Students now extend search for accommodation to county towns

Third level students in the Galway City are being forced to consider taking accommodation as far away as Tuam, Loughrea and Oughterard.

The shortage of accommodation in the city means that many students are looking at renting rooms up to 20 miles from NUI Galway and GMIT.

The Students’ Union at NUIG issued an urgent appeal for homeowners to consider renting a room to students who are struggling to find accommodation.

Earlier this week, there were more than 260 available rooms advertised on the NUIGstudentpad.ie website – however, many of the rooms available were in areas such as Moycullen, Spiddal, Oughterard, Headford, Athenry, Tuam and Loughrea.

One county homeowner who has advertised a room for rent said: “It’s [Athenry] the ideal satellite town with the rail and bus links into the city. Even if it’s just for one semester for a first year to get their bearings.”

SU President Jimmy McGovern, the accommodation crisis has put some students’ education at risk.

“The lack of accommodation here in Galway City has now become a serious issue putting access to education at risk for many students. We are inundated with queries from students looking for accommodation.

“In particular there is a huge amount of visiting students that will just be attending NUI Galway for one semester, September to December or January to May, who are desperately in need of accommodation. We would encourage anyone with a spare room to strongly consider renting to a student as soon as possible,” said Mr McGovern.

Under the Rent a Room Scheme, homeowners can earn up to €12,000 per annum tax-free by renting a room. The option is also available to just rent a room for one semester to a visiting student if homeowners are uncertain about getting into a long term arrangement.

There are various options available to those wishing to rent a room to students including the option of digs where meals can be provided or just a straightforward rental agreement.

Rooms advertised for rent this week range from €100 to €180 per week, depending on whether meals are provided.