- The federal government handed an act via parliament on July 12, after initially proposing it simply earlier than Simon Harris turned Taoiseach in April
- One of many largest lodging suppliers that moved to 51-week leases final yr is “contemplating its choices”
- It comes amid a unbroken rental disaster in Eire
The Residential Tenancies Act was handed on July 12, guaranteeing that leases shall be primarily based on a 41-week educational yr, six weeks longer than the everyday 35-week educational yr from September to Might.
“In early 2024, a number of giant operators of purpose-built scholar lodging introduced they’ll supply solely 51-week leases for the upcoming educational yr,” a spokesperson for the division of additional and better schooling instructed The PIE Information.
“This implies college students could be paying for lodging through the summer time months, which equates to over 25% extra for his or her lodging in comparison with this educational yr … the concept they’d be compelled to pay for scholar lodging over that interval was unacceptable to this authorities,” they added.
Hines and Yugo have been among the many operators that moved to 51-week solely contracts final yr which shocked college students and led to the ban first being proposed by the minister for additional and better schooling Simon Harris – who’s now Taoiseach – in February 2024.
GSA, Yugo’s associate firm and the biggest supplier of PBSA in Eire with almost 4,000 beds throughout Dublin and Cork, declined at the moment to touch upon the problem, and is known to be contemplating its choices in response to the ban.
When it was initially proposed, a GSA spokesperson argued that the ban would influence the viability of any future developments, “stopping the supply of much-needed high-quality scholar properties in protected, safe, and central places in Dublin and elsewhere”.
“A 51-week lease size is customary… and is a well-liked choice that’s in step with the non-public rental market,” they continued.
The concept that college students could be compelled to pay for lodging over the summer time was unacceptable to this authorities
Division for additional and better schooling
On the time of introduction, Harris mentioned that 51-week leases might go well with some worldwide college students who don’t want to journey dwelling over the summer time holidays, but the Irish council for worldwide college students has welcomed the information of the ban.
“Many worldwide college students return to their dwelling nations for the summer time and don’t must hire lodging right here throughout that point,” Laura Harmon, government director of the Irish council for worldwide college students instructed The PIE.
“It additionally permits others to hire these properties throughout that point as an alternative of forcing folks to pay for longer leases in the event that they don’t require them,” mentioned Harmon.
The Irish Instances reported in Might 2024 that Dublin had a shortfall of at the least 65,000 scholar beds, which stakeholders mentioned might undermine the expansion of the town’s greater schooling sector.
Moreover, the federal government has mentioned that college students who do require lodging all through the summer time interval – equivalent to worldwide college students who don’t select to return dwelling – can request an prolonged lease from their landlord.
The laws, which is able to apply to all new contracts for the following educational yr, additionally states that college students ought to solely pay one month’s hire and one month’s deposit prematurely, placing an finish to spiralling upfront funds.
A spokesperson from College School Cork instructed The PIE, “UCC helps any measures that gives obtainable, reasonably priced, and acceptable lodging to the market, and our college students favour each extra selection and suppleness when contemplating their lodging choices.
“UCC Campus Lodging supplies 1,536 beds, persistently supplied at reasonably priced and below-market charges for purpose-built scholar housing within the metropolis,” they mentioned.
“The federal government’s ‘Housing for All’ coverage is evident in its goal to help college students and dealing to make sure that the supply of acceptable lodging doesn’t act as a barrier to accessing greater schooling,” mentioned the division spokesperson.
Upon getting into workplace, Harris pledged to construct 250,000 properties by 2030, addressing Eire’s housing disaster which has made it more and more tough for college students to safe lodging.
