Johnny Guirke (Meath West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

The crisis of student accommodation has become a significant issue affecting students and their families across our country, including the people of my constituency in Meath West. Private companies are exploiting students and their parents. These companies use deceptive tactics such as claiming that properties need renovations to remove students from their accommodation. Once the students are displaced, the companies hike the rent on the new accommodation by extortionate amounts. This is a clear exploitation of students and their families who are already financially strained. I spoke to students in my constituency who last year paid €8,000 for their accommodation. This year they got quotes of €10,000, which is an increase of 25% in a rent pressure zone where rents are only supposed to go up by 2%. This pattern of exploitation is not an isolated incident; it is a widespread issue that is causing immense hardship for students and their families.

The financial strain of high rent coupled with the emotional toll of unstable living conditions severely impact students' ability to focus on their academic pursuits. Access to affordable and secure accommodation is crucial for their success.

The current system places an undue burden on students, particularly those not eligible for grants, forcing them to pay extortionate rents and endure unstable living conditions. It is essential that measures are put in place to regulate the practices of private housing companies and provide support for students seeking accommodation, as has been previously pointed out. The current scheme of the rental sector especially for individuals renting rooms in homes where the owner also resides comes with a number of issues. In some cases, students have been denied rights concerning the reasonable use of shared facilities like the kitchen and the bathroom, and the right to lock their bedroom door. Student renters have been without access to a notice period and have been unable to seek recourse to the RTB in cases where their deposits have been unfairly withheld.

Digs accommodation offers a workable solution to the shortage of student housing within the sector. By addressing the deficiencies in protections and rights for students in these living arrangements, the Government can help alleviate the student accommodation crisis. Students need the rights and protections they deserve and this Bill will do that.

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