ROOMS IN A RECENTLY OPENED co-living development in Dublin city, which argued in its planning application that it would help address Ireland’s housing shortage, are being advertised as short-stay holiday lets online. As by the Dublin Inquirer today, Niche Living on Ardee Road in Rathmines, Dublin has been advertising short-stay holiday lets on Booking.com after opening its doors to renters earlier this summer.
A spokesperson for Dublin City Council told the paper that its records indicate that the company managing the co-living development does not have planning permission to operate short-term leases. “A planning enforcement file will be opened and investigations will be carried out to ascertain whether there is any breach of the short-term letting regulations,” the spokesperson said. The short-term letting regulations, established in 2019, define short-term letting as being under a period of two weeks.
On the official Niche Living website, bookings are advertised for periods between two weeks and 12 months, with monthly rents for a studio starting at €1,990. However, the company is also advertising shorter stays on Booking.com, with a minimum of two nights cost €259 for a standard studio room.
The listing has already amassed 62 reviews with an average score of 8.7 out of 10. The first review was published on July 7.
One reviewer wrote: “The facilities available were on point! Games room, open planned kitchen, cinema room, gym and the beautiful roof terrace!” T.