Donna McGettigan (Clare, Sinn Fein)
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210. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills to provide greater legal protections to students living in digs accommodation as more and more students find themselves in this situation (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22252/26]

James Lawless (Kildare North, Fianna Fail)
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Last month I published the National Student Accommodation Strategy 2026-2035 following Government approval. The Strategy sets out a pathway to make higher education more accessible by addressing two critical challenges, accommodation supply and viability and accommodation affordability.

Current projections indicate an emerging demand for approximately 42,000 additional student accommodation beds over the next decade, underscoring the scale of the challenge and opportunity. The Strategy puts an emphasis on activating supply and increasing purpose built student accommodation. In addition, digs accommodation which plays an integral role as part of the housing solution for students will be an important competent in increasing overall supply.

As of March 2026, over 4,800 student beds were advertised through higher education institutions.

I am aware that this type of accommodation is not covered by the Residential Tenancy Acts, and the Residential Tenancies Board (RTB) does not have any jurisdiction or function on these types of licences. Rather it is a private contractual matter between the parties as to the type of agreement to be put in place. I do understand the reasons why people call for increased regulations. I also understand that increased regulations may have unintended consequences for example impacting negatively on the supply of student accommodation.

While the regulation of this area is not under my remit as Minister, my Department has published a voluntary regulatory framework and sample licence agreement to guide both homeowners and students using the Rent-a-Room scheme. These resources provide advice on safeguarding against scams, formalising arrangements where parties choose to enter into Rent-a-Room agreements, and promoting transparency in accommodation sharing arrangements.

I also work with higher education institutions (HEIs), whose student accommodation offices maintain trusted lists of providers, provide guidance on tenancy rights, and offer one-to-one advice. I have asked my officials to discuss with HEIs whether more can be done in the area of encouraging the use of licenses, in particular for accommodation being offered on HEI supported websites.