'Nothing seems to happen,' councillor hits out over private rental conditions in Carlow
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"Nothing seems to happen," said Cllr John Pender has he hit out over private rental conditions in Carlow.
Cllr Pender was speaking at the October meeting of Tullow Municipal District when he said: "People are in poor living conditions and nothing seems to happen."
He asked Council officials how long it takes for the local authority to carry out private rental inspection after complaints are made by tenants.
Housing Officer, Josephine Kavanagh, said the Council have a target to reach for private rental inspections in Carlow this year but they are "under-resourced in the area to carry out inspections".
She advised Cllr Pender that once the Council's technical team identifies sub-standard accommodation after an inspection, a letter is sent out calling the private landlord to make changes and then the property is inspected again after a period of time.
If the private landlord does not comply the matter can go all the way to the courts.
"We're looking to do a blitz on the programme of inspections," Ms Kavanagh added but advised that the Housing Section is "understaffed".