The annual scramble is under way for college accommodation. Prices vary from county to county and finding the right place can be tough, writes JOANNE HUNT
WITH SOME 40,000 students having sought a CAO place this year, and half of all students living away from home, the annual scramble for student accommodation has well and truly begun.
While parents may prioritise a place that’s secure, in easy reach of lectures and that doesn’t break the bank, their student offspring may have other ideas.
So how do you navigate the choices? Broadly speaking, the options include on-campus accommodation run by the college, privately owned purpose-built student accommodation known as “Section 50” because of the tax breaks afforded to investors, house or apartment shares or room and board arrangements known as “digs”.
College-run on-campus accommodation is a safe if a sometimes more expensive bet for many. Providing a secure environment close to the library where students can mix with others as they find their feet, it does tick a lot of boxes.
Those seeking on-campus accommodation in some of the bigger universities are already out of luck. The waiting list for first-year accommodation at UCD opened on May 5th and within an hour all of the 737 places were gone. A tip for those bound for Belfield next year is to get your name down early.
Property website myhome.iehas responded to a recent survey showing 80 per cent of students will source their college accommodation online by creating a dedicated area online ( myhome.ie/colleges). According to myhome.iemanaging director Angela Keegan, students need to move quickly due to the demand for rental accommodation.
“As you’d expect, Dublin is the most expensive, with students on the southside paying around €500 per month while those on the northside pay €450. In Cork it’s around €350, while in Galway its €380. Limerick appears to offer the best value at €300. If you share a room, prices will be cheaper again,” says Keegan.
In response to demand, UCD has launched a new accommodation website this year, accessible to UCD students only and featuring only pre-vetted landlords – ucdaccommodationpad.ie.
The site has listings for everything from Section 50 student residences such as the all-female Glenard Residence, to apartments, houses and more than 80 homeowners offering digs. All are within 15 minutes’ walk of UCD.
Rented rooms cost between €80 and €100 a week according to UCD’s accommodation office, with digs ranging from €130 to €170 depending on the meals included.
Over at DCU, the college, which only begins offering accommodation to first years on allocation of a CAO place, is still accepting applications from students for its 300 on-campus first-year rooms. The majority of rooms are in two-bed apartments and cost €4,000- €4,200 for the college year, with a utilities pre-payment of €330 and a damage deposit of €300.
Once those are gone, in addition to house and apartment rentals in the area, there is also plenty of Section 50 student accommodation nearby, with prices from €3,160 per person per year for a twin room. A selection is viewable at dcustudentaccommodation.com.
Students receiving an offer of a place at Trinity College Dublin can apply online using their college ID number for a single or twin room at Trinity Hall in the suburb of Dartry. Rooms cost between €3,881 and €4,230, with utilities up to €475 a year depending on room type.
Students should factor in the cost of commuting to college by bus or Luas from Milltown to St Stephen’s Green, with a 10-minute walk either side. There’s always the bike.
Those looking for private rented accommodation can use the Accommodation Advisory Service operated by the Students’ Union.
For those heading to UCC, of the four college-owned residences, Castlewhite, the one closest to campus, is already full, with the others nearing capacity. Prices range from €112 to €129 a week for the 39-week term, with utilities extra.
UCC also has a list of 28 Section 50 apartment complexes, with prices at €73 to €132 a week. Rental of a four-bed house around College Road costs up to €850 a month. First years opting for digs can expect to pay from €100 to €130 for a five-day bed and board arrangement.
Heading west, the University of Limerick reserves 1,000 rooms for its first years. While only a few hundred rooms remain at its Thomond and Cappavilla student villages, the college “tries to guarantee accommodation for every first-year student” a spokeswoman says.
Students can expect to pay €4,515 a year for rooms in these shared units, where the price covers all utilities including broadband and cable TV.
UL also provides a list of off-campus accommodation options. A four-bed house in Castletroy will work out at about €75 per room per week, according to a local estate agent. Reassuringly, the college says: “There’s definitely no need to worry, there is plenty of accommodation for UL students.”
University College Galway recommends accommodation in 10 student residences, of which Corrib Village is on campus. The others are within easy reach. A single room in a Corrib Village apartment costs €3,929 and utilities are an extra €550.
The college also provides listings of private rented accommodation. “We team up first years and try to send them off to get a house together,” a spokeswoman says. A single room in a house or apartment nearby will set you back about €90 to €100 a week.
While the college provides digs listings too, demand for these has dropped in recent years.
Flat sense: rent or buy?
DUBLIN
Dublin-based students can expect a shortage of rentals this year, according to Lisney's John O'Sullivan, with the young professionals who are holding off on buying squeezing students out.
"If you ring any agent and say I'm looking to rent a property for my son or daughter going to college, they don't want you because they don't want a nine-month rental and they want a professional tenant," he says.
With property prices at an all time low, is now the time for parents with a college-bound brood to invest?
"We've been meeting with people in the last few weeks looking at that, but the stock of available properties has fast dwindled," says O'Sullivan.
Having recently sold a two-bed apartment in Dublin 2 for €150,000, he says this would have been a good investment for parents but warns the number of units for sale close to colleges is limited.
CORK
Leeside, Sherry FitzGerald's Paul Reid recently sold a clutch of three-bed Section 50 apartments within walking distance of UCC for between €90,000 and €100,000.
"There was a huge demand for them," he says, with purchasers paying cash.
While some buyers were "just looking for somewhere to put their money", others were parents.
"If you can pick up an apartment or a house for €90,000-€100,000, you're probably going to save that in rent if you have three or four kids going to college here."
LIMERICK
In Section 50 student accommodation in Limerick, students can expect to pay about €90 a week, excluding utilities, says Mark O'Donoghue of Hickey ODonoghue estate agents.
He says while he is getting inquiries from parents about purchasing units in such schemes, the banks are the problem.
"When it comes to apartments the banks are effectively closed for business, so it's more or less cash buyers you are looking at."
Tips for students
1. Is the accommodation safe and conveniently located near the college, shops and bus routes? Factor in the cost of transport
2. What bills are you going to have to pay on top of rent – heating, electricity, internet, cable TV, bin charges?
3. Check all locks on doors and windows, the alarm, fire alarm, and fire extinguishers, and know who else has keys
4. Check up front that the cooker, vacuum cleaner, shower and microwave work
5. Check for hidden damp and mould behind beds and wardrobes
6. Dont sign a lease unless you understand it
7. Get a receipt every time you hand over money
8. Make an inventory of all utensils and equipment signed by both you and the landlord
9. Be a decent tenant, clean up, be conscious of other people living with you and next door
10. Pay your bills before you leave, and clean up. Your landlord has the right to make deductions from your deposit to fix problems
(Adapted from the USI Rent Book and Accommodation Guide 2012)
See also: Renting in Ireland - The Tenant Survival Guide (renting.ie)
