Labour Senator Aidenn Hayden is calling for new rules to deal with slum landlords.

She said: "The revelation that over 90% of flats inspected by Dublin City Council do not meet even the most basic of standards is no surprise. Some of these flats are in buildings that are more reminiscent of what you'd expect in Strumpet City than in modern day Ireland. It is not unusual to see ten or eleven bells on the front door of houses, many of which are damp, suffer from mould, and where bathrooms are often shared and the main source of heat is a superser. For some landlords preying on vulnerable people, these flats are a license to print money. Dublin City Council and the Department of the Environment are to be congratulated for this crackdown.

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"It's time however for a new way of making sure that tenants are protected. The onus should be on a landlord to show a rented property is safe and meets minimum standards. I am proposing an NCT for rented housing rather like the system for cars.

"Before a property is rented it should be certified as 'fit for purpose' with the relevant certificate displayed in plain view for all to see. At the moment it is up to the Local Authority to prove a rented property doesn't meet standards, this way the onus and burden of proof would be on the landlord to prove that it does. This would make it easier for Local Authorities to enforce the law, more importantly such a system would protect tenants. I will be making this proposal to Minister Jan O'Sullivan this week."

(CD)