Ban on year-long student leases to be pushed through Cabinet
That Acmodation New Understood Families Rent Emergency Their It To Up Could In On €13,000 Is Leasing Student The Legislation And Save Students
Emergency legislation to ban landlords from forcing students to lease accommodation for the entire year is to be pushed through ahead of the upcoming academic term.
Higher Education Minister Patrick O'Donovan and Housing Minister Darragh O'Brien are due to bring measures to Cabinet on Tuesday that would ban 51-week leases of student accommodation.
Instead, those renting out purpose-built student accommodation will have to provide leases based on 41 weeks to reflect the academic year.
It is understood the difference could save students and their families up to €13,000 in rent. However, students will still be able to enter into year-long leases if they wish to.
As minister, Simon Harris had announced his intention to amend current laws to crack down on landlords who force student to take leases out on accommodation across the entire year.
Announcing his intention to provide better protection to students earlier this year, Mr Harris said 51-week leases are not desirable nor affordable for the majority of those in third level education.
However, he added that the issue had highlighted the need for us to be less reliant on the private rental market to house students and for Government to build more college-owned student-specific accommodation.
Landlords who are in breech of the new rules can be reported to the Residential Tenancies Board, which will then be able to investigate and, where appropriate, enforce penalties.
Meanwhile, India, Brazil and Egypt are among five more countries that will be added to the list of safe countries of origin by Justice Minister Helen McEntee.
Malawi and Morocco will also be added to the designated list and international protection applications from these countries will be accelerated from Wednesday. The decision, due to go to Cabinet, follows an extensive review.
At present, 10 countries are designated as safe countries of origin: Albania, Algeria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Georgia, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, and South Africa.
Since Botswana and Algeria were added in January, applications from those countries fell by 71%. Applications have fallen by 47% from Nigerian applicants since the country with the most applicants was accelerated.
Ms McEntee intends to continue to review what additional countries can be designated safe, or if further categories can be accelerated.
Separately, Agriculture Minister Charlie McConalogue is bringing the text of a bill to Cabinet to establish a new independent statutory body — to be known as the Agriculture Appeals Review Panel — to carry out reviews that are currently being conducted by the director of agriculture appeals.
The seven-member panel will provide an independent appeals service to farmers who are dissatisfied with decisions of the Department of Agriculture concerning their participation in schemes.