THE GOVERNMENT changed its mind on allowing people to rent out garden cabins for “practical” reasons, Taoiseach Micheál Martin has said.  

Speaking this afternoon, he said it “makes sense” to allow for a “variety of accommodation options”, and that the measure was about “alleviating pressures on the housing sector”.

The Government is to exempt modular units up to 45 square metres in size in gardens at the back of people’s homes from requiring planning permission.

Currently, planning exemptions allow a 40 square metre extension to the rear of a property once it’s attached to the house.

When the change was first flagged last year, the government stated that this initiative was to enable both younger and older generations to live within their own communities and close to family.

The plan was pitched that the log cabins were to be used solely for family members, to “allow for a younger person to live independently of the family home in the short-term”.

However, in a policy shift by the government, the new plan will see modular homes allowed to be put up for rent under the Rent-A-Room relief scheme, which allows a person to rent out a room in their home and avail of tax-free relief up to €14,000.

Concerns have been raised by Threshold that “substandard” garden units could be rented out without appropriate inspections under the proposals, and that such “garden homes” should only be used by carers or family members.

The Taoiseach said today he accepts that it was “a new departure” but that government would keep the measures under review.

“We believe they should be available for rent, we’ve reached an accommodation on that, and that will be the proposal,” he said.

“It is about supply, it’s about alleviating pressures on the housing sector.

“Our population is growing, we are part of the European Union, many people come from the European Union to work in Ireland in many of the technology companies and our health services and so on.

“So having a variety of accommodation options, I think, is important and makes sense.”

Asked what had changed about the government’s stance after they initially stated it would not be used for private rental, he said that they needed to be “practical”.

He said he did not believe parents would build a modular home costing “up to €80,000 if it couldn’t be used” for private rental after their son or daughter had moved out after several years.

He added: “We will keep it under review. We do accept it’s a new departure, but we will keep it under review and if we need to change or amend that in two years’ time following a review, I think we will.

“Momentum is everything because our population is growing, we have a lot of pressures on our housing system.

“The rental room scheme works very well and works very well for students. I think we have to be innovative, because the scale of the housing challenge is enormous, and we should acknowledge that.”

Housing Minister James Browne said the cabins would be of a “very high standard”, and the details would be provided after proposals are approved by Cabinet.

“These will be brought to Cabinet, and we’ll be able to provide more detail, obviously, after that point, once government has approved it,” he said.

“But these have been very well thought out, and they will have their own facilities within those units.

“I mean, these will be of a very high standard, and abide by building regulations.”

The Taoiseach and Minister Browne were speaking at a sod-turning event in Fairview in Dublin, at a site where construction has begun on 779 apartments.

The homes are due to be completed at the end of 2028, while Richmond Village is due to be fully completed by 2029.

Earlier today, Tánaiste Simon Harris and junior housing minister John Cummins were at an event in Drogheda, Co Meath, marking the construction of 600 houses.

While there, Harris said Cabinet will be given an update on the modular homes tomorrow. 

The Taoiseach said there is “very significant momentum” on home building at the moment, and that there would be more than 36,000 homes built this year.

With reporting from Press Association