Co-living could be banned under a new proposal put forward by Sinn Fein.
The party’s housing spokesman Eoin O Broin will move a Bill in the Dail today that could also see build-to-rent developments banned.
Housing Minister Darragh O’Brien has previously called co-living “bonkers” while in Opposition but has not banned the practice and instead announced a review.
Mr O Broin said: “It was not just the Housing Minister that was adamantly opposed.
“Micheal Martin, the current Taoiseach, referred to this kind of accommodation as ‘battery cage-type accommodation’.
“He asked whether we were going back to the era of tenements and I could not have agreed with him more.
“Our cities do not need glorified tenements for people.
“The idea that someone would spend €1,300 a month to live in a shoebox beggars belief.
“By not immediately banning co-living Darragh O’Brien is once again continuing with the failed Fine Gael housing policy that he was so vehemently against a few short months ago.
Mr O Broin added: “And while Fine Gael may be happy to refer to co-living as ‘boutique hotel living’ the Green Party are on the record as referring to co-living as an ‘inhumane and profit-driven model’ of accommodation.”
The Ministerial Power (Repeal) (Ban Co-Living and Build to Rent) Bill 2020 amends the Planning and Development Act 2000 and repeals the Build to Rent and Shared Accommodation sections of Sustainable Urban Housing: Design Standards for New Apartments.
Sinn Fein has said today’s Bill seeks to do three things.
Mr O Broin said: “It will scrap the controversial power for ministers to make dramatic changes to planning law without a vote of the Oireachtas, ban co-living and substandard design of build-to-rent properties for renters.
“I hope the Bill will be supported by all parties and that we can finally ban this ridiculous type of accommodation.”
