Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Deputy's kind words for the staff of SUSI. I met them last week and it is incredible that almost all of them have to work remotely to keep everybody safe and follow public health guidance. They are still managing to process a serious amount of applications so I join the Deputy in thanking them.

I asked for a note from the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government on private accommodation in light of the Deputy's question.

11 o’clock

Students who are renting private accommodation under a lease are entitled to the same legal protection as any other tenant. Tenants' rights are set out in the Residential Tenancies Act and information on tenants' rights and responsibilities is available on the website of the Residential Tenancies Board, RTB. Student accommodation licence terms including cost, duration, refund and cancellation policies should be set out in the licence agreement signed at the beginning of the academic year. I have asked higher education institutions to provide flexible renting options for students seeking accommodation and welcome the fact that a number of them are doing so. I also hope that private accommodation providers will show flexibility to students in current times. Quite frankly, I believe we should not be as reliant on private providers as we currently are and I hope we can make progress on increasing college-owned student accommodation in the coming years.

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