SOCIAL DEMOCRATS LEADER Holly Cairns has raised with the Taoiseach the case of a former office on Clare Street in Dublin 2 that has been converted into a residential property, now offering 22 bed spaces for rent at up to €890 per month each.

Speaking in the Dáil during Leaders’ Questions today, Cairns highlighted the case The Journal reported on yesterday, stating: 

“An Taoiseach, this is in a room with three or four other people.” 

“This is not a functioning housing system,” said the Social Democrats leader, who added: 

“This is a return to tenement conditions which were rampant in the worst years of this state. It should not be tolerated, but your government seems to think differently.” 

Cairns also criticised the move by the government to extend the Rent-A-Room scheme to those who wish to rent out units in their gardens.

She said paying market rents of €2,000 or €3,000 for such dwellings is not something the government should be promoting. 

These units, similar to the converted office space being rented out, are subject to licensing agreements, meaning they do not offer the same tenancy protections, with tenants having no recourse to the Residential Tenancies Board (RTB). 

The Taoiseach said his focus is on increasing supply, stating that if supply, of all kinds, doesn’t increase, rents will not stabilise.

He hit out at Cairns stating that her party has been opposed to all supply measures the government has sought to undertake.

Calling it out as “populist waffle”, Martin said that in this week alone, government ministers have been at the launch of 2,000 new homes.

Labour’s housing spokesperson Conor Sheehan later turned to the Taoiseach, asking: “Would the Taoiseach live in a shed?” 

He went on to say that allowing landlords to rent these units will lead to poor-quality expensive rental accommodation, where tenants will be treated as licensees with very little protections.

“They are not sheds,” replied the Taoiseach accusing Sheehan of “playing politics by calling them sheds”. 

“If we came in and said planning exemptions for relatives or for sons and daughters for buildings outside such as residential units in the back garden would be introduced, they would not be sheds anymore according to the Deputy but the minute we said they would be for rent, they are sheds.

“This is what he is saying. It makes no logical sense. There are potential costs of up to €80,000. Those are not sheds,” said Martin. 

“Some of them are,” Sheehan responded.