THE HOUSING CRISIS has made it more difficult for students to find somewhere to live during their third-level education.
Each year, the scramble for accommodation often sees students facing paying high rents or making long commutes to and from college due to the limited options available to them.
A recent report by the UCD’s Students’ Union found that more than three-quarters of students are paying over €750 per month in rent for accommodation during their time in college.
Earlier this year, student unions from five of the largest universities in the country launched a ‘digs drive’ to encourage homeowners who live near college campuses who have a spare room to consider helping address the shortage of student accommodation.
We asked students and parents of students to share their experiences of trying to secure somewhere to stay. Here’s what they told us.
One student told The Journal that he was accepted into the National Film School at IADT in Dun Laoghaire this year.
He said that commuting wasn’t an option for him, as it would take over two hours each way, so he decided to look for somewhere to stay in the area.
“It became immediately clear that it would be impossible to find affordable accommodation in the area,” he said.
It also became apparent that my options were limited to digs that were all priced extortionately high and all had very strict rules that would not suit my college schedule.
“In the end, I was forced to rent a studio apartment for almost triple what my friends are paying for their accommodation. Despite its ideal location and perks, it is a luxury I do not need nor can be sustained for the duration of my third-level education.”
Lucas is a 26-year-old mature student in his third year at MTU in Cork.
From Tralee, Co Kerry, he told The Journal that in his first year, he drove up and down every day for six weeks.
“Then I secured accommodation which was €8,500 for seven months. In my second year, I drove everyday for my first semester. My second semester was in accommodation, which cost €5,000 for January to May,” he said.
“The cheaper options all fill up quickly so it leaves no alternative for me as I’m coming from a low-income household as I cannot afford to pay €11,000 for eight months of accommodation.”
Lucas said the “extortionate prices” disadvantage people from low-income housing.
It’s very difficult for me trying to find a rental property as I have no previous rental references only from living in student accommodation.
“There are very little options for me for this year and it looks likely that I will be driving again.”
An international student doing a postgraduate degree in Dublin told The Journal that they had managed to secure accommodation for the year.
He said [TU Dublin] the college does not have any student dorms on its own campus, so the accommodation on offer on Studentpad was mostly digs in rent-a-room schemes and private dorms.
“The cost of digs was in a range as low as €400 (in Balbriggan) to around €900 in Dublin central. Private dorms go for more than €1,200 per month.”
The student said they managed to secure a room in Clondalkin for €550 per month with a €200 deposit.
“It took me around a month of sending emails and a round of interviews with landlords over the summer to find accommodation,” he continued.
“I feel rather lucky since in my case, the process was breezy given I found someone with whom I clicked with very quickly and he offered me a rental.
Without that, I don’t think I would have found anything, really.
He added that most ads for digs say they just rent to female students, undergraduates who will not be there during the weekends or EU exchange students, “and I’m the total opposite”.
One mother told The Journal that she began searching Facebook groups online to find accommodation for her son and his girlfriend to stay in for five months in Dublin.
“I thought student accommodation would be readily available for the summer months, but I was mistaken,” she said. “I was shocked at how dishonest the whole setup can be.”
She said one woman in a Facebook group recommended that she contact a man, claiming that he had gotten her accommodation previously.
“Sure enough he said in his well-written email that he had no problem with a five-month lease and gave me an address of an apartment in a house in Terenure,” she said.
After asking to view the apartment, the man said he wasn’t available but sent her a video of the accommodation purportedly taken two days prior.
“In the video I saw elevated land through the window which didn’t match the Google Maps view of the address and when I zoomed in to the video, I noticed that the electrical sockets were round ones like those on the continent,” she said.
“[The man] was ready to take a deposit and also expected a month’s rent in advance!”
The woman said she was lucky to find accommodation elsewhere for €1,400 per month plus bills for her son, while her daughter is staying in digs in Galway for €200 per week. Both are cash only.
“It’s a very dishonest market but we have to take what we can get,” she added.
Another parent said their daughter is trying to source accommodation in Trinity Hall, a large accommodation campus for Trinity College located in Dublin 6. However, she said they have not been told whether all available rooms have been allocated, how many people are on the waiting list and when they will get a response.
“This is incredibly stressful. My daughter is moving from Wexford and realistically she will have to give up all college sports and activities if she has to commute,” she said.
One parent in Carlow told The Journal that her son is currently struggling to find accommodation for college due to the ongoing rental crisis.
They said that while she thinks the current Rent a Room Scheme is a good initiative, “it’s perplexing that utility bills are included within the €14,000 tax-free threshold”.
“Given the steep rise in energy costs, this aspect of the policy feels outdated and completely out of touch with current realities,” they said.
The Rent a Room scheme needs to be reviewed as a matter of urgency and utility bills exempt from the tax free threshold.
They also called for the timing of the Leaving Certificate results and the CAO offers to be reviewed.
“Releasing them so late in the summer, just weeks before the academic year begins, adds unnecessary stress for students and their families as they scramble to secure housing,” they said.
“Moving these dates earlier would make much more sense and provide students with a fairer chance to find suitable accommodation.”
However, not everyone had a problem securing somewhere to stay. One mother told The Journal that her son is beginning university in Belfast. “We had no problem securing accommodation,” she said.
She said despite the university not being his first choice, he was offered accommodation in the halls of residence which had an ensuite bedroom with a shared kitchen and living room for £642 (€760) per month.
Another woman who lives close to Dublin City University (DCU) told The Journal that she decided to rent a spare room in her home to a student for the first time this year.
“After seeing the struggle my son’s friends from the country had with accommodation in their time at DCU, we decided that we would take in a student,” she said.
She advertised the room on the college’s student portal for €600 a month including utilities, with the provisions that it was available from Sunday to Friday and that only male students apply, as she only has sons.
“I was bracing myself for a flood of calls and even managed my work schedule for two weeks post-CAO results to allow for communications and possible viewings,” she said.
However, she said that with the ad being up for almost two weeks and having over 600 views, she has only had one email enquiry.
“I’m not sure where these students are looking or what pressure they are under as I have seen around 260 rooms advertised on this portal and that number hasn’t really changed in a month.”
Some quotes have been edited for clarity and brevity.
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