NUI Galway Students’ Union, GMIT Students’ Union and Galway West TDs are asking local landlords who rent to students to consider advertising their properties earlier in the summer to avoid the end-of-August rush for students searching for accommodation for the 2018/19 academic year.
The purpose of this is to give students peace of mind over the summer months that they have secured a roof over their head for September as opposed to anxiously waiting on rental advertisements in August.
Following high-profile increases in rent rates in student accommodation in Galway City, many students are being forced to look for alternatives in the private rental market as opposed to purpose built-student accommodation.
“Digs”, rooms and houses can be advertised for free at homes.usi.ie a national student specific letting website set-up by the Union of Students in Ireland to stream-line communication between landlords and students.
Landlords can also advertise all types of accommodation for free on the NUI Galway accommodation website www.nuigstudentpad.ie.
It is worth noting that landlords can rent out rooms in their homes tax free up to a cap of €14,000 per annum.
President of NUI Galway Students’ Union Lorcán Ó Maoileannaigh said: “Students should not have to wait until the August rush to secure accommodation for the coming academic year.
“We are asking landlords to advertise their accommodation through the homes.usi.ie and www.nuigstudentpad.ie websites ASAP so that students can secure housing at the beginning of the summer rather than having to wait until the week before lectures begin.
“As we can see there is cross-party support to help our students achieve their academic potential. The Galway community as a whole can do more for these students who contribute so much to the local economy.”
