On the 6th July 2009 the PRTB stated there was a backlog of 16 weeks to process a tenancy registration. As recently as the 11th May 2010 the PRTB stated there was a backlog of 6 weeks regarding the processing of a tenancy registration. Soon, such delay will come to an end as the PRTB anticipates that the on-line tenancy registration system is set to come into operation in August 2010.
The introduction of such an on-line system should facilitate a more effective use of staff resources within the PRTB. In addition it is hoped that such a system will facilitate more urgent disputes, for example those involving rent arrears and overholding, to be processed without considerable delays being encountered and thereby limiting the financial loss, stress and inconvenience suffered by landlords as a result of tenants failing to comply with their statutory obligations of tenancy.
The PRTB has stated on numerous occasions that a large percentage of tenancy registration applications submitted to the PRTB are incomplete, resulting in considerable backlogs and delays in the registration process. Although this cannot be the principal source of the delays, an on-line tenancy registration system should provide some relief as it could highlight obvious omissions prior to the application being submitted to the PRTB and thereby resulting in fewer incomplete applications. The development of an on-line registration system could also allow landlords to check their tenancy registration and other relevant information online, thus making the system more accessible and streamlined.
