Ninth Level Ireland

“Fianna Fáil TD for Mayo, Lisa Chambers, has hit out at Minister for Housing, Eoghan Murphy, for failing to cap spiralling student accommodation rents. The government has for a second year running failed to implement rent caps on student campus accommodation, according to Chambers …” (more)

[Mayo Advertiser, 16 August]

“The country’s universities were able to engage in widespread rent hikes because new caps introduced by the Housing Minister don’t take effect until next week. Eoghan Murphy is being accused of ‘incompetence’ after colleges pre-empted his clampdown, rendering it useless for the coming academic term. The Irish Independent revealed yesterday that students are facing rent increases of up to 11.5% year on year for university-owned and on-campus accommodation …” (more)

[Kevin Doyle, Cormac McQuinn and Gabija Gataveckaite, Independent, 8 August]

“Owners of purpose-built student accommodation have been accused of hiking prices ahead of new caps on rent increases coming into force next week. Until now, purpose-built student accommodation has been exempt from legislation capping increases in designated pressure zones. This is due to change on Thursday, when it formally comes under new legislation that will limit price increases to 4% per annum …” (more)

[Carl O’Brien, Irish Times, 7 August]

“Students say they are facing a growing accommodation crisis, with every college in the country increasing the cost of their on-campus living for the new academic term. Rents at university-owned accommodation are rising, just as new rules come into effect next week which cap increases at 4% …” (more)

[Irish Examiner, 7 August]

“The President of the NUIG Students’ Union is appealing to homeowners in Galway to rent out rooms in a bid to deal with the ongoing crisis in student accommodation. The appeal follows the introduction of new regulations for short-term letting which came into force this week …” (more)

[Galway Bay FM, 2 July]

“This Editorial Board sides with universities more often than they probably realise. On the issue of funding, we have long railed against the successive government decisions that have only served to prolong the now almost decade-long funding crisis …” (more)

[University Times, 23 June]

“Ireland’s seven universities strongly lobbied to have college-owned student accommodation exempt from legislation to introduce rent caps and extra tenants’ rights for purpose-built student housing. The Irish Universities Association (IUA) claimed new legislation giving more tenancy rights to students would hamper colleges’ ability to deal with cases of alleged sexual assaults in campus accommodation …” (more)

[Jack Power, Irish Times, 20 June]

“The Minister of State for Higher Education Mary Mitchell O’Connor TD today (24 May 2019) welcomed the signing into law by the President of the Residential Tenancies (Amendment) Bill 2018, which ensures that student-specific accommodation let under licence is included under existing Rent Pressure Zones …” (more)

[Department of Education and Skills, 24 May]

“Sinn Féin Housing spokesperson Eoin Ó Broin TD has commended the work of the students on ensuring that student specific accommodation on and off campus will now be covered by the rent pressure legislation and will therefore be subject to the 4% rent hike cap. Deputy Ó Broin said …” (more)

[Sinn Féin, 11 April]

“Maynooth in Co Kildare and Cobh in Co Cork have been added to the growing list of residential areas where rent increases are capped by law. Minister for Housing Simon Coveney said the latest Residential Tenancies Board ‘Rent Index’ identified the towns as ‘Rental Pressure Zones’, where rents were above average and rising rapidly …” (more)

[Tim O’Brien, Irish Times, 29 March]

“Minister for Education Jan O’Sullivan is being urged to act on recommendations from the Higher Education Authority (HEA) to tackle the student accommodation crisis without delay …” (more)

[Joe Humphreys, Irish Times, 22 July]