Blog 4_ Renters

I've been asked if I can supply any good ideas which would benefit Renters to compliment my Housing proposals. We have all heard the stories of Teachers, Gardai, Nurses, etc., who cannot take up city based jobs because they are unable to find anywhere to rent. Similarly students giving up places in College or travelling long distances every day for the same reason. As with Housing, the answer lies in more supply. One solution often mentioned is "living over the shop". There are large swathes of our cities and towns with business premises on the ground floor where the upper floors are unused and unoccupied. The standard objection is to say (correctly) that such accommodations do not meet the current fire regulations. However, other cities around the world have already solved this problem. In London, for example, sprinkler systems (normally associated with commercial or industrial premises) have been installed on upper floors thus enabling them to satisfy the fire regulations. The bringing- into-use costs for owners would rise but the State could introduce a grant system to compensate for this. Doing so could add thousands of extra city/town based rental homes to the market and in the process create a transformed landscape for renters.