Shift to remote learning leaves one in four student beds empty

A quarter of all beds in Galway’s largest purpose-build student accommodation complexes lie vacant at the start of the new college year – as students stay home and learn remotely.

Winters Property Management, which manages almost 2,000 beds at four NUIG and GMIT-related buildings in the city, has confirmed demand for places in student apartments has fallen significantly due to Covid-19.

The uncertainty created by Covid-19, and the move towards more online and remote learning this semester due to the health pandemic, has dampened demand for digs, according to the largest operator of third level student accommodation in the country.

“In Galway, compared to other sites in less popular towns, and compared to Dublin where there was a stricter lockdown, numbers have remained reasonably okay.

“But occupancy rates have gone from in the region of 95% or 96% to averaging about 75% or 76%, and they vary across sites,” said Enda McGuane, Managing Director of Winters Property Management.

Winters manages Dúnaras, Gort na Coiribe, Centrepoint and Glasán in Galway. And while they have been busier than many other student accommodation units in places like Athlone and Sligo, demand is weaker than previous years, fuelled by uncertainty.

A later Leaving Cert, later CAO offers and deferred start to the college year means that the process of confirming and registering tenancies has been delayed.

See full coverage of this – and the Covid crisis – in this week’s Connacht Tribune, on sale in shops now. Or you can download a digital copy from our website www.connachtribune.ie