A report on the demand for and supply of student accommodation in Ireland published by the Higher Education Authority in 2015 estimated that in the previous year of 2014, there was an estimated demand of 51,104 student beds.
The amount of beds supplied that year by third-level institutions and private student accommodation was estimated to be 31,296. This means there was an estimated 25,808 beds which were still required and which therefore spills over into the private rental sector. They further estimated that in 2019, this figure would be 23,159 and 25,182 in 2024. The remaining 20,000 or so student beds must be obtained through the private rental sector.
However, according to a rental report published by Daft.ie in 2016, it is estimated that there were less than 3,700 properties to rent nationwide. Yet this shortage in rental properties is not the only problem that students face. They are not alone in this rental market and their competitors include young professionals and families to name but a few.
The competition is extremely tight and often students are faced with no alternative but to accept and contend with substandard accommodation. Whether it be an unresponsive landlord or the opposite; a landlord overstepping their mark in terms of privacy, inadequate and sometimes unsafe housing conditions or difficult neighbours.
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