I move:
That leave be granted to introduce a Bill entitled an Act to amend the Residential Tenancies Act 2004 and the Planning and Development (Housing) and Residential Tenancies Act 2016 to give students living in student specific accommodation under license the full protections of the Residential Tenancies Acts, including access to the Residential Tenancies Board and inclusion in the rent pressure zones.
As most Deputies know, there has been a crisis in student accommodation across the State for many years. The Government has estimated that approximately 25,000 additional student-specific accommodation units are needed. There has been increased investment, especially from international investors, in recent years. Approximately 40 student-specific accommodation projects have been completed recently or are under way. Approximately €400 million is being invested in these projects which will provide approximately 5,000 student beds.
While any investment in increased student accommodation is welcome, the rent increases being encountered by students are not. It is increasingly the case that the rents being charged in student-specific accommodation are substantially out of the reach of students and families with modest or low incomes. This was highlighted recently by the significant controversy at Shanowen Square and Shanowen Hall near DCU, where rents are set to increase by between 20% and 27% from the last academic year to the next academic year. That means students will have between €8,300 and €8,700 in rent over the course of the academic year, which equates to a monthly rent of between €925 and €966. Rents in Shanowen Hall have increased by over 100% since 2014.
I commend the students of DCU on the Shanowen shakedown protest, which brought this matter to the attention of the public. The problem of excessive rents is not confined to that part of the city. Indeed, student campus accommodation in UCD can cost between €700 and €1,000 a month for nine months of the year. Most Deputies on all sides of the Chamber have been asking who can afford such rents. The answer is very simple. Only students from very wealthy families or from overseas can afford them. The maximum SUSI maintenance grant for an individual is between €3,000 and €5,000, which means students from low-income or modest-income families are increasingly unable to cover their rent from their grants, let alone look after other areas of their student lives.
The simple Bill before the House seeks to amend the definition of "a tenancy" in the Residential Tenancies Acts to include student licences. Having spoken to officials in the Residential Tenancies Board, I understand the board is not sure whether student licences are covered under the Residential Tenancies Acts. The board is encouraging students to take a case to it to ascertain whether such licences are covered. Regardless of whether that transpires, there is a strong case for providing legal clarity by amending the relevant Acts. Deputy Funchion and I are introducing this Bill for that reason.
The Bill proposes to include student licences under the provisions of the Residential Tenancies Acts, thereby ensuring properties in the affected areas are covered by the rent pressure zones and giving those living in student properties access to the Residential Tenancies Board for the resolution of disputes relating to deposits and maintenance, etc.
It would give them a level of protection they do not have. There has been widespread political support from Deputies of all parties for the student protests in Dublin City University and a measure such as this which is very simple and straightforward should receive unanimous support across the House.
It is our intention in Sinn Féin to bring forward this Bill in Private Members' time at an early opportunity to try to give students the protections they rightly deserve in advance of the next academic year. I have introduced the legislation on First Stage and it is our intention to bring it forward on Second Stage. I ask all Members of the House and, in particular, the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government to give the matter serious consideration. If the wording of our Bill is not appropriate, I ask him to work with us to amend it to ensure students do not face rent increases of 27% or more, whether in DCU or elsewhere across the State.
