Some older apartment blocks in Dublin city are of such a poor standard that they may only be suitable for Airbnb style short-term letting, according to an official report from Dublin City Council.
The report was drawn up in response to a motion from councillors calling for a "blanket ban" on planning permissions for short-term letting because of the demand for housing in the city.
However Assistant Chief Executive Richard Shakespeare stated in his report that such a prohibition could be open to legal challenge.
He also said that there were "deficiencies" in some older apartments such as small room size, poor view, restricted daylight, lack of private amenity space and lack of bicycle or car parking.
While such deficiencies may not be a problem for short stay tenants, they will generate an injurious living environment for long stay residents, he said.
Until these types of apartments were completely redeveloped they could be suitable for short-term lettings to meet the need for additional tourist accommodation, added Mr Shakespeare.
The report stated that in general the city council refuses applications for change of use to short-term letting.
The report was due to be discussed this evening following a Green Party motion tabled in December calling for the development plan to be changed so that no planning permission would be granted for year-round short-term lettings.
The requirement for planning permission followed a decision by An Bord Pleanála in October 2016 that continuous use of a property for short-term letting in the absence of any permanent resident constituted a change of use.
The Department of Housing has announced new laws to regulate the sector which are due to come into force on 1 June and would ban landlords and other second home owners using their properties for short-term lettings in high demand areas.
Homeowners would be allowed to rent out a room for a maximum of 90 days a year.
Meanwhile, Dublin city planners have warned against a relaxation of rules to allow log cabins in back gardens, saying they can be a nuisance to neighbouring properties.
Councillors were due to discuss a motion this evening that would allow free-standing structures to the rear to be used for "ancillary family accommodation".
However, a council report revealed that there have been 175 complaints to planning enforcement about log cabins over the past four years.
"The most common concerns raised by neighbours relate to the excessive scale and height of the structures in relation to the size of the gardens, increases in overshadowing and overlooking, and the intensification of use, which inevitably results in a loss of privacy and higher levels of nuisance" it stated.
Independent Cllr John Lyons had tabled a motion calling for the development plan to be amended to allow free-standing ancillary family accommodation to the rear or side of the main family dwelling.
At present such accommodation has to have direct access to the rest of the house.
The council report from Mr Shakespeare states that a "crucial matter" with log cabins in many cases is the lack of safe and independent access from the public road.
He also said that because of the lack of space in many of the properties involved it is difficult to comply with basic housing standards.
Mr Shakespeare said that because of the housing shortage the council will take a flexible approach to applications for ancillary accommodation.
However, he added "it cannot support the provision of free standing dwellings where access is only available through the main family dwelling on site and where the structure is likely to injure or detract from the residential amenities of adjoining dwellings".
