College accommodation: Rent pressure zone loopholes a barrier for students

An Oireachtas committee will hear that the lack of accommodation is the biggest barrier to students in Ireland accessing and completing higher education.

Members of the Joint Committee on Further and Higher Education will hear from Bryan O’Mahony, president of Amlé, the union of students in Ireland.

It comes after total monthly payments at on-campus student accommodation in Dublin increased by almost 7 per cent this year via fees that fall outside the scope of rent restrictions, according to The Irish Times.

Mandatory monthly service charges for the college park apartments at Dublin City University’s (DCU’s) Glasnevin campus increased from €87 in 2024 to €130 in 2025, tenant records show.

The rent rose from €755 to €768 per month. If the rent and service charge increases are bundled together, the overall monthly payment has risen by €55.51, or almost 7 per cent.

The complex is based within a rent pressure zone (RPZ), where rent increases are capped at 2 per cent per year or the rate of inflation, whichever is lower.

While the total mandatory monthly payments at the DCU accommodation went up by more than 2 per cent, this does not appear to break RPZ rules because the main increase is driven by the service charge, and not the actual rent.

In his opening statement to the committee, The Irish Times reports that Mr O’Mahony of Amlé will say students in Ireland are faced with a “critical shortage” in publicly-funded, purpose-built accommodation.

The cost of accommodation has become “unsustainable”, and many students are forced into insecure arrangements as a result.

Last week, the Department of Higher Education said the Student Accommodation Strategy has been delayed again and will now not be published until later this year.

Meanwhile, thousands of on-campus student beds across Dublin remain unbuilt despite being granted planning permission because of rising construction costs and a gap in Government funding.