling for repair posed to the health or safety of the tenant or other lawful occupants of the dwelling, or

(II) a significant reduction that those matters caused in the quality of the tenant’s or other such occupants’ living environment,

( h) if the dwelling is one of a number of dwellings comprising an apartment complex—

(i) forward to the management company, if any, of the complex any complaint notified in writing by the tenant to him or her concerning the performance by the company of its functions in relation to the complex,

(ii) forward to the tenant any initial response by the management company to that complaint, and

(iii) forward to the tenant any statement in writing of the kind referred to in section 187(2) made by the management company in relation to that F30 [ complaint, ]

F31 [ (i) in the case of a tenancy of a dwelling in a rent pressure zone (within the meaning given in section 19(7) ), where the tenancy commences on or after the commencement of section 33 of the Planning and Development (Housing) and Residential Tenancies Act 2016, furnish the tenant, in writing, with the following information at the commencement of the tenancy:

(i) the amount of rent that was last set under a tenancy for the dwelling;

(ii) the date the rent was last set under a tenancy for the dwelling;

(iii) a statement as to how the rent set under the tenancy of the dwelling has been calculated having regard to section 19 F32 [ … ] . ]

(2) Subsection (1)(b) does not apply to any repairs that are necessary due to the failure of the tenant to comply with section 16(f) .

(3) The obligation under subsection (1)(c) does not apply at any particular time during the term of the tenancy concerned if, at that time, a policy of insurance of the kind referred to in that provision is not obtainable, or is not obtainable at a reasonable cost, by the landlord in respect of the dwelling.

(4) Subsection (1)(d) applies and has effect subject to the following provisions:

( a) no amount of the deposit concerned shall be required to be returned or repaid if, at the date of the request for return or repayment, there is a default in—

F33 [ (i) the payment of rent, or any other charges or taxes payable by the tenant in accordance with the lease or tenancy agreement, and the amount of rent or such other charges or taxes in arrears is equal to or greater than the amount of the deposit, or ]

(ii) compliance with section 16(f) and the amount of the costs that would be incurred by the landlord, were he or she to take them, in taking such steps as are reasonable for the purposes of restoring the dwelling to the condition mentioned in section 16(f) is equal to or greater than the amount of the deposit,

F33 [ ( b ) where, at the date of the request for return or repayment, there is a default in —

(i) the payment of rent, or any other charges or taxes payable by the tenant in accordance with the lease or tenancy agreement, or

(ii) compliance with section 16(f) ,

and subparagraph (i) or (ii) , as the case may be, of paragraph (a) does not apply, then there shall only be required to be returned or repaid under subsection (1)(d) the difference between the amount of rent or such other charges or taxes in arrears or, as appropriate, the amount of the costs that would be incurred in taking steps of the kind referred to in paragraph (a)(ii) . ]

(5) For the avoidance of doubt, the condition in subsection (1)(g)(i) is satisfied if, after all reasonable attempts, the landlord or his or her authorised agent could not be contacted to make the request concerned.

13.—(1) The Board, with the consent of the Minister, may make regulations specifying that particular parts of dwellings shall, for the purposes of section 12(1)(b) , be regarded as parts of the interior, or as parts of the structure, of dwellings.

(2) In making regulations under this section, the Board—

( a) may invite submissions in relation to the matter from any persons or organisations appearing to the Board to be representative of the interests of landlords and of tenants and consider any submissions from those persons or organisations made on foot of that invitation,

( b) shall not specify a part of a dwelling as being part of its structure or, as the case may be, part of its interior if, to do so, would, in its opinion, result in unreasonably burdensome obligations being imposed on landlords.

(3) Different regulations may be made under this section in respect of different classes of dwelling.

14.—(1) A landlord of a dwelling shall not penalise a tenant for—

( a) referring any dispute between the tenant and the landlord to the Board for resolution under Part 6,

( b) giving evidence in any proceedings under Part 6 to which the landlord is a party (whether the tenant is a party to them or not),

( c) making a complaint to a member of the Garda Síochána or to a public authority in relation to any matter arising out of, or in connection with, the occupation of the dwelling or making an application regarding such a matter to a public authority, or

( d) giving notice of his or her intention to do any or all of the things referred to in the preceding paragraphs.

(2) For the purposes of this section a tenant is penalised if the tenant is subjected to any action that adversely affects his or her enjoying peaceful occupation of the dwelling concerned.

(3) Such action may constitute penalisation even though it consists of steps taken by the landlord in the exercise of any rights conferred on him or her by or under this Act, any other enactment or the lease or tenancy agreement concerned if, having regard to—

( a) the frequency or extent to which the right is exercised in relation to the tenant,

( b) the proximity in time of its being so exercised to the tenant’s doing the relevant thing referred to in subsection (1), and

( c) any other relevant circumstances,

it is a reasonable inference that the action was intended to penalise the tenant for doing that thing.

(4) This section is without prejudice to any other liability (civil or criminal) the landlord may be subject to for doing a thing prohibited by this section.

15.—(1) A landlord of a dwelling owes to each person who could be potentially affected a duty to enforce the obligations of the tenant under the tenancy.

(2) In subsection (1)“person who could be potentially affected” means a person who, it is reasonably foreseeable, would be directly and adversely affected by a failure to enforce an obligation of the tenant were such a failure to occur and includes any other tenant under the tenancy mentioned in that subsection.

(3) This section does not confer on any person a right of action maintainable in proceedings before a court for breach of the duty created by it; the sole remedy for such a breach is by means of making a complaint (where the conditions specified in section 77for doing so are satisfied) to the Board under Part 6.

(4) Nothing in subsection (3) affects any duty of care, and the remedies available for its breach, that exist apart from this section.

Tenant may terminate

Where consent to assignment or sub-letting withheld.

186.—(1) This section has effect—

( a) despite the fact that the tenancy concerned is one for a fixed period, and

( b) despite anything to the contrary in the lease or tenancy agreement concerned.

(2) If a landlord of a dwelling refuses his or her consent to an assignment or sub-letting of the tenancy concerned by the tenant, the tenant may serve a notice of termination in respect of the tenancy and terminate it accordingly.

(3) The period of notice to be given by that notice of termination is—

( a) that specified in section 66 , or

( b) such lesser period of notice as may be agreed between the landlord and the tenant in accordance with section 69 ,

even if the lease or tenancy agreement provides for a greater period of notice to be given.

Duty of management companies

in relation to certain complaints.

187.—(1) This section applies where a tenant of a dwelling which is one of a number of dwellings comprising an apartment complex makes a complaint of the kind referred to in section 12(1)(h) to the landlord of the dwelling and that complaint (the “relevant complaint”) is forwarded to the management company of the complex (the “relevant company”).

(2) Where this section applies the relevant company, in performing any of its functions in relation to the apartment complex concerned, shall have regard to the relevant complaint and shall furnish to the landlord mentioned in subsection (1) (for the purpose of its being forwarded to the tenant concerned) a statement in writing as to the steps, if any, it has taken to deal with the matter or matters to which the complaint relates.

Provision of information in relation to service charges

by management companies.

188.—(1) A tenant of a dwelling which is one of a number of dwellings comprising an apartment complex may request the management company (if any) of the complex (“the company”) to furnish to him or her particulars in writing of the service charges made by the company in respect of the dwelling in a specified period and how those charges have been calculated.

(2) Subject to subsection (3), it shall be the duty of the company to comply with such a request.

(3) If the owner of the dwelling were to make a request of the company to furnish to him or her the particulars mentioned in subsection (1) and the company would not be obliged to furnish all of those particulars to him or her then the duty of the company under subsection (2) shall be read as extending only to the particulars that the company would be obliged to furnish to the owner were such a request to be made.

(4) In this section “service charges” means charges made by the company in respect of the performance of functions by it in relation to the apartment complex concerned.

Obligation to inform prospective sub-tenant of nature of tenancy.

185.—(1) A tenant of a dwelling who proposes to create in favour of any person a sub-tenancy out of the tenancy shall, before he or she—

( a) creates the sub-tenancy, or

( b) if its creation is preceded by the entering into of an agreement to create (whether the word “create” or any other word is used) such a tenancy, enters into that agreement,

inform the person of the fact that it is a sub-tenancy that will be created in the person’s favour.

(2) A person who fails to comply with subsection (1) is guilty of an offence.

(3) If, in respect of the entering into of an agreement referred to in paragraph (b) of subsection (1), a failure to comply with that subsection occurs, the agreement shall not be enforceable by the tenant referred to in that subsection.