With the Leaving Certificate exams approaching, the focus in many households will be whether enough points can be obtained to get into college. But now is the time for parents and their children to plan for the real costs and pitfalls involved in supporting a third-level student. Even though fees have been abolished, students still need a place to live, books, food, and some cash left for living expenses.

Not surprisingly, prices vary considerably throughout the State with Dublin the most expensive area for student accommodation.

Dublin City University estimates that basic student costs during the 1999/2000 university term of eight and a half months total approximately £4,760 (€6,044). This figure is based on rented, shared accommodation in a house or flat at an average cost of £210 per month and light/heat/power at £30. Food is estimated at £135 a month, monthly commuter tickets £41; books and other academic requisites, £35; clothes, laundry, medical expenses, £32; social life, other travel, miscellaneous, £77. This totals £560 a month.

The cost during the 1998/1999 academic year was £526 a month with a total of £4,471. The only price category estimated to be less expensive during the 1999/2000 term is "clothes, laundry, medical" which dropped to £32 from £35. Monthly travel prices have remained the same at £41 a month.

University College Galway estimates that student housing costs an average of £180; food, £170; books, £25; laundry, £20; recreation, £60; other expenses £25. This totals £480 a month and over eight and a half months it is £4,080.

Rental accommodation is the most variable cost for students during the year and presents the biggest pitfall. In the property boom, housing demand far outstrips supply. Therefore, finding a decent, affordable place to live is a major headache for students and parents. The problem is compounded by some unscrupulous landlords who charge exorbitant prices, provide sub-standard accommodation or both.

By law, landlords are required to register each unit of property every year. Registration is meant to safeguard against substandard accommodation. Unfortunately, lack of registration enforcement by local authorities means there are few real checks on landlords says Mr Ciaran Murphy, director of Threshold, an organisation dedicated to the improvement of housing conditions.

"Registration is a key problem that we're very conscious of because overall, only 20 per cent of properties are registered," Mr Murphy said. In fact, even those who have registered in the past are failing to resubmit because of the low enforcement rate.

In terms of insurance, Threshold recommends that landlords take out public liability insurance although there is no law requiring them to do so. This insurance would cover any accidents that occur on the property.

Students who take computers, stereos or other expensive items into their accommodation may want to take out home contents insurance to guard against theft or damage.

Mr Murphy says it is nearly impossible to get home contents insurance if renting privately. This is especially true if a student rents a place where multiple units share a front door, such as an apartment building, because insurers are unlikely to view them as a good security risk.

According to the Irish Insurance Federation , insurers are more likely to provide home contents insurance to renters than they were a few years ago. Newer accommodation in particular is viewed as a lower risk due to the security features integrated into the housing design.

When students are looking for a place to live, they should be aware that certain minimum standards are required under the Housing (Standards for Rented Houses) Regulations, 1993. For each dwelling, a landlord is required to: ensure the property is in a proper state of structural repair; provide a sink with hot and cold water; provide toilet and bath or shower facilities; provide means for heating and for installing cooking equipment and storing food.

Other requirements relate to the maintenance of electricity or gas installations, common facilities for cooking, food storage, toilets, sinks, baths and showers. Proper ventilation and lighting are required in each room. A secure handrail is also required for any common stairway.

"Because there is such unprecedented demand, landlords are in a prime position to charge increasingly high rent," said Mr Murphy.

"Where demand outstrips supply and the Government is unwilling to make a move, people are vulnerable to exploitation. There's nothing to suggest that difficulties in the sector will ease," he said.

Another problem sometimes faced by students is the insecurity of tenure in accommodation. Landlords sometimes insist that tenants are on monthly tenancy rather than a longer lease arrangement. This means the possibility each month that a tenant may be asked to leave or pay a rent increase. The only obligation a landlord has towards tenants without a lease is to give four week's notice, said Mr Murphy.