The Irish Property Owners’ Association (IPOA) has withdrawn its recent recommendation to its members to pass on the household and NPPR charges to tenants.
The move comes following an intervention from the Competition Authority.
In a statement about the matter, the Competition Authority said: “On 15 December the IPOA issued a press release stating that landlords in the private rental sector would be levying the new Government household charge on their tenants. The Competition Authority contacted the IPOA to inform them that this type of concerted action by their members in relation to pricing may be in breach of competition law. The IPOA have since issued a clarification stating that pricing is a matter for individual landlords and their tenants and have withdrawn their earlier recommendation to their members.
“Competition law does not allow a trade organisation to co-ordinate the pricing policies of its members. To do so is a serious offence,” said the Authority.
Commenting, Gerald FitzGerald, Director of the Monopolies Division, said: “This is good news for tenants. Tenants must be allowed to negotiate their arrangements with landlords individually without interference from a landlords’ trade association. Today’s development reinforces this message.”
