It’s cheap, but could you see yourself living in this house in Crumlin?
€250 a month won’t get you very far if you’re looking for rental accommodation in Dublin these days.
If you happened to be looking in Crumlin, for example, with that sum of money, you could afford a man-made bunk bed in the living room of a three-bedroom house that you would be sharing with six other people.
Comfortable and spacious, it ain’t.
The exposure of this particular property in Crumlin is the subject of a campaign by UCD Students’ Union to warn students about what they can expect from the private rental sector, which is particularly relevant following the release of the first round of CAO offers today, August 21.
UCD student Katie Ascough started going undercover to dodgy house viewings (see video below) after her colleague Barry Murphy became too recognisable following a similar campaign weeks ago.
Commenting on her experience of the property in question, Ascough said: “We went to a place in Crumlin where a bed was going for €250 a month. When we got there, we saw that the bed was located in the living room above the couch.
“It was a man-made bunk bed. Basically, a grill of metal bars propped up by a cheap, DIY timber frame. It was in the living room because six other people were sharing the three available bedrooms.
“The place was an example of the lengths people are going to in Dublin. You have to go to ridiculous lengths to have an affordable rent if you’re not able to cough up €1,500 per month, which is the average rent in the city. An average rent beyond the reach of the average student and a lot of workers.”
The undercover campaign accompanies UCDSU’s work on their €14K project with TCD Students’ Union and Daft.ie to increase the amount of digs on the market. They’ve met with Housing Minister Eoghan Murphy, who has endorsed the project and promised that a funding arrangement for it will be set up in the coming weeks.
UCDSU are now looking to meet with Minister Mary Mitchell O’Connor – Minister of State with a special responsibility for Higher Education – in the hope that the Department of Education and Skills will match the funding made available by the Department of Housing so UCD, TCD & Daft.ie can expand this project further and get even more beds on the market for the thousands of new entrants today.
Digs are located in the primary residence of the homeowner, they’re generally of a higher standard than what’s currently available for a student price in the private rental sector and have decent hygiene, living space and working facilities.
They can also prove appealing to the homeowner providing the accommodation as, under Irish law, you can earn up to €14,000 in non-taxable income by letting empty rooms in your primary residence.
For more information on the campaign, check out the UCDSU website.
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