Under this Residential Tenancies (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill, students will be among the hardest hit. At a time when students are already being pushed to the pin of their collar and students’ unions are having to set up food banks, the Government is choosing to turn its back on them once again with this Fianna Fáil-Fine Gael, rip-off rent hike Bill. Under these proposals, student-specific accommodation rents can be reset every three years, opening the door to higher rents and greater insecurity for students and their families. This student accommodation crisis did not appear overnight. Rather, it is the direct result of the Government’s failure to meet student accommodation targets and deliver publicly owned, genuinely affordable student accommodation. As a result, the majority of students are now forced into the private rental market and unsecure digs where they have little protection and even less certainty. The figures in reports speak for themselves. The number of student beds delivered is down 54% from 2024, with just 422 beds expected to be delivered this year. That is the lowest in over 20 years. That is a policy failure. The proposed changes will mean that students in private accommodation may now face year-on-year rent hikes with no real safeguards. At a time of spiralling costs, the Government is adding pressure instead of relief. The National Youth Council of Ireland has found that accommodation is now the single biggest cost-of-living issue for students and young people and, alarmingly, two thirds of those aged between 18 and 24 believe they would be better off living in another country. That is shameful and it is down to this Government. What protections will students in private accommodation be given? Where is the certainty of fairness? The Government needs to cut rents and introduce an emergency three-year ban on rent increases. Students and families need affordable rents, real protections and public investment rather than broken promises.

Sentiment score: -0.19