Homeless students face cramming in to shared Airbnbs for €7,000 a month
Student unions say accommodation crisis is at ‘absolute breaking point’
AIRBNB landlords are charging more than €7,000 a month for single rooms in shared houses in Dublin, as student leaders warn the accommodation crisis is now at ‘absolute breaking point’.
Up to 250,000 students are preparing to start or return to college in the coming weeks amid an unprecedented housing shortage.
Student union leaders have warned that thousands of young people face long commutes to college, while others will be forced to sleep on couches or floors in overcrowded accommodation. And some students are being priced out of third-level education because they simply can’t afford rent.
Despite Government promises to clamp down on short-term letting, some landlords are charging exorbitant rent for rooms as demand far outstrips supply.
One ordinary-looking room in a house in the capital, currently priced at just under €7,600 a month, is described as ‘a special offer, down from its original price of €9,300. The room is in a shared house with a shared bathroom.
Similar standard rooms in two other shared accommodation lettings in the capital are also being advertised for €7,975 and €7,816 per month.
A spokesman for Housing Minister Darragh O’Brien acknowledged that ‘rents are too high’ but said the department has ‘no role in relation to prices charged on the Airbnb website’.
As more and more college-goers are priced out of the market, student union leaders accused the Government this weekend of failing to tackle the problem of shortterm lets in cities and college towns across the country.
They also warned the rental crisis is having a profound impact on students’ wellbeing and academic performance.
University College Dublin student union president Molly Greenough told the Irish Mail on Sunday: ‘The accommodation crisis is at an absolute breaking point and is having immense impacts on students’ mental health, academic performance, and overall student experience.
‘It’s a certainty that there will be students struggling with homelessness throughout the course of this year or forced to defer their courses.
‘Students will also be forced to look for temporary accommodation in hotels, hostels, or via couch-surfing.’
Ms Greenough, who has worked full-time with the students’ union since graduating from UCD with a degree in Law with Social Justice last September, said the crisis is getting worse with each passing month.
She told the MoS: ‘The situation was at an all-time worst this time last year and now, a year later, the Government has continued to kick the can down the road.
‘It’s an incredibly real and scary situation for thousands of students across the country and their families; it will put the pursuit of higher education at risk for thousands of students.’
She said the accommodation crisis is having a serious impact on students’ mental health.
‘We know the accommodation crisis is having adverse impacts on our students through research we conducted last year in the UCD Students’ Union,’ she said.
‘It was found that 57% of respondents noted that the situation was having a negative impact on their mental health. These figures are guaranteed to be as high, if not higher, this year,’ she said.
A spokesman for Higher Education Minister Simon Harris said more than 1,000 additional beds will be available to students this academic year compared to last year.
But the spokesman acknowledged: ‘There remain significant challenges. The war in Ukraine has posed additional difficulties.’
The spokesman also pointed out that most colleges are ‘actively’ encouraging homeowners to rent a room to students.
Figures published by Euro-student show that 40% of students in Ireland live at home with their parents, while 18% live in purposebuilt student accommodation.
The department spokesman confirmed that, as of December 2021, ‘there were approximately 14,500 PBSA [purpose-built student accommodation] bed spaces owned by higher education institutions’.
However, students argue this is nowhere near enough to cater for the demand.
One student at Trinity College Dublin told the MoS: ‘We have 600 on-site rooms and there’s 20,000 students. You have to find your own. It’s just so hard. No one wants to rent to students. Prices are impossible, and there are no designated student areas. Dublin is the most expensive rent in Europe.
‘It’s bad, really bad. Lots of people are commuting very far, for hours. It makes studying in Dublin really exclusive. Lots get in, but just can’t go here because of the cost of rent.
‘It’s sky-rocketed in recent years. I’m now paying more than €900 per month and I’m even staying in Trinity’s provided college accommodation – not even the best one. The other rooms here at Trinity are €1,100 per month.
‘The university itself just doesn’t care. The student union will try to help, but Trinity doesn’t do anything.’
In response to queries from the MoS, a spokesman for TCD said:
‘It’s a tough situation for everyone. The shortage of affordable accommodation is freezing some people out of higher education and eroding university life for others.
‘Some students have no option but to live in their family home and endure long commutes to college.
‘Some will be likely to forgo their places altogether.’
The spokesman said all of the university’s accommodation is already booked for this year.
‘All of Trinity’s bed spaces have been allocated for the upcoming academic year. Our rates for 2022/23 at the university’s owned accommodation range from €700 to €1,000 per month, excluding utilities.
‘When compared to other accommodation providers we believe this represents good value given the location.’
‘It makes studying in Dublin really exclusive’
‘Some may have to forgo their college places’