Mr. Bryan O'Mahony:

Aontas na Mac Léinn in Éirinn, AMLÉ, represents over 300,000 students across the island of Ireland. The message we are receiving from our members is as clear as it is consistent. The lack of student accommodation is quickly becoming the single greatest barrier to our members accessing and completing higher education. Irish students are faced with a critical shortage in public funding of purpose-built student accommodation. While a number of new units have opened in recent years, they have largely been delivered not by the Government, but by private developers that have sought to exploit the current student accommodation crisis rather than solve it. As a result, much of the available student accommodation charges rents far beyond the reach of ordinary students, forcing them into the private market. This adds strain to the already pressurised housing market, with students competing directly with young families and workers.

The cost of accommodation has become unsustainable. Average rents in purpose-built student accommodation exceed €800 per month, with luxury developments costing considerably more. For students relying on SUSI or juggling work with their studies, these rents are simply impossible to meet.

In the absence of affordable student accommodation, many students turn to insecure or unsuitable accommodation. Students are couch surfing, staying in hostels and sleeping in cars. Some students relying on digs or the rent-a-room scheme. While this has helped ease the pressure, it comes with major issues such as students facing curfews, restricted access to kitchens and living spaces, and being kicked out at the weekend. The rules can change at short notice. They are not protected. The digs are unregulated and students are not protected by the Residential Tenancies Act. Therefore, they have no security of tenancy or enforceable rights and are vulnerable to unfair treatment despite often paying high rents.

Students are facing long commutes. We hear daily from students who travel two, three or four hours to and from campus. These journeys are exhausting and cause burnout. How can we expect our students to do well in their academic studies if they are unable to do so? International students are particularly vulnerable to exploitation in this loosely regulated, and barely policed, private rental market. They arrive in Ireland without the benefit of a local network and have limited ability to view properties ahead of their arrival. They often struggle to secure housing and are more vulnerable to scams. They are frequently asked to pay several months rent in advance or are forced into unsuitable or exploitative arrangements. This was evidenced over the weekend when 18 international students were found living in two-bed accommodation. That is what happens when we do not have purpose-built student accommodation. We are abandoning our students to the private rental market. This not only harms individual students but also damages Ireland's international reputation as a welcoming destination for higher education.

The consequence overall is not only financial strain, but also serious impacts on well-being and educational outcomes. Students who work full time to afford rent or who are commuting are unable to devote time to study, undermining their academic performance, their mental health and their ability to engage with the student and campus experience. Some are faced with deferring their studies altogether or withdrawing entirely. They are undermined because suitable accommodation cannot be found.

The challenges are clear but so are the solutions. We need significant public investment in student accommodation. Publicly owned affordable housing on or near campuses must become the norm and not the exception. Affordability must be addressed. Rent caps for purpose-built student accommodation should be introduced alongside affordable rents benchmarked to income and not market trends. With RPZ changes and students being a transient housing group, the cost for tenancy changeovers will hurt private student renters the most. Regulation is essential. We need digs-style accommodation to be regulated and protected for students if we are to provide a tax credit for it. International students must be supported. Institutions should be required to provide clear accommodation guidance and safeguards should be put in place to prevent exploitation.

The message from students is clear. The accommodation crisis is hurting access to education, damaging well-being, destroying the student experience and undermining Ireland's future talent pipeline. If we are serious about building an equitable and world-class education system, this issue must be addressed with urgency. On behalf of students, we urge investment in public student housing to ensure that no student is priced out of learning.