Tipperary TD Mattie McGrath has said Government plans to relax planning permission for modular homes in back gardens should be matched with “amnesties” for those ordered to remove mobile and modular homes on their own land.
Mr McGrath was speaking as it emerged that the Government is preparing to remove the need for planning permission for small houses built in people’s gardens. The proposed plan would see households allowed to build cabins of up to 45 sq m, at the rear of their properties.
It is expected that such an exemption could be introduced this summer – with a requirement for the exempted development regulations to first go through the Oireachtas Housing Committee.
The Clonmel TD said he welcomed a relaxation in planning permission requirements, adding that it was something he has been calling for.
Further, it was reported this week that the ‘Rent a Room’ scheme is due to be extended to include modular cabins.
It allows taxpayers to get up to €14,000 in tax-free rent for letting their homes under the scheme.
But Deputy McGrath says including modular homes in the scheme needs to be properly thought through, as it could pose problems for both home owners and renters.
“It’s not a straightforward solution. You can’t just open a modular home to anybody in your backyard, because that’s just inviting issues. I think it is a good proposal for family members and people you know and trust,” said the TD.
New figures reflect steady growth in the tax-free scheme in the last ten years, with the number of people taking part doubling in the six years between 2017 and 2023 as the housing crisis has worsened.
The Tipperary politician said that while any measures that would alleviate stress on people during a housing shortage is to be welcomed, he referred to the case of local man Seán Meehan and others who have faced costly legal challenges for building mobile and modular homes on the land they own.
Mr Meehan, 67, has been embroiled in a 4-and-a-half year dispute with Tipperary County Council who ordered him to remove a mobile home encased in wood which he built on his own land to house himself after he separated from his wife and their home was sold.
Tipperary County Council ordered him to remove the cabin from the land, despite a lack of objections from neighbours. The Council told him there was no social or economic need for him to live in the area, despite the fact that it is where Mr Meehan was born and raised.
Mr Meehan has had numerous court appearances, describing the legal fiasco as “never-ending,” and telling Gript last November: “They’ll have to take it down and put me into prison.”
The cost of a judicial review has reached €15,000, with Mr Meehan saying he returned to work to be able to afford spiralling legal costs.
Deputy McGrath has repeatedly raised his case. He says there are “thousands of Seán Meehans,” and that the Government has allowed the use of commercial properties for housing without planning permission, in the form of State-run IPAS centres, yet it is refusing to allow people to house themselves in the likes of mobile homes, timber houses, and modular units.
“In his case, the mobile home was well back from the road. It is not intrusive, and it blends in well to the scenery with a timber finish,” said the TD, who has supported Mr Meehan. “He has been to court seven or eight times – it’s just not right.”
“We need to deal with the issue,” he told Gript. He also said that “accidental landlords” renting out accommodation need proper protections.
“We also need to do something meaningful regarding small and accidental landlords, who should not even be called ‘landlords.’ These are people with a second, third or fourth property. They are being crucified.
“They have no rights whatsoever. They are getting no support from the Government, and I fear that housing strangers in their back gardens could create problems. Extending this set up to the Rent a Room scheme needs to be properly thought out, because as it stands, it is an arrangement much more suited for family members than the general public.”
He feels it is past time that the Government does something about backyard developments behind houses, which McGrath says been overlooked by this government.
“These arrangements are something I welcome, with the standard of modular homes now so good. They can be a positive option for young couples starting off in particular,” he said.
“I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again, that I think it’s outrageous that a man who houses himself in a nice timber house on his own land is fragged before the courts for doing so. People like Sean are having sleepless nights over the unfair treatment they are receiving, and we need to address that. It’s not fair.”
“The extension of the ability to transfer commercial property to residential property without requiring planning permission is crucial. We must deal with situations like that of Seán Meehan, who so badly needs his situation rectified.
“There are many more like him. It is not good enough. The hounding of people with court cases needs to stop. This Government needs to get creative when dealing with the crisis we are in,” said McGrath.
Data shows that 16,580 taxpayers availed of the Rent a Room income exemption in 2023, an increase of 2,400 people on the previous year. This amounted to an estimated cost to the Exchequer of €42.1 million in 2023 – an average tax cost of around €2,500 per claimant.
While the government says the move will allow home owners to earn extra cash while increasing the supply of rental properties on the Irish market, opposition leaders including those in Sinn Fein have expressed fears that it will lead to a proliferation of substandard rental accommodation and potential exploitation.