Conor Sheehan

If you're talking about a modular unit at the rear of the property, it's a separate physical entity, which you are now stating is going to be treated as though it were part of the house, which means that any potential tenant there is going to have a very weak...

system of protections, because they won't come over.

Well, Clare, I think, and I said at the outset of the interview, that I welcome more flexibility around exempted development.

But the issue I have here is that I believe that this could potentially be exploited.

We have seen numerous examples over the years of substandard rental accommodation in sort of sheds, basically in converted garages.

We saw an example that the

Dublin with an abuse of basically the licensee system.

And we know that the level of local authority inspection is inadequate.

How are local authorities going to be able to find these units?

We won't have data as to where they are.

And also, we need to have a serious discussion here around the potential pressure that these could put on local water and sewage infrastructure.

My concern with these units is that

We're going to see these units being used to build up the shortfall in beds that's there under the new student accommodation strategy because there is a target there for 4,000 rental rooms.

And I know from talking to people who are living near enough to UCC in Cork that this is already an issue for them.