The Residential Tenancies (Amendment) Act was published in July 2012 and signed into law by the President in December 2015. This Act amends the 2004 Residential Tenancies Act and brings tenancies within the non-profit housing sector under the remit of the Residential Tenancies Board for the first time.
As of 7th April 2016 the sections of the Act relevant to housing associations have commenced, and this means associations will have 12 months to register each of their tenancies with the RTB, at a reduced fee of €45 per tenancy for this period only. This will allow housing associations and their tenants access to the dispute resolution services, such as mediation and adjudication, which are currently only open to private sector tenancies.
All legitimate tenancies have to be registered under the legislation (license type agreements such as hostels are exempt) and if you have any queries in relation to any aspect of the legislation or its requirements please contact Keelin McCarthy, Tenancy Registration Support Officer, at 01 661 8334.
There are several important aspects that board members and staff of housing associations should be aware of. These include the new notice periods required under the Act, the dispute resolution services provided by the RTB and the specific requirements in relation to tenancy agreements and transitional accommodation. A FAQ to the Act is available below, as are other useful documents prepared by the ICSH for our members:
- RTA FAQs
- Guidance note for Tenancy Agreement
- Guidance note for Transitional Accommodation
- Guidance note on leasing from a third party
- Rent guidance note
- Fixed Term lease guidance note
- Group Home guidance note
- Guidance note on Repairs
- Guidance note on Succession
- Transitional Dwelling Notification to Minister
- Transitional Dwelling De-Notification to Minister
- Transitional Dwelling Designation Form
- Transitional Dwelling De-Designation Form