Student housing crisis sees landlords seeking up to €1,200 per room per month

Caillum Hedderman from Ballybricken, Co Limerick, is hoping to move to Dublin to study political science

A student housing crisis is forcing some students to defer third-level education until they have saved enough money to cover escalating accommodation and college costs.

Caillum Hedderman is hoping to move from Limerick to Dublin to study political science this month but will only discover tomorrow where he should try to find a home to rent.

He said he was lucky to get work in a rural pub over the summer which gave him the opportunity to save for the move to Dublin.

But many of his friends have only applied to local colleges or decided to defer their studies for at least a year so they can work and save for their third-level accommodation and tuition fees.

“Accommodation is definitely a concern for students,” Mr Hedderman said. 

Affordability and availability are the key issues.

Mr Hedderman has to wait until CAO offers are issued before he pays the deposit on one of two rooms he has tried to reserve in Dublin. 

"It’s a catch-22. You can’t do anything before the offers come out. Hopefully it will all be over soon. All the uncertainty is fuelling anxiety for students," he said.

The rooms are expensive. For Mr Hedderman, €800 per month for a room has been the average cost for properties he has enquired about, although he has also been quoted up to €1,200 in a house share with all shared facilities.

"It’s a high price, especially for young students. 

You’re looking at spending €14,000 per year on accommodation and tuition fees before even feeding yourself.

Charlotte Kelly has spent days refreshing her computer every few minutes and checking multiple tabs for any new property listing around Galway.

The third-year film, English and classics student in NUIG said accommodation is harder to secure this year than other years and prices have risen.

A further complication is that she will be in Galway for one semester only this year as she is then moving to study in Utrecht on an Erasmus scholarship.

She has been searching for accommodation since March but landlords have been reluctant to accept her shorter tenancy.

If she does not secure a place to live, she faces almost a four-hour roundtrip each day, leaving home at 5.30am each morning and returning at night.

But she said she is one of the lucky ones because at least a commute is possible, if lengthy, from her family home in Roscommon.

Prices quoted to her have ranged from €350 to more than €900, with the latter figure being completely unaffordable for many students, she said.

Caoimhe Walsh, welfare officer with University College Cork’s Students’ Union, said she is getting multiple calls every day from concerned third level and Leaving Cert students and their parents who are struggling to find accommodation.

A spokesperson from UCC said the university is 'acutely aware' of the challenges facing students in securing accommodation, particularly first years. 

"Campus Accommodation UCC is holding 45% of its rooms for first years which is equivalent to 565 rooms — an increase of 10% on last year's allocation of first year spaces," they said.

"The UCC First Year Accommodation Placement Service will commence the day first round CAO offers are issued. This service is available to incoming first year students who will be travelling to the university from over 45kms away. Through this service we aim to assist students in finding full-time accommodation for the duration of the academic year.

"Campus Accommodation UCC's purpose-built accommodation at the Crow's Nest site is due for completion in May 2022 and will add to the number of student beds available close to campus."

Emer Neville, president of the Irish Second-Level Students' Union (ISSU), said that the ISSU and other student unions campaigned for the Government to give students some time between CAO offers being released and term-time starting to give new students a chance to find accommodation in a limited and competitive housing market.

Housing is definitely a concern, but most colleges have been quite accommodating, saving spaces for first year students.

“Mary Immaculate is not allowing other years to book their student accommodation until college offers are made next week to give Leaving Cert students a chance."

If any recently graduated Leaving Certificate students or their parents are concerned about securing somewhere to live for first year, she encouraged them to email [e-mail] or call the National Parent helpline.

“People can reach out if they have any concerns,” she said. “We're happy to help.”