Increase in Carlow and Kilkenny tenants complaining about landlords retaining deposits

There’s been a big increase in the number of Carlow tenants complaining about their landlord withholding a deposit.

The number of Carlow renters lodging queries with Threshold about deposit retention more than quadrupled from four in 2019 to 17 last year.

The figure also went up in Kilkenny from four to six reflecting a 43% rise across the county.

CEO of the housing charity Threshold John-Mark McCafferty says the government needs to set up a deposit protection scheme where an independent party like the RTB would hold the security deposit.

He told KCLR News “We find in our advice and support to private renters across the country, including Carlow and Kilkenny, that one of the recurring themes, one of the ongoing issues facing tenants is the retention of deposits when they should be returned and that is an issue in terms of returning resources to renters, many of whom are in low to moderate incomes”.

Mr McCafferty also says “They’re looking to source other accommodation, they’re required to provide a deposit and often that deposit for no good reason is retained by a landlord and that can inhibit or endanger a tenant from actually being able to start a new tenancy because they need not only a month in advance but the deposit also”.

And he adds “What we’ve been calling for is for a deposit protection scheme and indeed this is in the programme for government ten years ago to establish a protection scheme to put an end to disputes regarding the return of deposits and yet that hasn’t been commenced as a piece of legislation”.