Hard-up students face 50% rent hike
Fury as cost of digs hits €6k »»Teens priced out of college
PANICKED students claim they are facing massive rent hikes of between 25% and 50% for accommodation.
The frantic chase for suitable digs is picking up pace ahead of the return to college in the coming weeks.
Representatives of students’ unions said the prices being demanded on the private market have rocketed in the past couple of years, making it impossible for students to get reasonable accommodation.
This is despite areas near the country’s main colleges in Dublin, Cork and Galway coming within the Government’s rent pressure zones where hikes are not supposed to exceed just over 4% per year.
However, there are exceptions available and it’s believed many landlords are making the most of loopholes.
The unions said some students are not taking up their college places because of the exorbitant rents.
They added that others are commuting up to three hours to save on accommodation. Kelly Coyle, University College Cork students’ union president, said a year’s rent has gone up by as much as 50% for her student members.
She told Miriam O’callaghan on her RTE radio show yesterday: “About three, four years ago the cost of campus accommodation was about €4,000 and it’s definitely in or around €5,000 to €6,000 at the moment.”
There have been a number of new privately-owned apartment blocks built with students in mind, but Ms Coyle said they are out of a normal student’s reach.
She added: “The amounts they are charging are unaffordable for students, accommodation in general has kind of gone up loads in the past number of years.”
Ms Coyle said a new complex will be charging €8,500 a year, which she fears will have a knock-on effect on all other properties.
Prices in Dublin are in the region of €1,000 per month, or €600 for students sharing a home. It was also revealed virtually all on-campus accommodation has been snapped up at this stage in the capital.
a month is the price for student’s rent in Dublin