If it’s good enough for Germans...

I live in Berlin in a WG (a similar set-up to a bedsit), as many people in their 20s and 30s here do.

I have my own room, and I share the bathroom and kitchen. I pay €480 per month, which includes the cost of all bills.

I want to move back to Dublin soon but to live on my own would cost more than twice as much as what I’m paying in Berlin.

I think lifting the ban on bedsits is a reasonable thing to do in the current situation. It seems many people hear the word ‘bedsit’ and picture squalid accommodation with mould on the walls, plaster missing, overfilled ashtrays, etc, and squirm – Ciaran Cuffe seemed to express this when he said we shouldn’t be taking a step backwards.

We have to get over our impulsive reactions and apply reason. Flats are well regulated these days – the RTB receives €90 for each new tenancy, and any flat that doesn’t meet regulations is not allowed.

Apart from those who live alone, everyone in the world shares a bathroom with other people. Gut reactions aside, there doesn’t seem to be any reasonable argument in favour of a blanket ban on bedsits.

The arguments I’ve heard from Threshold are:

1) Fire Safety Standards: Of course flats that don’t adhere to minimum safety standards should remain banned. That’s what the fire safety standards are for, so there’s no need for a ban on all bedsits. If there is a fear of cookers too close to beds, etc, a ban on bedsits won’t solve this either.

2) Landlords who have installed bathrooms into their bedsits would be discriminated against: A studio with a bathroom will always be worth more than a bedsit. General prices would be reduced however, but surely that’s what Threshold is arguing for?

3) It’s nice to have washing and toilet available if you’re not feeling the best: Nice, but not necessary. If it’s good enough for the Germans…

4) Loneliness and long-term living: This is a social problem that needs solving, but a ban on bedsits is not the solution. People are living long-term on the streets! Besides, if you’ve to share a bathroom at least there is some chance of contact with others.

Of course, some of the old bedsits were prohibitively small, but since each flat in the country must be registered with the RTB, why not allow bedsits, and require a safety inspection for every one re-released onto the market? This guarantees the quality of bedsits, gives more supply to the market, provides jobs for safety inspectors, and the Government receives more taxes. Colm Fallon Berlin, Germany