Cork MEP Billy Kelleher failed to register rental property for two years

He had told The Ditch website that the property has had the same tenants and that a late fee was paid by his wife last month when registering the home with the RTB.

Before an annual registration was introduced in April this year, landlords had to register their tenancies with the RTB every four or six years, or when a new tenancy began. 

The RTB has said that all landlords are expected to comply with registering tenancies within a month Mr Kelleher told the Irish Examiner that the failure to register the property was “an oversight” and it had come to his attention after party colleagues found themselves in similar situations.

“Between 2009 and 2020, our rental property at Fernwood was registered with the RTB.

“Due to an oversight on our part, we failed to re-register it in January 2020. The public debate around this issue in August of this year brought our requirement to re-register to mind, and we subsequently re-registered with the RTB.

“At all times, my ownership of this rental property was declared as part of my Sipo declaration and to the Revenue Commissioners for tax purposes.” 

Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly did not renew his registration of a Dublin rental property with the RTB in 2019 and paid a €100 late fee.

The Fianna Fáil TD for Wicklow said that it was registered in 2011, and renewed in 2015, but that he missed the renewal date in 2019.

That came after his party colleague Robert Troy resigned as junior minister last week for failing to declare properties on the Irish parliament’s register of members’ interests correctly and also failing to register a rental property with the RTB.