Students from UCD are going undercover around the city to highlight the shocking state of the capital’s housing market.
The UCD Student’s Union (UCDSU) is using Snapchat to warn renters about what they can expect when they enter the housing market – and they are hoping their videos can make it to the Housing Minister Eoghan Murphy.
The students said they have uncovered some shameful housing offers since starting their investigation – with landlords attempting to pack up to 15 people into a house with one bathroom and others asking for deposits and rent in cash with no contract.
You can catch up with some of their experiences below:
On The Pat Kenny Show today UCDSU officer Barry Murphy said it has now gotten to the point where students are being offered derelict buildings for exorbitant prices.
“One of the places I visited, it was being advertised as €150 a week,” he said. “When I got there it was €750 a month and it was to share a room with two strangers.”
“The house was semi-derelict if you like; there was cracks everywhere, there was damp, there was mould, there was holes for vermin to enter the building.”
The UCDSU has also teamed up with the Trinity students union and Daft.ie in a €14,000 project aiming to increase the amount of student digs on the market.
They have been attempting to meet with the housing minister in recent weeks in an effort to scale up the project – which converts vacant rooms to student beds.
The union said the advantage of digs – a room in a house with shared facilities – is that because they are located in the primary residence of the homeowner, they are generally of a higher standard than what is currently available.
“This isn't just an attempt to stir the pot,” said Mr Murphy. “We've put €14K together with Trinity SU and we're trying to get better quality rooms on the market.
“We want some of these clips to reach Minister Murphy so he sees how bad the housing situation is and so his department responds to invitations from UCD Students' Union and Trinity Students' Union to meet on student housing.”
You can listen back to Barry Murphy's appearance on The Pat Kenny Show here:
