Survey finds rise in students forced to rent accommodation for over €750 a month
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Three in four students are being forced to fork out over €750 in rent a month while in college, a new survey has found.
A survey from the University College Dublin Student’s Union (SU) also found that more than half of students find it either somewhat or very difficult to find accommodation for the academic year while a quarter found it very difficult to pay their rent.
SU president Miranda Bauer said this latest survey of almost 2,000 students showcases that the number of them facing difficulties sourcing accommodation and meeting rent is growing.
“We believe that affordable and quality housing is a fundamental right that should be available to every student,” she said. “This follow-up report builds on our previous work and continues to highlight the urgent need for practical solutions to the housing challenges faced by students in UCD and across the island.”
When the UCDSU started to compile these statistics three years ago, around two-thirds of students who don’t live at home said they were paying over €750 a month in rent. Given that figure is now three-quarters, it said that the “creep upwards is clear to see”.
The survey found that just under two-thirds (63%) of students rely on some form of family support to pay for their accommodation, while one in 10 said they had taken out a private loan to cover the costs.
It asked respondents about what way they will vote in the next election, and seven in 10 said they would refuse to support parties and politicians who do not align with UCDSU’s housing demands.
It also reported a “growing appetite” for forms of more direct action to tackle the cost of on-campus housing, with four in 10 students saying they would back a co-ordinated rent strike.
The report from the student’s union is sharply critical of the Government, and said that it doesn’t believe students have been “adequately listened to”.
Furthermore, it said there has been no change to the rent-a-room relief scheme criteria and no sign of regulations around digs accommodation to protect vulnerable students.
“Against this backdrop of financial strain, the prevalence of investor-led developments continues to cast a long shadow over the housing prospects of current and would-be UCD students,” the report said.
“While Government soundbites suggest that policymakers may be starting to consider the needs of students alongside the dominant market-led development, the sense of urgency simply has not been present and our rallying cry for radical action in our report published last year, along with other student representatives across the country, has ultimately been ignored.”
It said the status quo leaves students and their families grappling with the “enduring burden” of rising living costs.
The student’s union makes a number of recommendations, including the abolition of the student contribution charge, which stands at €2,000 this year.
“This would allow students and their families to decide for themselves how to make the best of a dire situation while also making a strong statement that Ireland really does value higher education as a public good,” it said.
It also recommends immediate and significant Government intervention and State-funding to deliver affordable cost-rental accommodation on college campuses.