Ireland’s Student Accommodation Crisis: The Students’ Choice between Education and Accommodation.

By Béline Chan

During the last few years in Ireland there is no denying that there have been major issues when it comes to the lack of housing, creating significant issues in terms of homelessness. Lately, there have been serious issues with the lack of housing for students, and the lack of student accommodation is taking away the opportunity of studying from students, as well as placing heavy financial burdens on the students and their families, impacting their student life-experience and mental health.

There are many issues that students face when they are struggling with their accommodation. One issue amongst many is the cost of renting and the financial stress that falls onto students due to the unaffordable living costs. There has been a rise in the cost of rent in recent years, causing a surge in the amount of students who have nowhere to stay. According to Dublin.ie, the cost of living for students (for a one-bedroom apartment) is on average €1,679 in the city centre, and €1,405 outside of the city. Even if students were to share with each other, the cost of a three bedroom apartment in the city centre is on average €2,935 and €2,261 outside of the city. In Cork city, the rent for students can go up to as high as €7,000 plus for shared accommodation for one academic year- which isn’t even 12 months, only 9. Campus accommodation is also an expensive option for students, with rent in Galway averaging €6,000 a year, and €5,000 a year in Limerick. For a lot of students, it is simply not possible for them to afford the high cost of student rent. Many students try to balance work and study in order to afford the rent, and the constant pressure of being in financial trouble can heavily impact the quality of a student’s life and mental health. There are also students who have to commute to college daily because they can neither afford nor find housing, which isn’t only expensive, but also impractical. Students can miss their classes due to limited transportation times, it can take a toll on their mental health if they are traveling long distances daily while under the stress of studies, and they can also miss out on enjoyable extra curricular activities and events due to having to travel back home. The lack of accommodation can also restrict college options for students, sometimes giving them no choice to stay near their homes even if that isn’t what they want. Unfortunately there are students whose chances of studying are taken away from them completely because of the accommodation crisis. This issue doesn’t only affect Irish students, but also international students coming to Ireland from abroad. If international students have issues with their rent or finding accommodation, they might have to return to their home country and not complete their studies. There are also some dangers that relate to the lack of housing. Desperation from students can lead them to believing false advertisements, which can end up with them losing money or living in unsafe conditions. Some landlords and home owners also retract their deal in renting their homes at the last minute, leaving students effectively homeless, which can lead to couch surfing. 

I received some opinions from students about their experiences with struggling to find accommodation and pay rent, which highlighted how serious this issue is. One student said that as someone who lives in the countryside, it is difficult if not almost impossible to afford accommodation that is close to the city, let alone in the centre. Because of this, she must commute to university every day which is also a financial burden due to the cost of fuel which is quoted to be almost €5.8k a year to get to UCC from where she lives, which costs nearly as much as the average price of rent (€6k). One student was living in a rat-infested accommodation, and another student had to live in a flea-ridden house, with both landlords doing nothing to resolve these issues. Another student stated that their contract had changed halfway through the year, increasing the cost of rent, which then became unaffordable. With the lack of housing within his budget available, he has been left with no other option but to couch surf and commute. International students are also affected by this crisis, as some accommodations refuse to take in any international students at all. A student also mentioned how the salary that students earn isn’t nearly as much as what they’re expected to pay for rent, therefore regardless of how much a student earns, the rent is still not affordable. It’s evident that this crisis is affecting students in numerous ways, and no student should have to bear the burden of housing and financial stress when they should be focusing on their studies.  

As important as it is for the price of rent to decrease, and for there to be more houses available to students, it’s also essential that digs have stricter rules in order for students to be guaranteed a safe home. Many students are being taken advantage of with high rent costs and being scammed with fake house advertisements. Some students are so desperate for a place, that they pay a large deposit before even viewing the property, resulting in them losing their money or paying for housing that is in terrible and unsafe conditions. Let’s not forget that students already have to spend money on other important things such as college tuition fees, groceries, transportation and college materials. All of these financial contributions really add up and make student life unaffordable for a lot of people.           

Recently, more than 100 young adults were seen queuing on Saint Brendan’s Road in Drumcondra, waiting to view a three-bedroom apartment which cost €1,8850 a month. We urgently need more housing, but the golden question is, how can this be solved? The cost of construction has become more expensive, which in return is affecting the cost of rent. There are plenty of abandoned houses in Ireland which could be renovated into student accommodation, but haven’t been touched. The pandemic has also affected the housing crisis, causing delays resulting in unfinished houses. The Tánaiste Leo Varadkar said that he thinks “we need to have another go at housing really…because while our plans are working, they’re not working fast enough.” But is this all talk? It’s been over a decade since the government discussed plans for helping the housing crisis, yet there seems to have been no progress. In 2021, the government missed their target of building 9,500 social homes, having only built 5,202 of them. With the effects of the pandemic and inflation, will there really be more affordable housing in the following years? Sinn Féin has also urged students in Cork to take part in a survey about their experiences of trying to find housing. Deputy Buckley states that they “want to hear from students in Cork about how they are being impacted personally, so we can tell the real story of how this crisis is affecting them. Despite this, the government failed to act and students and their families are now paying the price.” Unfortunately it happens way too often where issues aren’t taken seriously enough until a significant amount of people are suffering. It has taken years of financial struggles, homelessness and protests in order for the accommodation crisis to be finally heard by the government. If abandoned and derelict houses were turned into accommodation, if the cost of rent decreased, and financial aid was available for student’s rent, then this would be a great step towards progression. It has come to the point where students have to choose between their education or their accommodation. Hopefully this will be an issue that will be dealt with promptly, so that all students can live comfortably and enjoy their student lives.