Government chaos worsens student rent nightmare
Government chaos worsens student rent nightmare - The Labour Party
Labour’s Further and Higher Education spokesperson Senator Laura Harmon has slammed the Minister for Housing’s latest U-turn on student accommodation. This comes following his concession that there will be no special exemption for students under the new Rent Pressure Zone legislation, which is not what was said last week. This will pile even more pressure on students scrambling to find affordable accommodation.
Senator Harmon said:
“Only last week, the Minister for Housing assured students that protections would be in place under the new RPZ rules. Now students who sign a new lease each year could face huge rent hikes. This is utter chaos and shows how little thought has gone into these reforms.
“Students are already under huge financial pressure. They are now looking at the real risk of rent jumps every September if they need to move or sign a new lease. It is unacceptable that the Government would allow this to happen.
“Once again, we see the same pattern: students and their families left to pay the price for poor planning and spin. It is now mid-June — every year we hear promises that the student housing crisis will be tackled, yet every August and September, we see students forced into overcrowded, poor-quality accommodation or pushed into exhausting daily commutes from far outside their college towns.
“This fiasco makes it crystal clear that we need more purpose-built student accommodation. We cannot keep relying on the private rental sector to house students. Many so-called student options are overpriced, overcrowded or simply not fit for purpose.
“Universities want to build more accommodation for their students but often face red tape and funding blocks. Government must get serious and support third-level institutions to deliver secure, affordable housing. Students should not have to choose between a long, draining commute, paying sky-high rents, or dropping out of college altogether. That is the reality facing too many young people today, and it is not good enough.
“It is clear we need answers, not more spin. The Housing Minister must come forward immediately and explain how students will be protected from unfair rent hikes under these new rules.
“The time for lip service is over. The student accommodation crisis is not new — but it is worse than ever. Government must invest in purpose-built student accommodation and make it easier for universities to provide safe, affordable homes for their students. There must also be support given to Technological Universities to allow them to borrow money so that can build and acquire student accommodation.’