Government has 'no short-term solution' to student accommodation crisis

As students sleep in hotels and hostels due to a shortage in accommodation, Housing Minister Darragh O'Brien has conceded there is a 'particular problem in Limerick'

It emerged in recent days that students are living in hotels and hostels because of the student accommodation crisis, while others have deferred their courses due to an inability to find somewhere to live. File picture: Brian Arthur

The Government has no short-term solution to the problem of students being forced to fork out hundreds of euro a week for hotel rooms due to a lack of student accommodation, the Housing Minister has admitted.

It emerged in recent days that students are living in hotels and hostels because of the student accommodation crisis, while others have deferred their courses due to an inability to find somewhere to live.

Speaking in Limerick on Thursday, Darragh O’Brien said this was “an immediate and very serious issue”, but he explained there was no short-term solution.

“It’s not going to be solved overnight, but there is an immediate focus on the student accommodation issue right now,” Mr O’Brien said.

“I actually discussed it with [Higher Education Minister] Simon Harris earlier this week, and we actually have a bilateral meeting next week on this very issue. It’s a serious issue for students right now, that some of them are paying €300/400 a week to stay in hotels.” 

Speaking in Limerick on Thursday, Darragh O’Brien said this was 'an immediate and very serious issue', but he explained there was no short-term solution. File picture: Conor McCabe Photography.

There has also been engagement with the university sector as well, he added.

The minister said there was a “particular problem in Limerick”.

Asked if he had any ideas as to a solution for students in the short-term, Mr O’Brien pointed out the Covid-19 pandemic had significantly restricted new housing supply.

“Last year we had a construction shut down and we were to deliver 33,000 homes, and that feeds into the private residential sector, homeownership, social housing, and student accommodation. We are 13,000 short because of Covid," he said.

“This year we have seen a pick up in [construction] in the last couple of months, but we will probably, at best, do about 22,000 housing completions, that’s 11,000 short, so supply is affecting it.” 

Mr O’Brien added that the only long-term solution to a lack of student accommodation is “by delivering more homes”.

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Speaking to the Irish Examiner, Isobel Kiely, who is from Cork and due to study at the University of Limerick (UL), said she had been looking for accommodation since May and “can’t find anything”.

“The hardest part is trying to get people to answer emails and phone calls. I cannot seem to get a response from anyone,” she added.

Zoe Broderick, who is from Galway and attends Limerick IT, said she and her partner have been looking for a one-bed apartment since June.

“At this rate, we are willing to accept a room anywhere as right now we are living in a hotel which is still 10 minutes away from the college,” she said.