In today's Friday Feedback, our guest blogger John Leahy from www.irishlandlord.com highlights the impending demise of the bedsit.
For generations of people the first step on the rental ladder was the traditional bedsit. Often generalised as being small and grotty the humble bedsit was home to many students and other renters alike. Similar to any other type of rental property there are wide variations in the quality of bedsits. During the boom years some of the better quality units were referred to as studio apartments.
Whatever you choose to call them their days are numbered. February 1st will see the end of an era in the Irish property market as the humble bedsit becomes an outlaw… Yes that’s right. From the 1st February this iconic symbol of Irish property will be illegal.
New standards for rental accommodation which come into effect on 1st February will mean that all rental accommodation must have its own sanitary facilities (e.g. toilet and shower), food preparation facilities and independently controlled heating.
These facilities were generally provided on a communal basis in many of the properties that were divided into bedsits. Upgrading properties to meet the new requirements will not be financially viable for many bedsit owners. They will have no choice but to withdraw their properties from the rental market leaving tenants to find alternative and probably more expensive accommodation elsewhere.
So what do you think of the new regulations?
Is the demise of the bedsit a good thing or does it just remove low cost accommodation from the market?
Have your say in the comments below...
