Clarity needed on Galway's 90% rental inspection failure rate

The failure rate for Galway rental property inspections has remained close to 90% for at least the past three years, prompting questions about what the figures reveal about housing standards and whether issues identified by inspectors are being addressed.

Published 10th Jun 2026, 13:42 BST Iconic The failure rate for Galway rental property inspections has remained close to 90% for at least the past three years, prompting questions about what the figures reveal about housing standards and whether issues identified by inspectors are being addressed. Sign up to our Connacht Tribune Today daily newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know you can manage your profile, and explore all of the available newsletters from Connacht Tribune within your account.

Recent figures show that 1,412 minimum standards inspections were carried out during 2025. Just 227 properties passed inspection, while 1,150 improvement letters and 35 improvement notices were issued.

The figures from the Draft Annual Report 2025 formed part of a wider trend identified by Cllr Alan Curran (Soc Dem), who reviewed inspection data dating back to 2022 and found little change in the overall failure rate.

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"I went back to the last three or four years to see if the ratio has improved and it hasn't," he told the Galway Live.

Cllr Curran questioned whether the figures reflected serious problems in the rental sector or if many properties were failing inspections due to relatively minor issues.

The 90% failure looks terrible on paper. You can fail over a light bulb not working.

He argued that the council's reporting system does not distinguish between minor issues and serious breaches of housing standards, making it difficult to assess the true condition of rental accommodation in the city.

"It's not as if 90% of private residential accommodation - that's probably under the Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) and Rental Accommodation Scheme (RAS) – is unsafe or unfit for human habitation,” he said.

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Cllr Curran suggested a traffic-light style reporting system that would categorise failures according to their seriousness and said officials should "at least give us a score".

He also questioned whether failed properties were being re-inspected and brought into compliance.

"Either we're not learning a lesson or we're not following through on the inspections," he said.

Responding at a recent Galway City Council meeting, officials acknowledged that "it is quite easy to fail" an inspection and said they work with landlords to bring properties into compliance once issues are identified.

Officials said the inspection process is intentionally thorough and designed to ensure rental properties meet the required standards.

Related topics: Housing Assistance Payment Landlords Galway City Council Sign up to our Connacht Tribune Today daily newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know you can manage your profile, and explore all of the available newsletters from Connacht Tribune within your account.