# Would converted garage qualify under rent a room?



## 1eyeonthefuture (15 Oct 2019)

In the process of converting large garage into a 1 bed, 1 bath, galley kitchen & sitting room initially with the intention of using it as a spill over for kids and for guests etc. 

An article caught my eye re rent a room scheme and it got me wondering if such a conversion would qualify. 
Same elec/broadband/address etc as the main house. 

Thanks


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## DB74 (15 Oct 2019)

Yes, but only if it's connected to the main house






						What type of residence qualifies?
					

This page explains what properties are required to benefit from rent a room relief.




					www.revenue.ie


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## 1eyeonthefuture (15 Oct 2019)

It's a disconnected garage, approx 15 foot from house so guess it's ruled out. Ta for the reply DB74.


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## Alkers86 (15 Oct 2019)

1eyeonthefuture said:


> It's a disconnected garage, approx 15 foot from house so guess it's ruled out. Ta for the reply DB74.


Ruled out in that case


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## elacsaplau (15 Oct 2019)

if the garage is connected - does access to the main house have to exist in order for the relief to apply or can the garage be completely self-contained with no access to the house?


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## noproblem (15 Oct 2019)

Might need planning permission as well if it's for living in


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## Alkers86 (16 Oct 2019)

elacsaplau said:


> if the garage is connected - does access to the main house have to exist in order for the relief to apply or can the garage be completely self-contained with no access to the house?


It needs to have access but this can be a locked door for example


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## Gordon Gekko (17 Oct 2019)

Alkers86 said:


> It needs to have access but this can be a locked door for example



That’s not the case


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## Leo (18 Oct 2019)

If the garage doesn't have access into the main house, it likely becomes a self-contained unit, see the requirements here.


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## RedOnion (18 Oct 2019)

Leo said:


> If the garage doesn't have access into the main house, it likely becomes a self-contained unit, see the requirements here.


There are 2 different pieces of legislation, with different definitions. The question was about rent a room relief.

For rent a room relief, it doesn't have to have access to the main house, but must be originally a part of, or attached to, the main house.

However, for PRTB purposes, it must have access to main house or it becomes a self contained unit.

It's possible to have a situation where a converted garage qualifies for rent a room relief, but is covered by Residential tenancy legislation.


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## Leo (18 Oct 2019)

RedOnion said:


> There are 2 different pieces of legislation, with different definitions.



Yeah, the link I sent was on specifics of the Rent-a-Room relief, there is a section that deals with self-contained units that specifically calls out converted garages that is applicable to the OP here. I'm not 100% sure, but my understanding is that a garage, even an attached one does not constitute part of the original house as very different standards apply and they do not qualify as habitable space.


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## RedOnion (18 Oct 2019)

Sorry @Leo 
I shouldn't have quoted you, but there is a confusion in others comments about the definition.
Neither apply in any case to the OP since it's a detached garage.


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## Leo (18 Oct 2019)

RedOnion said:


> Sorry @Leo



No problem at all.


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## Bronte (18 Oct 2019)

elacsaplau said:


> if the garage is connected - does access to the main house have to exist in order for the relief to apply or can the garage be completely self-contained with no access to the house?


This is what I have, an ' attached self contained unit' which was a garage part of the original house, your normal semi d with side garage.  The garage used to have access to it so I put in a false partition when the conversion was done.  It has it's own private entrance via the back of the house, many on the same estate have the same conversions with the door to the front.  For NPPR and household charge I registered with two units.  Ditto PRTB. For property tax it's the one property and for rent a room it qualifies if I return to live in the house.  It has the same water supply as the house but I split the ESB for free back in the day when the meter was inside the the ESB wanted them outside.


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## Bronte (18 Oct 2019)

elacsaplau said:


> if the garage is connected - does access to the main house have to exist in order for the relief to apply or can the garage be completely self-contained with no access to the house?



From Leo's link:

Self-contained unit

The rented room or rooms can be a self-contained unit within the house, such as a basement flat or a converted garage.

If this unit is not attached to the property it cannot qualify for the relief.

So the OP's garage does not qualify.


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## Bronte (18 Oct 2019)

Leo said:


> Yeah, the link I sent was on specifics of the Rent-a-Room relief, there is a section that deals with self-contained units that specifically calls out converted garages that is applicable to the OP here. I'm not 100% sure, but my understanding is that a garage, even an attached one does not constitute part of the original house as very different standards apply and they do not qualify as habitable space.



How does a garage that was built as part of the original house not qualify? Or even one that was built later but is attached to the house ?


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## Leo (18 Oct 2019)

Bronte said:


> How does a garage that was built as part of the original house not qualify? Or even one that was built later but is attached to the house ?



Habitable vs non-habitable space I presume, otherwise they wouldn't have called it out in the guidance.


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## Bronte (18 Oct 2019)

Leo said:


> Habitable vs non-habitable space I presume, otherwise they wouldn't have called it out in the guidance.


I'm clearly not getting your point. By it's nature a garage is not habitable.  You have to make it habitable.


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## Leo (18 Oct 2019)

Bronte said:


> I'm clearly not getting your point. By it's nature a garage is not habitable.  You have to make it habitable.



I mean not habitable means it's not considered part of the original house (just as you're not allowed include non-habitable space in floor area calculations) and so falls outside the criteria for rent a room relief, where as if you section off some of the habitable space into a self-contained unit, you can then opt out of the  requirements to register under the Residential Tenancies Act.

It's complicated by that fact that planning permission is required to create a self-contained unit, and such planning where granted usually forbids the letting of that unit.


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## elacsaplau (18 Oct 2019)

Leo said:


> It's complicated by that fact that planning permission is required to create a self-contained unit, and such planning where granted usually forbids the letting of that unit.



That's mad, Ted

You can apply for planning for a self-contained unit so long as it's not used fully as a self-contained unit? Any wonder, there's blood on dem streets?


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## Bronte (19 Oct 2019)

Leo said:


> I mean not habitable means it's not considered part of the original house (just as you're not allowed include non-habitable space in floor area calculations) and so falls outside the criteria for rent a room relief, where as if you section off some of the habitable space into a self-contained unit, you can then opt out of the  requirements to register under the Residential Tenancies Act.
> 
> It's complicated by that fact that planning permission is required to create a self-contained unit, and such planning where granted usually forbids the letting of that unit.


So when I bought my bog standard house with attached garage, the garage was not part of the property?  It was built at the same time as the house.  The front part of said garage had a garage door. The other end had a shower toilet with a small utility type area and door to garden, access into there from kitchen.  You could not live in the garage as it was single block, no plastering, no heating etc.  How was the garage not considered part of the house? It had a flat roof.


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## RedOnion (19 Oct 2019)

Leo,
With respect, the tax legislation doesn't care whether it's habitable or not. The reference is 'building or part of a building'. Revenue guidance notes go further on the topic.
Yes, there are planning considerations, but that's a separate point, and has nothing to do with tax treatment.

Edit:
Here is wording in Revenue guidance note which specifically addressed converted garages (Part 07-01-32)
"
4.2 Self-contained unit
It is not possible to let an entire residence and claim rent-a-room relief, because the
room or rooms that are let must form part of the residence and the residence must
be occupied by the individual receiving the rent as her or his sole or main residence. 
The room or rooms can comprise a self-contained unit within the residence such as a
basement flat or a *converted garage attached to the residence*. However, a self-
contained unit that is adjacent to the residence but not attached to it cannot qualify
for the relief."


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## Leo (21 Oct 2019)

elacsaplau said:


> ou can apply for planning for a self-contained unit so long as it's not used fully as a self-contained unit? Any wonder, there's blood on dem streets?



No, you can apply for a self-contained unit on grounds of need to house a family member who needs assistance. But once that need is gone, you agree to incorporate the unit back into the house.

Separately, if you have sufficient space to create a separate dwelling, attached or unattached, that can meet current building regs, you are perfectly free to do so. What the planners don't want is the creation of lots of substandard bedsits via  back door.


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## Leo (21 Oct 2019)

Bronte said:


> So when I bought my bog standard house with attached garage, the garage was not part of the property?  It was built at the same time as the house.  The front part of said garage had a garage door. The other end had a shower toilet with a small utility type area and door to garden, access into there from kitchen.  You could not live in the garage as it was single block, no plastering, no heating etc.  How was the garage not considered part of the house? It had a flat roof.



It was of course part of the property, just like the garden and any outbuildings that are contained on the plot. It is very unlikely however that the garage was built to the standards that would qualify it as habitable space.


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## Leo (21 Oct 2019)

RedOnion said:


> Leo,
> With respect, the tax legislation doesn't care whether it's habitable or not.



Absolutely, building standards (for regular dwelling and rented accommodation) is covered by separate legislation.


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## Bronte (21 Oct 2019)

Leo said:


> It was of course part of the property, just like the garden and any outbuildings that are contained on the plot. It is very unlikely however that the garage was built to the standards that would qualify it as habitable space.


Clearly it wasn't habitable in the normal sense. Though my husband spent the first summer in there as I rented out the house as a summer let !  After that I converted it and let it out as a flat.  So it would have qualified as a rent a room under the legislation despite not being built with any planning permission etc.  And I'm pretty certain it doesn't comply with any of the new building regulations either.

So if the OP does his conversion it will qualify under rent a room.


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## Leo (21 Oct 2019)

Bronte said:


> So if the OP does his conversion it will qualify under rent a room.



It is very unlikely they will get the planning permission necessary to let such a unit, in which case they would be breaking the law.


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