More than 350 students due to move into newly-built accommodation in Dublin city at the end of this month have been told the housing will not be ready until October..
Hundreds of students due to move into Ardee Point, run by accommodation provider Nido, were told this week that the housing would not be ready until October 1st.
In an email to tenants, seen by The Irish Times, the company said the hold-up was due to construction delays.
“Due to Covid restrictions, pauses in construction and the cost and availability of materials, plus Government limits to the numbers of workers allowed on site throughout the pandemic, we have been notified by our construction partner that there is a delay to the opening of the building,” it said.
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“We have had to move out the opening date to October 1st, 2022. We’re very sorry to bring you this frustrating news,” the email said.
Rent for rooms in the building, which is located in Dublin 8 near St Patrick’s Cathedral, range upwards from €265 a week. Students had been due to move into the accommodation on August 27th.
Nido said it wanted to apologise to the students affected by the delay. “Without the necessary building certification, we simply cannot open the building legally and safely,” it said.
The company said it was waiving rent until the end of next January for students staying for the year, or four weeks’ rent for those staying for one semester. Alternatively, Nido said students could cancel their contracts and would not lose their deposits.
“To date the vast majority of students who have responded are accepting the deferred date and waived rent offer. We have also managed to secure some temporary accommodation for those students who are unable to defer their start date,” the company said.
Students’ unions have warned of an accommodation crisis as the college year approaches, due to high rents and a shortage of available housing.
In an email to students this week Nido apologised for the “distress or inconvenience” caused by the delay. “The wellbeing and safety of our residents is our first priority. We hope you understand this is due to circumstances outside of our control and we continue to strive to make your experience with us a positive one,” the company said.
One resident who moved to Ireland this month to study in Trinity College Dublin said he had to search for accommodation for September in an “already heated housing market”. Students due to move in had been upset by the short notice given by the company and would struggle to secure alternative housing in just 10 days, he said.
