Council branded a ‘slum landlord’ by councillor

A councillor has claimed that the local authority is being called a ‘slum landlord’ such is the condition of some of the houses in its stock.

And Cllr Kevin Meenan added that funding was required immediately from central government for housing maintenance.

At the April meeting of Dundalk Municipal District, he said the situation on repairs was at crisis point, with windows and doors a particular problem.

‘If we were a business we would be closed down. We are being called a slum landlord,’ he said.

Cllr Meenan believed only a small percentage of the existing stock would pass a HAP (Housing Assistant Payment) inspection.

‘We need cash urgently. We have a duty of care to these people.

‘Heat is sailing out the windows and doors.’

The Sinn Féin representative continued it was councillors who ‘are getting the flak on a daily basis’.

‘It’s unfair on the people living there. If a window comes in, we will see claims left, right and centre.’

Cllr Meenan also pointed out that the council was losing money on rent as he told of one house, in good condition, which had been idle for two years. ‘It is only one of many,’ he added. At a previous meeting Cllr Seán Kelly suggested tenants could pay back the cost of maintenance as part of their rent but had since been informed that was a non-runner.

‘What is possible?’ he asked last week.

He floated the idea of a working group to push the issue forward, especially in relation to windows and doors, and wanted to know when the problem was last raised with the Department.

Cllr Kelly said tenants were not being told of the budgetary constraints nor given a timeline on when any work might be done.

Senior Executive Officer John Lawrence said officials were in contact with the Department.

He continued the ‘main weapon in the council’s armoury’ was funding under the voids package from the government which last year returned 62 units to the stock.

An application had gone in again, and Mr Lawrence said the package allowed the council to do more for tenants with its own ‘quite limited’ budget.

He advised that not all vacant properties would be back in use by the end of the year.

A report before the meeting showed that rent arrears in the county up to 28 February last stood at more than €3 million.

Previously councillors were advised that maintenance was not provided for tenants who were in rent arrears.