Dublin City Council conducted an inspection of 1500 properties in bedsit land – Cabra Park, Grove Park in Rathmines and the North Circular Road from the Phoenix Park to Aughrim Street. 1,384 are deemed unfit for habitation.
Sake. Bleak.
Anyway, we know all about these places – the landlords are as bad as each other. The DCC are extending the examinations to 7,000 properties, they have issued landlords with over 1,500 demands for improvements on pain of removal of right to let and even legal action. If you’ve not been to a bedsit in Dublin recently feast your eyes on the luxury that awaits the unemployed and the poor here.
Kudos to the council, before this initiative inspections only took place on foot of complaints by neighbours. These areas (Cabra,Rathmines etc) are home to the majority of pre-’63 bedsits.
After 1963 it was illegal to break up your home into smaller flats without planning permission.
Comments
I once saw a place advertised that literally just had a plastic sheet separating the toilet from the cooker!!
Where is it and how much is the rent??? I verrrrrrrrrry interest!!
Grim
Has the report been made public?
I live in Grove Park and I just got inspected. I wonder if I was one of the ones that made it. They asked for such superficial improvements though. What would have helped was insulation on the kitchen roof, and new windows in the kitchen and sitting room so it’s not freezing in winter. What they did ask for was a new floor because the carpet was a bit frayed, and to box off some pipes that are in the very top corner of the room, completely out of reach, and to replace one cracked window pane, but they disregarded the fact that the window around the pane was essentially dissolving. I’m sure the improvements are meant well, but the insulation and decades-old windows are always the main problems in these places, and for some bedsits, nothing less than merging two of them together will work. And they’re never less than €400 a month, for a tiny self-contained room! Such an absolute scam. We need regulations. OK, rant over.
Same, for me they made the landlord put in heaters that cost me more money to run and requested he provide a microwave that I’ve nowhere to put and no need of. They mean well but whatthey are suggesting isn’t actually that helpful.
Dublin Bedsits. 1384 of 1500 declared unfit for habitation. http://t.co/HCf7JpY1X3
We’re chasing it up now Eoin. Really helpful if people left comments on their own accom on our blog, might be able to approach DCC with them.
This is actually making me want to cry, the fact that these are up for rent means someone has moved out… how depressing must it be to come home to these places? Home is supposed to be your castle, your relaxation place, your hideaway… these places are what is steering the less fortunate into depths of depression! These Landlords should be punished where it hurts, in their pockets, they are not human in my opinion!!!
Our readers shared some horror stories in issue two. Feel free to add to em.
http://www.rabble.ie/2011/12/23/landlord-horror-stories/
This is fucking awful, housing in china is better!
I’ve seen a couple of dodgy places when looking for a gaff, GRIM.
I lived in 2 different bedsits in balbriggan of similar condition. The landlords didn’t care about the conditions of the bedsits. They just wanted the cash. 1 bedsit was later merged with another only so the landlord could stay within updated guidelines & raise the rent after all the work was done.
Wow, suddenly where I live doesn’t seem so bad… http://t.co/WCqDn467r3
I think the ban was on shared facilities such as toilets and showers?
Is that a fucking PICTURE of a roast CHICKEN in the oven?
Tragic.
Hard to even afford those, most bedsits on daft are 650-700.
I think the ban may have been on creating new ones, obviously the idea of a separate living and sleeping area for people is just for those not living in the reality of Ireland’s economic recovery.
The roast chicken looks nice in fairness
The problem is that if a batch of these places are determined unfit for habitation, then the supply contracts even further raising rent prices elsewhere. It’s lose-lose from a tenant’s perspective, there doesn’t seem to be any short-term solution.
Lead by example Joanie and fucking live in one you dried up sack of shit
I lived in one of those. It had shitty sash windows that were rotten and it was freezing, and the inspectors only made the landlord fix one cracked pane. Why not demand that the windows be replaced? Being freezing in winter is a much worse problem than a lot of the cosmetic changes they made him make.
That kip looks like someone put a flat in my hallway. Truly shocking. The bed is beside the food area ffs. Not even room for a double bed. I am about to pop a gasket at the greed this represents!
Aki Isu Agnus Rousseau
Richie O Connor ya were living illegaly the whole time ha
I’m just after reading this Paul . I think it’s time I moved
Is the chicken subletting?
I lIved in a bedsit in Summerhill for over 2 years. It was absolutely tinchy, but it had a new kitchen, had to squeeze past my wardrobe to get into the tiny bathroom. I was in TCD so it was a handy walk. The only times I ever thought, is this it? was in the winter when I’d sleep with 2 duvets, housecoat, tracksuit bottoms and hoodies etc. With storage heating the fear of the bill stopped me from turning it on, was stressful to be honest. I’m definitely grateful that period of my life is over.
Bedsits were banned by Minister Gormley back in 2009, with a ban on new ones and a 4 year phaseout for existing (I think).
Yeah, Joan Burton talking about lifting what’s being called a “ban” on bedsits after the death of that homeless man. There wasn’t a ‘ban’ on bedsits, just regulations to enforce certain decent conditions. I guess a lot of landlords decided they just didn’t want to bother renting their place anymore instead of improving it, so bedsits “shut down”. The rest just barely “renovated” their tiny apts and added several hundred euro to the asking rent.
This talk of backtracking on the regulations, which were implemented for actual reasons, is typical kneejerk token ass-covering (after the shit already hit the fan via a guy dying) type stuff that I see over and over again from Govt & civil service management
(ban on bedsits)
wasn’t there a withdrawal of a bunch of housing last year (year before?) where a bathroom or kitchen was shared?
these were basically houseshares with yale-locks on bedroom doors.
kenilworth square, rathmines – for example.
You’d get a four bed country cottage with room for a pony for the price of a dublin bedsit.
They’re not bedsits. They’re “studio apartments (suit 2)”. Glad I got out of Dublin when I did. The celtic tiger did nothing to improve the standard of landlords. Greedy scumbags a lot of them.
What ban..?????
I hope landlord who profit from this kind of thing lose everything. Arseholes.
about time
Third World Country
Pathetic response to a real problem. Bright, clean, spacious, well planned housing should be attainable and not a privilege.
I lived in a bedsit. I had my own shower and bathroom and a communal patio and washing machines. It was lovely. As a student I was happy to have affordable warm accommodation; although the bathroom was cold. Seriously; once you have warmth and privacy thats all you need. everything else is a bonus. Most ppl live in bedsits for the city location and because its cheaper. They are not all damp and grotty
Bedsits arent banned and id be surprised if she didnt know it.
Housing regulations from 2008 came into force this year meaning things like your jax couldnt be in the room with your kitchen.
It actually does my nut in to see ovens beside fridges. So many places i have viewed have had them beside each other. Obvs not exactly a housing crisis dealbreaker – a roof is a roof. Although most bedsits border squat status. Just thought I’d put it out there.