Irish Times: "Banning of bedsits set in train housing disaster"

Brendan Burgess

Brendan Burgess

Founder
Messages
53,618
www.irishtimes.com

Una Mullally: Banning of bedsits set in train housing disaster

Cheap form of city accommodation was replaced by pricey studios and one-beds
www.irishtimes.com www.irishtimes.com

​

Cheap form of city accommodation was replaced by pricey studios and one-beds​


On reflection, it would have been a good idea to instruct landlords to embark upon raising the quality and standard for bedsits while, and this is key, maintaining their cheaper rent. But that’s not what happened. Bedsits were banned, and then Eoghan Murphy introduced new design standards for planning authorities, which meant in real terms that flats could be smaller again, but the rent would keep going up.

Not sure that reflection is needed. I would guess that it was pointed out by economists at the time.

Brendan
 
It was debated on these pages at the time too. I remember some posters arguing against bedsits, I wonder have they changed their mind?
 
Any government regulation which imposes costs on suppliers to an essential market leads in the medium term to higher profits for those suppliers.

The need for housing is not going away. It the costs to supply housing are increased, suppliers will seek profits on the additional costs.

A sandwich costs €1 to make and sells for €2. When govt puts the cost up to €1.2 what price does the seller need to maintain margins? Not €2.20 but €2.40. And bear in mind that some sellers will fall away so competition will be reduced. Some sellers will be asking themselves, can I get €2.50
 
Hi firefly

I don't remember the debate on askaboutmoney.

In 2009, the national opinion was that we had ghost estates and that we needed to demolish houses rather than build them.

Brendan
 
  • Like
Reactions: mtk
1983: Annual Salary IR£9,000 approx. Bedsit in Rathmines IR£19 pw. A great little place. Large high ceiling room with bed, two large ancient armchairs, small table and two chairs. It was described as "self-contained" which meant it had it's own bathroom! And so it had - a tiny room partitioned off with toilet, shower and whb. Kitchen was in an understairs space that had originally been a hallway to the back of the house. By today's standards, it'd be called a kip. But it was exactly what I wanted at a price that allowed me save for a house deposit.

Explain to me again how increased regulation would have made me better off?
 
Baby boomer said:
...But it was exactly what I wanted at a price that allowed me save for a house deposit.

Explain to me again how increased regulation would have made me better off?
Click to expand...
The reasons I can see are:
1) It was a 'let them eat cake' kind of fallacy - "if we remove bedsits everyone will have their own studio apartment instead". As if removing a choice from someone helps them.
2) It was an intentional move to reduce supply to drive up property (well, non-bedsit property) prices and the construction industry.

Was it either of these or something else?
 
A bedsit usually refers to a house converted into separate apartments of which bedsits had a single room. They also commonly had shared bathrooms. Studio apartments generally refers to a purpose built unit.

The ban on bedsits was introduced after years of campaigning by the housing charity Threshold. It was introduced in 2008 before the level of house building was still high so I don't think the conspiracy theories about artificially depressing housing supply are correct. It is a real example of the problems created by the government constantly caving in to all of the demands of housing campaigners.

Unfortunately further problems of this type are coming down the line. From 2025 all residential lettings must have a minimum of a BER B rating. This means that no house or apartment built before the late 1990s can be let out without major improvement works. The ideas of encouraging people to let out the house of someone who moves into a nursing home will come to nothing.

Of course I understand that renters of low BER homes will have to may higher heating costs but surely this is better than having no home? Throughout the housing crisis efforts to provide more housing have been undermined by demands to achieve the perfect, at the expense of the good.
 
Mocame said:
From 2025 all residential lettings must have a minimum of a BER B rating.
Click to expand...
Can you find a source for this? This was mentioned in last years "Housing for All" document but the details were kicked to touch and there was no minimum BER provided.

In support of the Government’s Climate
Action Plan objectives and targets, energy
efficiency in private rental housing needs
to increase. The Government will develop
a roadmap to implement minimum
Building Energy Rating (BER) standards, or
‘Cost Optimal’ equivalent, for the private
rental sector. This will increase energy
efficiency, help to alleviate fuel poverty,
help to protect tenant’s health and improve
comfort levels in rental homes
Click to expand...
 
Lived in a bedsit when I was 21 and first started working and it was grand. Only real issue was the bathroom sharing but only 3 bedsits in the house so not the end of the world and I was on my own.

The new "shared living" appartment complexes were really just a reinvention of them. Bedsits are not homes, they really should exist for short term/starting out renters but not anything more.
 
Brendan Burgess said:
In 2009, the national opinion was that we had ghost estates and that we needed to demolish houses rather than build them.
Click to expand...
Hi Brendan,

Whatever about 'the national opinion', it was certainly the opinion of David McWilliams and other media talking heads who kept bringing up stories of unwanted apartment blocks in Texas being bulldozed. By 2011 it was obvious to even a casual visitor to the city that Dublin was experiencing a housing squeeze. 11 years later they still haven't worked out how to solve it.
 
Brendan Burgess said:
Hi firefly

I don't remember the debate on askaboutmoney.

Brendan
Click to expand...
Hi Brendan,

Why there is so little house building in Ireland

Why the automatic assumption that houses must be built??? There is a need to provide social accommodation, but that does not automatically mean that we should built more houses... Hi Jim Not sure I follow you. How can we provide accommodation without building it? Maybe shift those on...
www.askaboutmoney.com

I think it was mainly "RainyDay" arguing for the removal of bedsits

Firefly
 
Instruct landlords? Key word there.
On reflection, it would have been a good idea to instruct landlords to embark upon raising the quality and standard for bedsits while, and this is key, maintaining their cheaper rent.

Meanwhile, in the real world, agencies under government instruction such as Dublin City Council were trying to get away from social housing provision due to the cost, rental collection difficulties, maintenance etc etc

I wouldn't be surprised to find the irish times leading the charge back in the day calling for bedsits to be banned, or at least welcoming it.
 
Last edited:
Its really about affordable housing.

By raising standards, (and accepting no compromises) and indeed by favoring new landlords, you remove all the older cheaper stock from the market.

The BER system is flawed in a similar way.
 
AlbacoreA said:
By raising standards, (and accepting no compromises) and indeed by favoring new landlords, you remove all the older cheaper stock from the market.
Click to expand...
Holding floor area and location constant, a new house today is just a much, much nicer product than the house I grew up in which was built in 1972.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top