The Chair of Clare’s Housing Committee is calling for urgent clarity on the living conditions of tenants across the county.
It follows a report which shows that the vast majority of rental properties inspected by the local authority failed to meet regulation standards upon inspection last year.
New figures show that of the 1,058 private rental properties inspected in the county last year, just 97 units were deemed compliant with standards regulations.
This means the failure rate for tenancies in Clare was 93.7% .
Rental accommodation is deemed to be non-compliant if properties fail to meet strict criteria surrounding , basic hygiene , food preparation and fire safety, while buildings must be structurally sound internally and externally.
All landlords who fail inspection are issued with an improvement letter detailing works to be completed, while thos who do not take remedial action within the prescribed timeframe may be issued with a prohibition notice.
The notice would then direct the landlord not to re-let the house until all violations have been rectified.
The local authority has told Clare FM that there is generally positive engagement with most landlords which limits the occurrence of progression to improvement notices.
However Chair of Clare’s social housing committee and Indpendent Councillor Gerry Flynn believes a hands off approach does not prioritise safety.
A Clare Real Estate Agent meanwhile believes that the only true way to rectify the problem is simply to boost supply.
There are just 33 properties available to rent today in the county , while 2,831 households are waiting on the social housing list.
This is despite the fact that with 200 homes Clare added the third highest amount of new units to its social housing stock last year.
Liam Browne from Paddy Browne Real Estates Agents in Ennis says those seeking accommodation have little to no options available.
You can listen to the full interview below.
