Successful landlord training scheme, organised by Fingal County Council and RTB, takes place

Fingal County Council, in partnership with the Residential Tenancies Board (RTB), organised a successful “Betterlet: Accredited Landlord Training Scheme”, the first of its kind to be rolled out in the county.

Fingal County Council, in partnership with the Residential Tenancies Board (RTB), organised a successful “Betterlet: Accredited Landlord Training Scheme”, the first of its kind to be rolled out in the county.

Some 30 landlords attended the free day-long event at the Clayton Hotel Dublin Airport which provided free training to better inform them of their rights and responsibilities, policy and regulatory changes in the sector and how to successfully manage tenancies. 

The course covered a number of areas including pre-tenancy guidelines, the rights and responsibilities of tenants and landlords, dispute prevention, minimum standards and information on how to manage a tenancy from beginning to end. At the end of the session, the participants undertook a short assessment. The accreditation remains valid for two years.

In 2017, Fingal County Council established a new unit in the Housing Department with responsibility for proactively inspecting all private rented properties in Fingal to ensure compliance with the relevant regulations. To date, this unit has carried out in excess of 5,000 private rented property inspections and has exceeded the targets set by the Department of Housing for the inspection of private rented dwellings. There are currently 21,034 registered private rented properties in Fingal.

Fingal County Council, in partnership with the Residential Tenancies Board (RTB), organised a successful “Betterlet: Accredited Landlord Training Scheme”, the first of its kind to be rolled out in the county.

Cllr Duncan Smith, chairperson of the Housing Strategic Policy Committee, said: ‘This was a very welcome initiative from Fingal County Council and the RTB. It is important that landlords, who play an important role in providing homes across the county, understand the complex regulatory framework that exists within the sector. And so from that point of view it was satisfying to see that the Fingal event was so well attended.”

Director of Housing and Community Margaret Geraghty said: “Fingal County Council was delighted with the success of this partnership with the Residential Tenancies Board which saw 30 landlords attend the day-long Fingal event. One of the strategic objectives of our new Corporate Plan 2019-2024 is to facilitate good quality private rented accommodation standards to enhance the quality of life for individuals and families living in the private rented and events like this one play a key role in achieving that goal.”