In light of the current National Housing Crisis, the Union of Students in Ireland is calling on all third level students across the country to take part in the 2018 national housing survey, aimed at understanding the student experience of accommodation.  The study comes amidst shortages in student accommodation and is designed to gather information both about students’ current experiences and their preferences in housing. Students are encouraged to take part in the survey and ask others to engage, sharing the survey through social media and encouraging fellow students to have their voices heard on this vital issue. Speaking about the National Student Housing Survey, USI President Síona Cahill said: “While digs are a viable alternative accommodation because of the rising cost of living in the private rental sector and lack of available accommodation, we however continue to press government to accelerate the production of affordable purpose built student accommodation. We would like students to share their housing experiences through this survey. Without this information, it is hard to prove what difficulties students are facing on a daily basis in addition to all other aspects of their education” The survey is part of the #HomesForStudy campaign, the pioneering effort to urge homeowners to offer spare rooms as digs to students in need of accommodation studying in the area. While the Homes For Study campaign has just ended for this academic year, the survey will contribute to evaluating its impact while gathering evidence of student housing experiences in Ireland. Notes
  • The #HomesForStudy campaign is supported by the Irish Government
  • Private homeowners can earn up to €14,000 tax free earnings by renting out just one spare rooms to students in need of accommodation.
  • This survey investigates what kind of accommodation students really want.
  • USI is continually tracking significant pressure on the private rental market.
  • USI have promoted the Homes For Study campaign for 2 years now, through online campaigns and national leaflet distributions.
  • Findings of this study will be launched in 2019.
  • Quick key findings from 2017 USI National Housing Survey:
    • 429 out of 7,000 homeless on the night Census 2016 was taken were students.
    • 26% of students don’t know if their property has been registered with RTB (in privately rented accommodation)
    • Less than half of those who stay in privately rented accommodation, have signed a written contract
    • More info can be found here https://usi.ie/welfare/studenthousingreport/
  • Link to survey is http://research.usi.ie/index.php/419656