“Sinn Féin TD for Limerick City Maurice Quinlivan has said that today’s news that students at UL will be granted refunds for vacating student accommodation early due to COVID 19 is very welcome. UL have finally done the right thing. Speaking today in Limerick, Teachta Quinlivan said …” (more)
[Sinn Féin, 29 May]
“Students who vacated on-campus accommodation at the University of Limerick when the Covid-19 pandemic hit are to receive more than €3.4 million in rent refunds. In a statement on Friday the university said Plassey Campus Centre (PCC) Ltd, the company which manages its on-campus accommodation, ‘has approved the return of rental income to the students who left their accommodation on foot of the government’s decision to close the university campus in March’ …” (more)
[Kitty Holland, Irish Times, 29 May]
“Anne Rabbitte (Galway East, Fianna Fail): To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if he will consider introducing a means-tested intervention to assist student accommodation providers that may not be able to reimburse students for the time they will not be using student accommodation due to Covid-19 restrictions which would allow students to end their tenancy early without financial penalty; and if he will make a statement on the matter …” (more)
[Dáil written answers, 27 May]
“Students at Dublin City University have been offered flexible accommodation for the upcoming academic year as it is ‘highly unlikely’ they will be on campus for full weeks. With the university planning a mix of face-to-face lab classes, practical sessions and online lectures in the coming academic year, not all students will be on campus at the same time …” (more)
[Jess Casey, Irish Examiner, 29 May]
“Students of the University of Limerick who left their accommodation on foot of the government’s decision to close the university campus in March due to Covid-19 are to be refunded their rent, it has been confirmed …” (more)
[Aine Fitzgerald, Limerick Leader, 29 May]
“Ireland’s national students’ union will back students working to set up tenants’ unions calling for a ban on evictions in the wake of the coronavirus, in a show of support for a radical approach to student rent amid the pandemic …” (more)
[Ciaran Molloy, University Times, 27 May]
“University of Limerick’s governing body has recommended that its students living in campus accommodation should be refunded because of the Covid-19 pandemic. Thousands of students had to leave their accommodation in March and have not been able to return to the university since. There are almost 3,000 beds in on-campus facilities …” (more)
[Ronan McGreevy, Irish Times, 27 May]
“Clare’s Fianna Fáil TD has asked for the Minister for Education to intervene in regard to UL issuing refunds for third level accommodation for the latter part of this college year …” (more)
[Clare FM, 24 May]
“Michael Moynihan (Cork North West, Fianna Fail): To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if he has been in discussions with the University of Limerick in relation to its approach to refund students for the cost of their accommodation during the Covid-19 crisis; the assistance or support that will be made available to students and their families in situations in which no refunds are provided; and if he will make a statement on the matter …” (more)
[Dáil written answers, 20 May]
“Sinn Féin TD Maurice Quinlivan has urged the University of Limerick (UL) to ‘get their finger’ out over the refunding of rents to students. It comes after it emerged that Education Minister Joe McHugh took it upon himself to contact the college’s chancellor, Mary Harney to discuss the matter …” (more)
[Nick Rabbitts, Limerick Leader, 21 May]
“The Governing Authority (GA) of University College Dublin (UCD) has given no indication of seriously considering calls to partially refund fees to students, GA sources suggest. In recent weeks, a group of primarily international and graduate students have called on the university to consider a 30% rebate due to lack of access to promised on-campus facilities as a result of COVID-19 restrictions …” (more)
[Conor Capplis, College Tribune, 15 May]
“The University of Limerick (UL) is coming under increasing pressure to refund rent paid by students who vacated campus accommodation due to the coronavirus. Education Minister Joe McHugh has waded into the row, contacting UL Chancellor Mary Harney to discuss the matter …” (more)
[Kevin O’Neill, Irish Examiner, 14 May]
“NUI Galway Students’ Union has today welcomed the University’s decision to provide a rent rebate for on-campus student accommodation for 2020/21. This means that in September students renting in the campus Goldcrest and Corrib Village student accommodation will be entitled to apply for a 3-4% refund of their rent …” (more)
[Michael Malone, Galway Daily, 6 May]
“NUI Galway has become the third university to reverse rent increases for next year, u-turning on a 4% hike on its Goldcrest and Corrib Village accommodation. Students who paid deposits in February for the complexes will be refunded the extra amount they paid while the increase was in place, and will pay existing rates for their occupancy for the rest of the year …” (more)
[Donal MacNamee, University Times, 6 May]
“Dublin City University (DCU) has said it is reversing a plan to increase the cost of on-campus accommodation from September. This follows a similar decision by Maynooth University which announced in late April it would reverse a proposed 3% rent increase and introduce a freeze …” (more)
[Sorcha Pollak, Irish Times, 3 May]
“The Union of Students in Ireland (USI) say students’ mental health is being affected by pre-paid rents not being refunded. The USI and local Students’ Unions called on individual colleges at the start of the pandemic to refund students who had moved out of university-operated student accommodation. Most colleges and universities agreed to provide refunds …” (more)
[BreakingNews.ie, 2 May]
“DCU has reversed its decision to implement a 4% rent increase on campus accommodation for the 2020/2021 academic year, DCU Students’ Union announced. DCUSU posted on their social media pages that the university will not proceed with the initially planned rent increase. The increase of 4% would have meant that DCU’s on-campus accommodation would have been increased to the maximum amount legally allowed under rent legislation …” (more)
[Shauna Burdis, The College View, 1 May]
“Dublin City University (DCU) has reversed its decision to implement a 4% rent increase on campus accommodation for next year, the college’s students’ union announced tonight …” (more)
[Danielle Varley, University Times, 30 April]
“Last week, this newspaper reported on the ‘mafioso-style’ charges that students staying in Halls would face if they had to extend their stay. It was a situation that sounded nearly too self-parodic to be true. First, Trinity extended its assessment period until May 15th, meaning students on the fence about going home were more likely to stay put. Then it told the same students they’d have to pay nearly €30 per night for the privilege …” (more)
[University Times, 26 April]
“The University of Limerick has confirmed it is to carry out a ‘serious review’ of its decision not to refund accommodation fees to students who vacated the campus due to Covid-19. The decision was made this Friday afternoon after the issue was raised at a scheduled meeting of the UL Governing Authority – which was held remotely …” (more)
[David Hurley, Limerick Leader, 24 April]
