Tenants can earn up to €14,000 as part of the new rent-a-room scheme, all of which is tax free.

The already existing scheme has been extended to council tenants by the Government to alleviate pressure from the housing crisis.

A spokesperson for the Department of Housing told DublinLive that Government had agreed to the move on the 21st of March.

"The Department of Housing is now working with the County and City Management Association (CCMA) to put in place the appropriate legal and administrative arrangements that will allow local authority tenants to rent out vacant rooms,” the spokesperson said.