The traditional one room dwelling known as the bedsit is to banned under new legislation.

As rents continue to fall, the government has introduced legislation to ban the traditional bedsit as part of a series of measure to improve the standard of rental accommodation.

For years, the traditional one roomed flat has been a feature of the rental accommodation sector but now the government plans to ban the bedsit.

Minister for the Environment and Green Party TD John Gormley describes the legislation that will mean all rented units must have their own shower.

For Bob Jordan of housing organisation Threshold enforcement is the key to make sure that new regulations really work for tenants. Local authorities in the past have failed people in sub-standard accommodation.

Alan Redmond of the Irish Professional Auctioneers & Valuers (IPAV) expresses his concern over the new legislation particularly in relation to increased costs facing landlords.

The new measures coincide with falling rents across the country. In the last three months, rents have fallen by an average of 3 percent with average rents in Dublin now standing at €1200 a month. In the Dublin commuter counties, the average rent is now €876.

Experts at property website Daft.ie say that the property market has been flooded with properties that are not selling. According to Naoise McNally of Daft.ie,

Landlords have really no choice but to cut the rents.

Margaret McCormick of the Irish Property Owners' Association says that landlords are people from all walks of life who are now facing severe difficulties.

There's a silver lining in the property crash for tenants whose rents continue to tumble. But that's causing a whole new set of difficulties for the new landlord class who bought into the boom.

An RTÉ News report broadcast on 18 November 2008. The reporter is Gareth O'Connor.