THERE HAVE BEEN calls for the country’s biggest private landlord, Ires Reit, to be called in before TDs over the manner in which it charged renters controversial extra fees for use of common areas in apartment complexes. 

The charges – which first came to light following reporting by The Journal last March – ranged from an extra €150 to €200 every month for new tenants, and would have amounted to €1,800-2,500 extra each year for renters.

Ires Reit eventually dropped the idea entirely in the wake of an unrelated court ruling. Following this, the firm said it had refunded tenants in 56 apartments who had previously paid the fees.

The firm had faced pressure over the charges from the rental regulator, the Residential Tenancies Board (RTB), before that decision was announced.

With up to 3,700 apartments in Dublin alone, Ires Reit is by far the biggest player in the capital’s private rental market as well as being the largest in the country. It reported revenue of €85 million in 2024.

Not consistent

Sinn Féin housing spokesperson Eoin Ó Broin wants the Oireachtas Housing Committee to be able to question bosses of the firm over the manner by which the common area charges were calculated and imposed.

The Dublin Midwest TD told The Journal clarity was needed on the matter. The move comes as the Government pushes on with sweeping reforms to the rental sector.

Ó Broin said a comparison of charges tenants were hit with showed that the monthly charges were not consistent, but varied from one tenant to the next.

In one property in Drumcondra, The School Yard, The Journal has seen documents indicating that tenants were charged different amounts despite having the same number of beds and the same access to facilities.

Some were charged €150 for use of common areas and others charged €200, before Ires Reit later scrapped the plans entirely.

Ó Broin has written to the Housing Committee chairperson Micheál Carrigy and Housing Minister James Browne urging action to ensure nothing similar happens in the future. 

“On learning of these revelations regarding the common area charges I have written to both the minister and Oireachtas Housing committee to urge them to introduce a legal definition on rent to remove any ambiguity on what landlords can and cannot charge for,” Ó Broin said.

He added that he has proposed that Ires Reit be asked to appear at the committee to discuss their business practices around rent setting. The committee will discuss the invitation in private at a meeting later today before deciding on whether to formally contact the company. 

Not at odds 

The company said last year, before the scrapping of the charges, that it had taken legal advice to ensure the common area charges were “not at odds” with Rent Pressure Zone rules and adhered to existing legislation. It said the common area charges and a tenant’s rent were “broken down transparently” in lease agreements.

“We had introduced the charge on new leases to recoup a portion of the maintenance costs associated with communal areas within the building,” a spokesperson said at the time. 

Ó Broin, however, said the manner in which the charges were imposed highlights potential gaps in regulation in the sector, meaning it was “all the more important that we bring Ires Reit in to discuss this in the committee”.

“Ires Reit pride themselves on being a professional and well-run landlord firm so for this to happen is just an example of the oversight that is sorely lacking in the sector,” he added.

Contacted this week a spokesperson for Ires Reit said it stood over its statements on the matter issued last year. 

Regarding Ó Broin’s claims of inconsistencies, sources close to the company dispute the claims and argue that the short-lived charges were calculated consistently in each building based on the number of bedrooms. They noted that running costs of each building may have also contributed to the final figures.

The company’s decision to scrap the charges was taken on foot of a High Court decision that found that only a management company has responsibility for a building’s common areas.

The common area charges by Ires Reit were imposed at buildings where no management company was overseeing the property and the company itself had responsibility for the common areas.