By Dermot Keys
dermot@letterkennypost.com

Revenue Commissioners have been targeting Letterkenny as part of a county-wide initiative to clamp down on landlords who are operating outside of the law.
Speaking to the Letterkenny Post, a Revenue spokesperson confirmed that there is an ongoing operation being carried out in the town in relation to rental property.
“There is an operation in Donegal aimed at landlords to ensure that they are declaring rental income. We are using various methods of investigation, including door-to-door inquiries.”
As part of these door-to-door inquiries, investigators have been calling to houses in the town and checking details about the identity of the landlord and the amount of rent that is being paid on the property.
“We have been able to identify landlords from our risk system and we are simply carrying out checks to see if they are complying with regulations.”
The spokesperson said they were not targeting properties where homeowners are renting out a room. He did confirm that one of the areas they are looking at is investment properties.
“One of many angles that we are investigating [is] people who are claiming relief for investment properties. It is part of a normal audit.”
The investigation is part of a national operation to target undeclared rental income and the Revenue Officers are currently looking at properties throughout the Donegal region. Landlords could face fines, tax, interest and even prosecution if found to be operating illegally or outside of the regulations.
The spokesperson refused to give a timeframe for the investigation or to reveal specific details but did say that the operation was ongoing.
According to the Private Rental Tenancies Board, which has the only public list of registered landlords, there are almost 400 registered tenancies in the town. This figure does not include properties owned by unregistered landlords who are renting their property.