Co-Living tenants have rights too

Labour Party Leader and Housing Spokesperson Ivana Bacik TD has today called on the Minister for Housing to clarify in law that those individuals who are taking up homes in co-living schemes are tenants, and that they must enjoy the same protections and all other tenants. She further called on the Government to bring Ireland’s renters’ rights framework in line with other, comparable countries to ensure decency for all.

Deputy Bacik said,

“Everyone deserves an affordable home of their own – somewhere where they can sleep, cook and live. Building that kind of housing system requires state intervention, building, and protecting the rights of renters in law. The preference clearly shown by Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael is to rely upon the private market for solutions; and this has delivered the dysfunctional system we see today. Co-living schemes are emblematic of the substandard results that approach delivers.

“Despite their assertions to the contrary at the time of their inception, these developments were always designed to charge exorbitant rents for cramped spaces with little privacy. These schemes maximise profits for developers without being subject to the same minimum standards as other types of residential development. Although the Government came to this conclusion much later than it should have, it was welcome that legislation eventually followed in 2020 to ban the construction of future co-living schemes. However, fixing this anomaly in our planning law does nothing for those who are now fending for themselves in a rental market which is as overheated as Ireland’s.

“Reports that management of co-living schemes are treating their tenants as licensees to increase rents and potentially to undermine rent pressure zone rules are deeply concerning. The Dublin Inquirer has published a report showing that high deposits and inflated rents are being quoted to prospective co-living tenants in Dublin. This is not the first time that a story like this has hit the news. Yet the Minister for Housing continues to sit on his hands, instead of clarifying that co-living schemes do fall under Rent Pressure Zone laws.

“These tenants represent a small number, relative to the swathes of renters across the country. However, the Government’s failure to protect them points to a broader disregard of the need to protect renters. Many of these renters have been doubly failed by the Government. Many are not renting by choice, but because there are not enough homes for sale or lease as social housing, once they enter the private rented sector, they have much fewer protections than they would have in other European countries. The end result is that purchasing a home becomes an even more remote pipedream due to spiralling rents.

“The persistent insecurity faced by renters, coupled with the chronic shortage of available accommodation, underscores the urgent need for meaningful change in housing policy. The Government must recognise the severity of the situation and take decisive action to address it.

“In addition to clarifying the position of co-living tenants, there are two key steps this Government must immediately take: strengthening renters’ rights and ramping up the provision of housing. Labour’s Renter’s Rights Bill, introduced in 2021, offers crucial protections against ‘no-fault’ evictions and provides greater security of tenure for renters. Additionally, challenging the developer-led approach of the current Government is essential. We know relying solely on private development will not solve our housing crisis.

“As they near the end of their mandate, this Government has a choice. They can continue down the path of leaving it to the private sector and tinkering around the edges of the crisis, exacerbating hardship for renters across the country, or they can embrace Labour’s vision for housing. They must implement policies that prioritise affordability, stability, and security for all. It is time to show leadership and pursue tangible solutions to Ireland’s housing disaster. Labour’s vision for a fair and affordable rental sector challenges this status quo, advocating for the rights and security of renters across Ireland.”