OPINION: Modular back garden homes are not the answer to the country's housing crisis

Modular units and “back garden homes” are increasingly floated as a quick fix to the rental crisis, but rebranding a shed doesn’t address the failures of Ireland’s housing system.

On paper the idea may seem like the quick fix we’ve all been waiting for, a one stop solution to fix the housing crisis in a short period of time.

However, like many quick fixes this solution is too good to be true and will likely create more problems for renters in Ireland.

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The Irish Government last week announced that it would allow modular housing units of up to 45sq meters in back gardens without planning permission.

What’s crucial to the backlash is that these units can be rented out but they will sit outside the protections of the Residential Tenancies Acts.

In plain terms, tenants in these spaces may not be tenants at all, but licensees, with weaker rights and fewer safeguards.

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Looking at the issue deeper, this is not a solution to the housing crisis and could lead to more exploitation of renters by landlords.

The core issue the government needs to tackle is not a lack of units but instead is a lack of secure, affordable, and regulated housing.

We have all seen back garden homes that have been put up for rent on property websites for the past few years, going for extortionate prices.

In a functioning housing system, innovation should raise standards, not lower them.

But without stronger protections and meaningful state intervention, “back garden homes” may simply become another way to extract rent in an already strained market.

Other solutions may take longer than building these back-garden homes, but they are long-term solutions that will benefit Irish citizens greatly for years to come.

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