Dublin’s student accommodation crisis has reached a point of such severity that students are now resorting to “knocking on random doors asking people if they have a spare room to rent”. That’s according to one man who said students had knocked on his door while he was at home over the weekend.
“Just happened to us,” he tweeted, as he took aim at the perceived inaction from the Government on the matter.
“A hypothetical ‘effective government’ would probably do something about this,” he added.
https://twitter.com/KevPow3/status/1568942971336421376?s=20&t=6u0wNNArodGKW0V1zWUegw
Twitter user Kevin was inundated with reaction to the tweet, posted on Sunday, as other social media users expressed concern that the student accommodation crisis is having a knock-on impact on the education of Irish students.
“Yep. Some might resort to living in a B&B or overpriced hostel (like some of ours did last year) for as long as they can. Some will spend hours commuting to & from home every day. Others who can’t do any of the above may drop out. This crisis is directly affecting education,” one user, Aisling, said in response.
“The situation in Ireland is disgraceful,” another person added, while users described the situation as ‘desperate’.
Meanwhile, there were claims that a similar situation is afflicting students outside of the capital, too. One social media user ventured: “In maynooth the same. Youngsters and their parents walking around estates desperately seeking somewhere to rent”.
In response to the difficulty facing students, there were suggestions for undergrads to apply for university halls, so that students would not be competing with families, workers, or tourists. However, others pointed to the ‘absolutely extortionate’ price of university accommodation, arguing that such an option has become inaccessible to some.
One user called Steve said he had received huge interest on a room he had posted over the weekend as students battle it out for rooms amid Dublin’s housing shortage, writing:
“I posted a room to let on Daft this morning. Got inundated with emails, Whatsapps, calls & texts. It’s just insane how FF/FG have failed this generation”.
“There’s hand made signs up and down Henry Street begging for rooms. Dystopian,” another user claimed.
Study Abroad Research, a group of international researchers, responded to the tweet claiming the shortage of affordable student accommodation can be largely attributed to private companies building unaffordable accommodation which is beyond the reach of students.
“The policy of leaving housing to the market has been a disaster. In Cork private companies are building elite student accommodation which costs ~11k. In Dublin many such builds have been redesignated as short term lets b/c they are unaffordable for students,” it claimed.
The policy of leaving housing to the market has been a disaster. In Cork private companies are building elite student accommodation which costs ~11k. In Dublin many such builds have been redesignated as short term lets b/c they are unaffordable for students.
— Study Abroad Research (@AmDevlinUCC) September 11, 2022
One social media user pointed to the standard of accommodation on offer in Dublin, sharing a screenshot of a shared room with two bunkbeds, costing €628 per month – which was described as one option “cheaper than many” on the market for students.
Because they get to pay €628/m for a sharing room with 2 bunkbeds. pic.twitter.com/6JJQuNPF5K
— Shauna Mc (@Shauna_McD7) September 11, 2022
It came as it was revealed that two thirds of students in Ireland are considering dropping out of college owing to the fact they cannot find somewhere suitable to live this year, according to a students’ survey from Sinn Féin’s higher education spokeswoman, Rose Conway-Walsh.
The survey also reported that students are experiencing stress because of the search for accommodation, which is impacting negatively on studies for almost four out of five of those surveyed, 77 per cent of college students. In addition, third level students are also feeling the squeeze because of the worsening energy crisis, with most worried they won’t be able to afford heat. A new approach is now needed from the minister to bring forward a new student accommodation strategy, Conway-Walsh said.
The findings came from responses from over 400 students, parents and their families.