That is, if the Government gets its way with new regulations drawn up by Minister for the Environment Alan Kelly, whereby landlords would be liable for any water bills left unpaid by their tenants upon leaving the property.
Mr. Kelly suggested that landlords could deduct any unpaid water charges from the tenant’s deposit.
However, legally speaking, landlords cannot do that. They can only withhold all or part of the deposit if there is any property damage or unpaid rent.
A spokesman for Irish Property Owner Association said today that landlords may need to start demanding a sort of ‘water charges deposit’ from tenants before housing them.