The Private Residential Tenancies Board is a “useless, toothless organisation” that is “failing to play its part” in tackling dangerous anti-social behaviour in Galway city.
This is the view of Fianna Fáil Galway West TD Frank Fahey who said the board is not doing enough to deal with some residents in the Cluain Ard Estate in Ballybrit.
Over the past six months, Deputy Fahey has asked the PRTB to address several complaints from residents in Cluain Ard who have been terrorised by the behaviour of some of their neighbours.
In November, the board declined Deputy Fahey’s invitation to a meeting on the issue with the City Manager, the gardaí, the HSE and senior officials from the Department of Social Protection and the Revenue Commissioners.
“I have contacted the PRTB on several occasions regarding the specific problems in Cluain Ard,” said Deputy Fahey. “In its reply, it said tenants are legally obliged not to behave anti-socially and landlords are responsible for enforcing this. The rules are very clear-cut and yet the PRTB has failed to act. The PRTB is showing itself to be a toothless, useless body.”
Dep Fahey said the PRTB was set up with the purpose of ensuring responsible behaviour by both landlords and tenants and so he can not “understand why it won’t instigate action when it sees blatant flouting of the rules”.
Following the recent arson attack in the estate, Dep Fahey said there is now an “urgent need for a multi-agency approach to deal with the growing problem..
“I am sad to say that I’m not surprised by the events of the past week in Cluain Ard. The residents have suffered enough; it’s now time for the authorities to take stringent action. I believe it requires a multi-agency taskforce to make life safer for everyone. The PRTB could play an important role in this.”
“Following discussions today with the gardaí and Galway City Council, I have asked senior gardaí and the City Manager to meet with the residents of Cluain Ard as a matter of urgency to discuss their concerns,” concluded Deputy Fahey.
