With the abundance of quality accommodation lying idle across the country, it is hard to believe that landlords like former garda Kevin Galvin are still able to make money by renting out sub-standard accommodation. As we enter into one of the busiest periods in the rental market, with thousands of students across the country on the hunt for new digs, it's important to remember that the days of landlords cramming as many people as possible into tiny hovels are well behind us.
Renting is becoming increasingly popular and as the cost has come down, the number of people renting has surged. In 2006, there were fewer than 134,000 tenancies registered with the Private Residencies Tenancies Board compared to nearly 235,000 last year.
While some of this increase can be accounted for by landlords who were late coming to the party when compulsory registration with the PRTB was introduced, the number of tenancies went up by just under 30,000 last year alone and the number of landlords registered with the PRTB has more than doubled since its introduction in 2005. With a glut of properties for rent on the market, the renter is now very much in the driving seat.
Cases like Galvin's are thankfully in the minority, though housing charity Threshold would still like to see a certification process in place to ensure all properties are habitable.
In the absence of that, however, it is important to remember that tenants' rights are now very robust and there is no need to put up with summary eviction by unscrupulous landlords or second-rate accommodation.

What tenants should know:
The 2004 Residential Tenancies Act, which established the PRTB, gave tenants much greater security of tenure by working on four-year cycles. Depending on the length of time you are resident in the property, your landlord must give you a minimum of 28 days' notice. This four-week period applies in cases where the tenancy is less than six months but increases substantially to 112 days for people who are resident for four years or more.
In the first six months, the tenancy can be terminated without reason by the landlord but after that they can only do so in certain circumstances – where the tenant is not meeting their obligations, the property is to be sold or the landlord wants to move into the property or have a member of their family move in.
Notice must be given in writing by traditional letter rather than phone call, text message or email. It should be noted that these rules do not apply in cases where you are sharing with an owner-occupier or where you are a tenant of a local authority.
Where tenants have an issue that cannot be resolved with the landlord, they can refer the issue to the PRTB, which acts as a dispute-resolution service.
The majority of tenants' complaints to the PRTB relate to deposit-retention by landlords and the validity of termination notices. In the case of deposit-retention, 75% of cases are ruled in favour of the tenant.
However, some 5% of complaints to the PRTB relate to the standard or maintenance of the property.
Since February last year, all rental properties let for the first time are subject to minimum standards of accommodation – these include having all rooms adequately heated, a kitchen with a four-ring hob, oven and grill, fridge and freezer facilities, an adequate number of cupboards to meet the needs of the housemates, a washing machine or access to communal washing machine facilities and in cases where there is no garden or yard for the exclusive use of the house, a dryer or access to a communal dryer.
The property must also be in a good state of repair both inside and out and have a Building Energy Rating certificate to establish how energy efficient the house is.
These standards do not apply in cases where the property was rented prior to February of last year, however, landlords have two years to bring them up to scratch.
In cases where you feel that the property is not meeting these requirements, you can contact your local authority and ask them to investigate. The local authority will then be in a position to force the landlord to bring the property up to standard and in cases where they refuse to do so, prosecutions can be initiated.

What landlords should know:
With hundreds of thousands of people in negative equity, it is inevitable that many people who want to or have to move will opt to rent their properties out. Renting out your home is not as simple as sticking an advertisement on Daft.
For a start, if your bank learns that you have moved out and are renting the property, they may want to move you from your cheap tracker rate to a higher investment mortgage rate. Check your terms and conditions to ensure you do not get stung in this way.
You will also lose your right to claim mortgage interest relief on the property – however, 75% of interest paid can be offset as an expense against rental income. It is possible to offset a large range of expenses against your rental income, which will considerably reduce your tax liability.
Being a landlord also means you take on a number of legal obligations though many people will employ a management company to look after these on their behalf (paying, of course, commission on rent collected for this service).
You must register as a landlord with the PRTB. As outlined above, you must ensure that the property meets minimum standards and is repaired and maintained, ensure that tenants are provided with a rent book or statement of rents paid and insure the property where possible.
It is not all one-way traffic. Landlords have the right to expect that rent is paid on time, and are permitted to review the rent to ensure it is attracting the market rate (this can go the other way, however, with landlords restricted from charging more than the open market rate as defined by the PRTB). The landlord must also be able to access the property to carry out repairs.
Tenants must also give adequate notice if they are to quit the property.
Landlords also have the right to refer disputes to the PRTB. The majority of those who go down this route do so as a result of tenants who are in rent arrears or are withholding rent.