Anyone who thinks the wave of studio/one-bed build-to-rent schemes will address the needs of people who need cheap accommodation is delusional.
Once upon a time, bedsits were banned. The ban was brought in under section 6 of the Housing Regulations in 2009, with a four-year grace period until the ban for existing properties came into force in 2013. At the time, there was pushback from landlords and others who said that while there were obviously issues with standards, cheap accommodation serves a purpose.
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.
Where were the opinion pieces defending bedsits and cheap homes in the IT back when this was behind considered by the government?
Intentionally not investing, years of none regulation by government has us here, vote the same, get same results wakeup
That’s all very well, but considering the shite that commands ridiculous prices at the moment for either rental or purchase, how do we know that bedsits wouldn’t have fallen into this hole as well?
Well we have the Green Party to thank for this!!! Not today or yesterday either!!