Brian Stanley (Laois-Offaly, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

The legislation brought forward by Sinn Féin this morning is very important and will deal with a significant problem that has caused hardship and stress for families in my constituency of Laois-Offaly and other rural counties from where people must travel. Recent reports estimate that 3,019 students from County Laois and 2,984 from Offaly attend third level college. Many of these students have to secure rental accommodation in Limerick, Galway and Dublin as there is no third level college in the constituency. Traditionally, both counties have had lower than the State average level of attendance at third level, and this is important to note.

Under current legislation, student accommodation is treated differently from all other rental accommodation, as landlords are permitted to charge students more than one month's rent in advance, often charging three or four months' rent or the whole term in one go. This means students from counties such as Laois and Offaly who attend Galway have to pay an average of €5,000 in one instalment and could be asked for up to €9,000 if attending a college such as UCD in Dublin. Some families may have more than one child attending college at the same time. This is a huge outlay for many families, especially for those households who cannot access SUSI grants. The Minister is familiar with such families. These families are trying to pay mortgages, most are likely to have two cars on the road to access their work or to run their businesses, and they have other substantial outgoings.

Many students paid their rent in lump sums prior to the Covid outbreak last year. Some were never compensated when they returned to their parent's homes under national health guidelines. I have dealt with many such people. This is very unfair. The Bill, supported by the Union of Students in Ireland, will give greater protection to student renters and ensure that in future refunds will be provided where accommodation is unusable due to public health restrictions. It will prevent landlords from charging students more than one month's rent in advance and it will ensure student renters are treated in the same way as other renters. This is important legislation that will provide students with more secure and fairer rental situations. I commend all of the Deputies on the Opposition benches who have supported the Bill and I hope Deputies in Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and the Green Party will also back it. I call on all Deputies to support the Bill.

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