METRO FREE Tuesday, October 27, 2009 MAGEE MID SEASON SALE 25%OFFNOW ON Dundrum Town Centre Wicklow Street Arnotts, Henry Street E s t . 1 8 6 6 BY ROSS McDONAGH 35%of properties to rent are illegalONE in three rental properties in Dublin does not meet the le- gal standard, it was revealed yesterday. Figures from the Department of the Environment have shown 35 per cent of rental properties inspected across Dublin in 2008 failed to meet mini- mum requirements. Of the 14,880 properties inspected throughout the country, 2,854 were below the basic legal standard a failure rate of almost one in five. Dublin City Councils borders con- tained the worst concentration of of- fenders 45 per cent failed initial in- spections. Fine Gael senator Paschal Donohoe described the situation as stagger- ing, and said it was a real problem for the tenants of the properties and residents living near them. Mr Donohoe gave examples of rent- ed accommodation without separate hot and cold water, with missing floor- boards, hanging wiring, inadequate cooking facilities, uncollected bins mounting outside and toilet facilities reminiscent of 1920s rural Ireland. I am also disappointed to see again that the problem of rogue landlords is not being taken seriously by every- body involved in regulating this sec- tor, he said. Only eight legal cases were taken against rogue landlords in the entire country and every one of these was taken by Dublin City Council. While Dublin City Council reported 45 per cent of properties did not meet standards, Galway City Council re- ported a nine per cent failure rate, and Wexford County Council only two per cent. But Donegal, West- meath, Meath and other county coun- cils reported no problems at all. These figures show the poor mainte- nance of rental properties continues to be a huge problem in our towns and cities, Mr Donohoe added. I want the local authorities to consistently imple- ment new legislation in this area and use the revenue from increased fines to fund more enforcement. While fines of up to 4,000 exist for failing rental standards, Mr Donohoe said regulators of the sector took their eyes off the ball as renters were formerly not a huge part of the hous- ing market something that was swiftly changing within the strug- gling economy. Howya bud: A little boy from Ematimatolo village in South Africa befriends Dustin the turkey during his performance in a rural homestead for the villages children. Dustin was in South Africa with Unicef, which is working to help very young children cope with the impact of HIV/Aids. The celebrity turkey met with many children who have lost parents to Aids and may be HIV positive themselves. More than 95 per cent of the families in the area that Dustin visited have been directly affected by HIV/Aids Picture: Rebecca Hearfield RECORD NUMBER TURN OUT FOR THE DUBLIN MARATHON: SEE PAGES 4 & 5 index.html2.html3.html4.html5.html6.html7.html8.html9.html10.html11.html12.html13.html14.html15.html16.html17.html18.html19.html20.html21.html22.html23.html