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Thursday, November 21, 2013 METRO HERALD
Rules to stop tenants being escrowed out of deposits
MONEY paid as a deposit on rented accommodation will be held ‘in escrow’ by a third party under new rules to protect tenants from unscrupulous landlords. Jan O’Sullivan, junior minister responsible for housing and planning, revealed the plan as the country’s leading housing charity Threshold said the issue was its biggest source of complaints last year. Some 20,000 people contacted the organ-
by ED cARTy
isation claiming the illegal retention of money by landlords. The Government initiative to improve tenants’ rights would see Ireland adopt an international standard where deposits are held by an independent third party, not the landlord. The charity’s annual report also revealed more than 1,600 people reported poor stand-
ards in rented homes, with the most common problems including broken or ineffective heating systems and poor ventilation. Threshold said in some cases landlords refused to carry out repairs since the onset of the recession. A survey by the charity also found almost 40 per cent of local authorities were unaware they were even responsible for inspecting private rented accommodation.
Plan: O’Sullivan
Informants ‘at risk’ Garda chief Martin Callinan has warned there could be mass assassinations if the force’s watchdog was given unfettered access to classified records. Mr Callinan said he had legitimate concerns about how sensitive details were handled by the Garda Ombudsman. The force has been accused of refusing to cooperate with the Ombudsman. ‘Otherwise we will have bodies lying all over the country,’ he said at a hearing of Tds and senators where he faced charges of not cooperating with the watchdog.
Buffed out
Passengers look on after a Virgin Trains service from London Euston to Chester hit the buffers on arrival at Chester station yesterday. One man was taken to hospital following the incident Picture: Pa
Landmark trial for woman accused of assisting suicide A WOMAN is to stand trial charged with assisting the suicide of a multiple sclerosis sufferer. In what is believed to be the first case of its kind in the country, Gail O’Rourke, of Kilclare Gardens, Tallaght, appeared before Dublin Dsitrict Court accused of helping MS sufferer Bernadette Forde, 51, kill herself at her home in Donnybrook, south Dublin, between March 10 and June 6 2011. Ms O’Rourke was granted bail. Sgt James Byrne said she replied not guilty when charged and
cautioned at Donnybrook Garda Station. Judge Michael Walsh sent the accused forward for trial to the Circuit Criminal Court, to appear again on December 13. Ms Forde was found dead in her apartment at Morehampton Mews in Donnybrook on June 6, 2011. She had been in the final stages of multiple sclerosis. Under Irish law, a person who aids, abets, counsels or procures the suicide of another can face up to 14 years in prison.
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