RTB And Fingal County Council Offer Free Training To Dublin Landlords As Part Of Betterlet: Accredit
The Residential Tenancies Board (RTB) has partnered with Fingal County Council to deliver the RTB Betterlet: Accredited Landlord training scheme. The RTB and the Fingal Housing Department are inviting landlords in Fingal County and surrounding counties to take part in its free, one-day accreditation course on Saturday, 30th November at the Clayton Hotel Dublin Airport.
The Betterlet: RTB Landlord Accreditation scheme aims to support landlords to gain a stronger understanding of their rental rights and responsibilities, as well as equip them with the knowledge of the latest legislative changes that effect their new or existing tenancies.
Commenting on the new partnership and the benefits of the Betterlet scheme, Caren Gallagher, RTB Head of Communications and Research, said; “We are delighted to be partnering with Fingal County Council’s Housing Department to jointly deliver this Betterlet training session. Landlords play a vital role in providing healthy and safe homes for people across the country. By delivering these sessions together, we hope to be able to support landlords in navigating the complex regulatory framework governing the rental sector – from the latest rental law changes to guiding landlords through a local authority inspection.
Our accredited scheme enables participating landlords to set themselves apart in the rental sector and be recognised as professionals providing a high-quality service. Accredited landlords will also be better informed and more confident in their ability to apply and adhere to the regulations under which they must operate, helping to mitigate any unnecessary penalties or disputes with tenants.”
The accreditation course will take place from 10:00am to 5:00pm and will cover the following areas, which have been updated with the latest legislative changes:
• Pre-tenancy guidance
• How to manage a tenancy throughout from beginning to end
• Rights and responsibilities – landlord and tenant
• Dispute prevention and what to do if things go wrong
• Minimum standards – how to ensure your property is compliant with the minimum standards
• Rent Pressure Zone qualification criteria and exemptions
• How to end a tenancy – information on how to correctly serve notice and what reasons can be relied upon
Participants’ accreditation will be subject to a short assessment at the end of the course and once awarded, accreditation is valid for two years.
Fingal County Council’s Director of Housing, Margaret Geraghty, adds; “Fingal County Council is delighted to partner with the RTB in this Initiative and is the first of its kind to be rolled out in Fingal.
Fingal County Council recognises the invaluable role landlords have in providing homes for tenants in private rented accommodation within our administrative area. The aim of the BetterLet scheme is to provide free training to landlords designed to better inform them of their rights and responsibilities, policy and regulatory changes in the sector and how to successfully manage tenancies.
In 2017, Fingal set up 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 since 2017 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.
I would encourage landlords to participate in the free training session which will undoubtedly provide a clear and incisive insight into this complex area.”
For more information on the scheme, or to register for the upcoming accreditation course, contact the RTB at landlord.accreditation@rtb.ie or visit www.rtb.ie to learn more.
For further information or to arrange an interview with an RTB representative, please contact:
Aine Roddy, Carr Communications, aine@carrcommunications.ie / 087 777 3688
