Bid to tackle trouble in Galway City Council estates

A new senior tenant liaison officer will help strengthen the team currently seeking to address antisocial behaviour in local authority properties, councillors have been told.

The level of antisocial behaviour increased during the pandemic and with it had the level of complaints into Galway City Council over their tenants, a local authority meeting was told.

Holding up a new handbook which has been issued to all tenants, Councillor Mike Cubbard (Ind) said at a local authority meeting that while 98 per cent were law-abiding, there were 2 per cent who were causing havoc and very little was done by the Council to address this.

Cllr Eddie Hoare (FG) asked if more staff could be deployed to check the legality of short-term lets through websites such as Airbnbs.

He said residents in Newcastle were enduring the “absolute nightmare” of sleepless nights due to parties being held in properties rented out to visitors. He knew of one house converted into nine units and advertised on Airbnb.

Director of Services for Housing, Dermot Mahon, said there were currently three housing estate liaison officers and the Council had recruited a fourth senior officer – previously employed in another council – to strengthen the team to deal with issues more quickly.

“The incidence of antisocial behaviour has increased in the lockdown because people are at home more. There was an increase in calls we received. In many cases, the disturbance or nuisance was caused by visitors and neighbours,” he revealed.

“We do meet with guards, probably every day we are in contact with them in relation to various issues. In 90 per cent of occasions, the issues are resolved. In some cases, we have to go down the route of issuing warnings and enforcement notices.

“We hope to increase the enforcement element once additional staff are in place. It should help, particularly with some of the historic issues,” said Mr Mahon.