Garden rooms to be exempt

Finally they are looking to fast track an exemption for an independent "extension" to a home that can be used as accommodation.

I posted about this years ago and sent a fairly comprehensive document into the minister for housing - most likely ignored.

Hopefully they do have some strict rules including only permitting family members or students via a college system.

My guess is it may also be valid for rent a room relief - again maybe a restriction on that too so that it's not abused

But I suspect this will make a big difference to the housing crisis.

The details will be interesting

This could make a difference, as you say.

If the price of garden rooms could somehow start to reduce as they are expensive I think.

Why should they have strict rules on who occupies it? It's a total waste to make them exempt on the one hand and on the other hand say it's illegal to make them available to the vast majority of the population.

They're not fast-tracking anything. Getting input from government departments will take months. A public consultation will take a few months more. Actually making a decision will probably take 6 months after that. Then it'll need to be implemented via statutory instrument.

I'd be amazed if the change actually came through in less than a year. I'd be pleasantly surprised if it took less than 2 years. Add 6-12 months for people to get finance and builders etc and you're looking at 3 years before anyone is (legally) living in a space built under the new (if it ever happens) arrangement. Fast-tracking it most certainly is not!

It will prove impossible to have restrictions on who can live in them - people are already living in them. The big constraint now will be getting someone to build one, although they do lend themselves to delivery of a completed pod if you have access to crane it in.

My guess is that once they say it will be an option people will jump the gun and feel somewhat safe at adding one.

Easily financed too as a standalone item which can be removed and sold on in many cases and with ease of transport, you won't be restricted to local companies who could see this as an opportunity to increase prices as it will be just as easy to order a flatpack modular home from Estonia as from East Cork

Smaller ones can be easily delivered fully assembled and craned in.

I think restriction to family members will be needed as you would have potential issues with neighbours if there was no control.

Great deal of NIMBY-ism on the idea being expressed on Claire Byrne at the minute about how much it disrupts the peace of ones own back garden by having someone living (or working or recreating) in a cabin in the next door garden. I can understand their irritation but, equally I find it hard to garner a great deal of sympathy in the midst of a critical housing crisis whereby this could contribute somewhat to a solution.

However, I do think there should probably be a some conditions on the ratio of cabin size to site (at least 1:3) and also proper specs on insulation/sound proofing of such structures with double glazed windows and decent wall, roof and floor insulation. These aren't garden sheds we're considering!

jim said:

If the price of garden rooms could somehow start to reduce as they are expensive I think.

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I saw one quote which suggested exemptions would only apply the 'high quality, A-rated' units, they don't come cheap.

"I saw one quote which suggested exemptions would only apply the 'high quality, A-rated' units"

And requiring much higher standards of a garden room than of an extension or renovation would be an example exactly what will cripple them as a potential contribution to mitigating the housing crisis. As would be a restriction on who is legally allowed live there. How many people are going to spend €3k (minimum, and probably more like €4k) per square metre on a detached studio apartment which can only be used by their family members. It's still cheaper outside of Dublin to buy than build.

"I think restriction to family members will be needed as you would have potential issues with neighbours if there was no control."

Some neighbours will complain about anything. I've a neighbour on one side who complains that they can't sleep because the estate is too quiet! Pandering to the moaners is part of the reason there's a housing crisis.

This is one of the worst, knee jerk ideas I’ve heard in a long time. It’s not ‘nimbyism’ to think that you shouldn’t wholesale change what are mostly fire related regulations because of lack of proper planning and regulation systems for years.

They are basically looking to bring in even further unregulated free for all where people will end up living in sub standard, fire risks without proper access for fire fighters. It will inevitably lead to deaths just so the government can say the increase ‘house’ completions.

It’s a trump style win for dodgy landlords and cheap property speculators if it goes ahead, which it likely won’t once actual experts give advice.

Hello,

I think it's a good idea, but needs to be as flexible, as possible.

I see no reason for restrictions on who lives in them, and while they need to be of decent quality, an "A" rating seems over the top.

@Mayo1969 As for Claire Byrne, let's not forget that she reported from one, regularly, during the Covid-19 period!

I'd be in two minds about this. On the one hand, it kinda makes sense - especially for those with large gardens in low density suburbs.

But once it's introduced legally it could become a free-for-all with little or no oversight. I can see a lot of people putting them in purely to rent out commercially - Air B&B style. What were previously fairly settled, mature neighborhoods could see a transformation with a lot more coming and going with a greater transient population. There'll be insurance implications too - and there are bound to be issues with water and sewage services if they're asked to cope with a larger number of people than they were originally designed for.

I wonder if there are there other European countries that allow this?

Setforlife said:

This is one of the worst, knee jerk ideas I’ve heard in a long time. It’s not ‘nimbyism’ to think that you shouldn’t wholesale change what are mostly fire related regulations because of lack of proper planning and regulation systems for years.

They are basically looking to bring in even further unregulated free for all where people will end up living in sub standard, fire risks without proper access for fire fighters. It will inevitably lead to deaths just so the government can say the increase ‘house’ completions.

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I think that's a way over the top reaction.

There will be rules and regulations. I suspect a fire exit route will be required. I will make a submission as I did a comprehensive document on this a while ago and fire risk was an important aspect along with abuse of option.

IMO a registration should be a requirement along with a NCT style inspection every 5 years and a restriction to family members and registered student via a student body. In some parts of the UK such cabins are permitted, however washing and laundry facilities must be in the main dwelling. This takes a substantial fire risk out of the equation and also ensures the person in the cabin is most likely part of the family. .

I think the battle has kind of been lost already, there are an awful lot of them around now and highly unlikely planning is going to get around to insisting on them being removed! I lived in a mobile home when first married until my child was 4 and lovely and comfortable it was and not the winter pack ready ones you have now either. It's not a bad alternative when you just can't find a house, a family member who is married over a year now simply cannot get a house to buy, they are going for crazy money around where she needs to live, they earn well and are even willing to pay over the odds but still outbid on the few properties that turn up. It would be an ideal solution for them to pop some sort of cabin/pod/structure in their parents nearly 1 acre garden.

I was intending doing this myself pre Covid, fairly small pod thing in daughter's back yard for when I visited, no neighbours of note, high wall etc, access for vehicles around back if necessary (fire engine/ambulance) but what was approx 10k before Covid was 20k after so never went ahead with the. The planning issues wouldn't have bothered me to be honest I'd take my chances and be fairly sure not a thing would have happened.

peemac said:

IMO a registration should be a requirement along with a NCT style inspection every 5 years and a restriction to family members and registered student via a student body.

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That sounds good in theory but enforcement is likely to be absent or minimal. And ineffective. Like rural septic tanks.

The reforms aim to allow “intergenerational movement” between the main house and the smaller home.

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If the plan is to allow something like the mews you see at the end of 200 foot gardens in certain parts of the city then game on. However if we're talking about prefabs 10 feet from the back of a house in already small gardens then this is one more indignity being heaped on the upcoming generations by the failures of government to get proper homes on the market.

@Zenith63

The problem is that those mews that you are thinking about, typically sell for €700k and upwards. That doesn't help the average Joe Soap get a home, it just enhances the wealth of a small part of the population.

So, while we do need to give some consideration to the suitability of a garden, to accodate a new unit, we also really need to keep in mind who we are really trying to help (and it's far less likely to be the offspring of owners of houses with 200ft back gardens)

Sorry that was cheap sarcasm on my part @MrEarl, my real point was in the second sentence.

I'm definitely on two minds about this
From a personal perspective it would be great to have this option in upcoming years, and could allow my son independence but having support. There are clearly downsides longer term, regarding if property had to be sold etc but ahead of that it could allow inter generational living..

But on a wider scale, how will systems cope? Water pressure, sewage, national grid?

In reality there are already lots of people with self contained units in their back garden, and have a family member living in them. I'm sure most people wpuld NEVER be reported, as long as there's no hassle.

I feel the prices with inexplicably increase also rather than become more affordable but let's see

I look forward to the legal battles in future where members of the family are selling off the house when the parents have passed but the youngest sibling is living in the garden and won't move!
Or the garden room is rented out and issues arise over long term residency and the houses for sale or over rights of way.
As usual the legal industry will get a big win here.

Huge potential loss of greenspaces in cities used by wildlife.

Safety issues with dodgy builds and units bought on the cheap that aren't fit for purpose.

If this is where we are at in 2025, it's a sad place to be

How many people who would object to people being able to build a 40 square metre separate residence in their back garden as an exempt development would also object to people being able to build a 40 square metre extension, garage conversion, or attic conversion which are all currently exempt developments? Every single risk & impact which applies to one also applies to the other: poor construction quality, cutting corners on fire safety, increased numbers of residents, reduction of garden size use for AirBnB, etc etc.