Sinn Féin’s Dublin housing spokesperson has called on the capital's city council to review its maintenance policy, and ensure that tenants are not forced to live in substandard conditions.

Discussing the local authority's new housing maintenance policy, Aengus Ó Snodaigh said: "There are a number of minor issues which are now the responsibility of the tenant such as keeping the garden tidy and decoration of the house which is acceptable.

"However, the council has also included on a list of items which is no longer their responsibility jobs as repairing walls that have fallen in the garden and repairing wall and floor tiles, and cleaning the guttering on a house."

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Mr Ó Snodaigh said, while these could be considered minor, these are repairs that some people will not be able to carry out themselves due small incomes.

"Dublin City Council will retain responsibility for repairs in Older Peoples Complexes yet they will not carry out repairs in housing units outside of these complexes that older people live in," he said.

Mr Ó Snodaigh said he was waiting on confirmation from Environment Minister John Gormley on whether this policy is legally compliant with the Housing (Standards for Rented Houses) Regulations 2008, which obliges the local authority to provide certain minimum standards in their accommodation.

"I am calling on Dublin City Council to ensure that they review this scheme and ensure that people are not forced to live in substandard conditions as a result of these changes or to incur costs by carrying out repairs that are the responsibility of the local authority," added the Sinn Féin man.

(PR/BMcc)