Struggling Dublin students plead for homeowners to offer spare bedrooms for rent
In the heart of Dublin, a chronic shortage of student housing has long been a pressing issue. This crisis has taken a personal toll on many students, including Welfare Officer Emilia O'Hagan from Co Down, who lived and worked in a Dublin boarding school during her second year due to a lack of other accommodation options. The demanding work and living arrangements led her to fail exams.
The current situation has not spared international students either. UCD Students' Union Campaign and Engagement Officer Hazen E Griffin, an international student himself, spent the summer couch-surfing and struggled to find a place to live for the upcoming academic year.
To tackle this issue, several solutions have been proposed. One of the most prominent is the expansion of purpose-built student accommodation (PBSA). By increasing the number of dedicated student housing units near university campuses, the aim is to reduce long commutes and improve security for students. Universities like Trinity College Dublin, University College Dublin, and Dublin City University are urged to focus on building more affordable student housing beds rather than luxury amenities.
The government and institutions also play a crucial role in this matter. While the state supports direct university construction of student accommodation, their capacity to develop housing is currently limited.
Another solution involves criminalizing and enforcing against exploitative practices. Coercive practices such as "sex-for-rent," rental scams, and landlord fraud should be explicitly banned and prosecuted. Regulatory bodies like the Residential Tenancies Board (RTB) and law enforcement are urged to investigate and act on complaints, while government monitoring of popular rental platforms (e.g., Daft.ie, Rent.ie) is recommended.
Raising awareness and education about tenancy rights is another key aspect. Providing accessible, clear, multilingual guidance on Irish rental laws and tenant rights to students, especially international students, can empower them to assert their rights and avoid exploitation.
Planning permission approvals have also been granted for 245 developments for student accommodation, aiming to reduce a Dublin shortfall of over 25,000 student rooms. However, the overall supply still lags substantially behind demand.
UCD students, represented by their union, are taking a proactive approach. They are handing out flyers encouraging commuters to avail of the Revenue Commissioners' rent-a-room relief scheme. The digs drive aims to address the "chronic shortage of rental accommodation" in Dublin.
The University College Dublin (UCD) has the State's most expensive on-campus rooms, with an en-suite room in Village Three costing €11,888 for the academic year. However, even off-campus options can be costly, as Shreyansh Jagtap from Mumbai, India, can attest. Living with a family in Ongar, west Dublin, and renting a room from them for €600 a month for the last year, he has found a supportive family environment and home-cooked meals.
The housing crisis has taken a serious toll on mental health, as seen in Mr Griffin's case. But with the combined efforts of students, unions, and institutions, there is hope that both the quantity and quality of student housing in Dublin will improve while tackling exploitative practices in the private rental market.
In a joint effort, the UCD students' union has joined forces with the Dún Laoghaire Institute of Art Design and Technology (IADT) for a digs drive. Together, they are working towards a more affordable and secure housing solution for students in Dublin.
