Standards in private rented accommodation and the maintenance of rented properties were among the issues causing most concern to tenants in Mayo and other parts of the west last year. That is according to the 2010 annual report of Threshold, the national housing charity.
Threshold is a not-for-profit organisation whose aim is to secure a right to housing, particularly for households experiencing the problems of poverty and exclusion. Its main concentration of work is within the rented sector.
According to its annual report, the main areas of concern for tenants living in private rented accommodation in the western region, including in Mayo, were deposit retention, accommodation standards, and queries regarding rent supplement.
Deirdre Murphy, manager of Threshold's Western Region Branch, said the number of tenants presenting to the branch with problems regarding the standard and maintenance of their homes more than doubled to 346 in 2010. “Many landlords are not investing in the upkeep of their properties for a variety of reasons and it has a knock-on effect on the quality of life of the tenants,” she said. “Our branch has spent a lot of time dealing with these types of queries. It is a worrying trend that the number of tenants presenting with problems linked to repairs more than doubled in 2010.”
Anyone in Mayo who would like to contact Threshold for housing advice can call the organisation’s Western Region office on 091 563080.
