Bedsits and the housing crisis

Sir, – In her article on the ridiculously high rents for studio apartments in Dublin (Opinion & Analysis, Monday, April 15th), Una Mullally fails to mention that landlords were entirely opposed to the 2013 ban on bedsits, warning that it would result in many properties being closed and significant groups of people becoming homeless. This fact is inconvenient to her argument, as is the fact that it was housing charities and other NGOs that were most in favour of the ban. She then proceeds to make the fairly extraordinary claim that “too much property is privately owned”. That might be her ideological position, but it ignores what most people in Ireland, once past a certain age, actually want: to own their own home. She might also reflect on the truly dreadful record, with honourable exceptions, the State has in building social housing estates that could reasonably be described as successful. I would submit that people do not want vast swathes of public housing built across Dublin. They want houses and apartments those on average incomes can afford to buy. – Yours, etc,

ANDREW QUINN,

Dublin 13.