More than a third of Dublin's rental offering is below the minimum legal standard, it has been revealed.

According to figures obtained from the Department of Environment, 35% of properties in the county were unsatisfactory, in comparison to 19% nationally.

Senator Paschal Donohoe said the finding was shocking.

"Last year 14,880 rental properties were checked by local authorities. Of these 2,854 did not meet the legal standards. This shows that nearly one in five rental properties were not meeting minimum requirements."

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He said over one-in-three of properties checked within the Dublin region also did not meet legal requirements.

"This is a real problem for tenants of these properties and residents living near them. Dublin City Council reported that a staggering 45% of the 2,822 properties checked failed initial inspections."

Senator Donohue blasted the authorities' failure to act over rogue landlords in the rental sector.

"Only eight legal cases were taken against rogue landlords in the entire country and every one of these was taken by Dublin City Council."

He continued: "These figures show the poor maintenance of rental properties continues to be a huge problem in our towns and cities but that it is not been treated with the same seriousness by the different authorities involved in regulating the sector.

"I want the different local authorities to consistently implement new legislation in this area and use the revenue from increased fines to fund more enforcement."

(PR/BMcC)