Speculators will have to clean up act
Wednesday November 17 2004
John Fitzgerald, the city manager, warned yesterday that landlords who bought properties but failed to properly maintain them or allowed serious anti-social problems to develop will be targeted.
The properties in question were frequently bought using lucrative Section 23 tax breaks for investors, he said. Problems arose where no one was responsible for managing the properties.
There has been growing criticism over the way in which these speculator landlords allow them to deteriorate beside family-owned houses and apartments.
Overgrown gardens, bins left uncollected and poorly maintained properties are frequently cited by residents' groups as causes for concern.
Litter, nuisance, serious disrepair are among a range of anti-social problems to be targeted by department officials using the litter and planning laws.
Mr Fitzgerald revealed that the council's housing department is to be overhauled to take on a much wider brief instead of exclusively looking after social housing.
Apartments now account for more than 80pc of all new housing in the capital and half of these are rented rather than owner-occupied.
- Treacy HoganEnvironment Correspondent
