The Minister for Justice, Equality and Defence, Mr Alan Shatter, T.D., has today announced his plans to bring forward proposals to reform and streamline landlord and tenant law. While the law relating to residential tenancies was updated in 2004, the remaining laws remain antiquated and there is a great need for reform, according to the Minister.
According to the Department of Justice, the draft Landlord and Tenant Law Reform Bill is largely based on reform proposals made by the Law Reform Commission in 2007 and it is a logical sequel to provisions in the Land and Conveyancing Law Reform Act 2009 which modernised the law relating to land ownership and conveyancing of land and entered into operation on 1 December 2009. The Bill would involve the repeal of at least 35 pre-1922 statutes, some dating from the 17th century, and their replacement with a streamlined statutory framework more suited to modern conditions. Ancient ‘eviction’ remedies available to landlords would be abolished and replaced by an updated statutory redress scheme.
Inclusive in the Bill would be a modern landlord and tenant code applicable to business tenancies which would “be essential for our economic recovery”. Notwithstanding the necessary issues that need to be addressed in relation to ‘upward only’ rent reviews (regarding which consultations are ongoing) the minister noted that “the entire landlord and tenant code needs to be updated to make it ‘fit for purpose’ in the 21st century”.
The Minister has invited submissions from interested parties on the contents of a draft Landlord and Tenant Law Reform Bill.