A Dubliner's Guide to the Residential Tenancies Act 2004 ... - Dublin.ie

10.0 Equality
Landlords and tenants are bound by
Equality Legislation. The Equal Status
Act 2000 came into force on the 25 th of
October 2000. It was amended by the
Equality Act 2004 on the 19th of July
2004.
10.1 Equality Acts
The legislation applies to people who:
(i) Buy and sell a wide variety of goods
(ii) Use or provide a wide range of
services
(iii) Obtain or dispose of
accommodation
(iv) Attend at, or are in charge of,
educational establishments.
There are separate provisions on
discriminatory clubs. The Equal Status
Acts prohibit discrimination on the
following nine grounds:
• Gender: A man, a woman or a
transsexual person
• Marital status: Single, married,
separated, divorced or widowed
• Family status: Pregnant, a parent of
a person under 18 years or the
resident primary carer or parent of a
person with a disability
• Sexual orientation: Gay, lesbian,
bisexual or heterosexual
• Religion: Different religious belief,
background, outlook or none
• Age: This only applies to people over
18, except for the provision of car
insurance to licensed drivers under
that age
• Disability: This is broadly defined
including people with physical,
intellectual, learning, cognitive or
emotional disabilities and a range of
medical conditions
• Race: A particular race, skin colour,
nationality or ethnic origin
• The Traveller community: People
who are commonly called Travellers,
who are identified both by Travellers
and others as people with a shared
history, culture and traditions,
identified historically as a nomadic way
of life on the island of Ireland.
10.2 Disability and Tenancy
It is not the responsibility of a landlord
to make any changes necessitated by
a tenant’s disability. Neither is a
landlord obliged to allow a tenant to
make these changes. For further
information on your rights, please
contact your local Health Service
Executive (HSE) Office or the National
Disability Authority (see Appendix 3 for
contact details).
A Dubliner’s Guide to the Residential Tenancies Act, 2004 24
(Updated January 2008)