“While the service is good, it is in my view unnecessarily over-bureaucratic and this causes needless delays,” he said. “The average waiting time at present is eight months and is far too long for both landlords and tenants to have to wait. A tightening up of procedures would cut this wait very significantly. Recent figures released show that a total of 162,685 tenancies have been registered by 92,615 landlords. Currently the PRTB receives an average of 180 applications per day and the number is likely to rise.”

Mr Mason said the believed the obligation to register all tenancies was unnecessary and unwieldy. Many landlords had to register tenancies three or more times a year in the same unit of accommodation and this incurred a cost of at least €140 in addition to the considerable paperwork involved.

“It is worth noting that approximately 40% of all registration forms submitted to the PRTB are returned due to omission of certain details, often details that are surplus to requirement. The tenants are already registered with the Revenue Commissioners or the HSE so as to receive their tax allowance or rent allowance respectively. Consequently, there should be no need for the landlord to register their details again either with the PRTB or the local authority. A requirement to register a rented unit once every four years for an agreed fee is a practical solution. I would call on the next Government to consider these measures as a matter of priority,” he added.