Third-level students struggle to find accommodation

With the Leaving Cert results set to be published this week, it's anticipated that there will be a surge in demand for student accommodation across the city and suburbs in the upcoming weeks.

Aoibhe O’Brien, UCCSU welfare officer, told The Cork Independent that the cost of accommodation has sky-rocketed in recent years forcing students to pay overpriced rates for housing or endure lengthy daily commutes to and from college.

“The average rent in Cork city (for students) in 2017 was €399 per month, but now it’s €598, there’s been a 49.8% increase,” she said.

“In private accommodation like Amnis, one of the biggest in Cork city, it starts at €255 per week. You’d need to have €9,000 annually for the 9 months of the college term. People are desperate, and they will pay anything because they are scared of not having a bed,” she added.

Aoibhe said that international students are of particular concern, as they don’t know about the current accommodation shortage in the country. “A lot of people who email me are international students who aren’t aware of the situation here, they have tight budgets that aren’t really feasible in our rental area. They might be looking for €500, and it is tough to get something that low,” she said.

She also highlighted the subpar conditions students are forced to live in, saying that many of the private landlords are taking advantage of students who may not be well-versed in their rights as tenants.

“Accommodation may have mould inside the house, the property can be freezing, and landlords can exploit students by not rectifying issues because they know that students don’t know their rights properly.”

Commuting rise

During CAO result weeks, Deirdre Falvey from MTU Student Services says she receives up to 100 daily emails about accommodation.

However, this year many students are considering travelling to and from the university instead of renting.

“What I’m seeing is that a lot of students are going to try commuting for semester one and then look for accommodation in semester two,” she said.

“Older students are now having to go into ‘digs’, which is something they didn’t have to do before.”

She explained that if students are willing to rent a room in a home, there are more options available to them.

“We have 376 homes registered with us at the moment, and we have close to 800 bed spaces available.”

“What I would say is that if a student wants to come to MTU, there is somewhere for them to lay their head every night.

“It may not be what they want in a house with five of their friends like it used to be, but it doesn’t mean that they have to let go of their course,” she added.

Increased fraud

There was a 38 per cent increase in cases of reported accommodation fraud between 2021 and 2022 and the national housing charity Threshold, the gardaí and Irish Property Owners Association (IPOA) have all issued separate warnings to students with the aim of raising awareness of rental scams ahead of the new academic year.

False websites are reportedly becoming an increasingly common platform for scams, as well as websites that appear as replicas of real letting platforms such as Daft.ie and Airbnb.

Fake accounts posing as landlords offering accommodation on social media sites such as Facebook are also becoming a regular location for rental scams to take place.

Threshold has issued a number of guidelines to help students to avoid getting scammed. They advise students to visit the property and the landlord in person before making any payments.

They also recommend requesting a written contract that clearly explains the terms and conditions of the rental agreement, and to seek advice if you have concerns. They advise not to share personal information online or use unsecured payment methods.

Additionally the gardaí recommend asking for photo identification of the landlord or letting agent, to pay the deposit to the landlord only, and to use cheques or bank drafts to pay the deposit. Gardaí also advise to ensure that house keys fit, and open the door lock, and to keep copies of receipts of payments and any correspondence.