Maynooth University's SU President Calls Out Over-Charging Landlords

With the entire country suffering through a housing crisis, some of the people who are being severely affected are students and their parents. Not only are students in Dublin suffering, not being able to afford the cost of rent while trying to get a decent third level education, but students in Maynooth are also feeling the pressure.

With the cost of rent sky-rocketing all over the country, students are finding it hard to survive while working the hours of a full time job and going to college in order to pay for accommodation. Landlords are beginning to hike up the prices of student accommodation, which is putting a lot of strain on families across the nation, and one SU president is calling landlords out for posting extortionate rates for accommodation on one of the Maynooth University accommodation pages.

Leon Diop, Maynooth’s Student Union President, posted to Twitter to express his outrage after a landlord from the area posted an advertisement for a room on one of the universities accommodation Facebook pages, which showed the shocking rise in prices that is unacceptable for students who are attending the University this year.

He explained how this price of 150 euro a week would have covered two weeks rent in past years, but that landlords are now taking advantage of the housing crisis and charging twice as much as what it was. He goes on to say to the landlord in his message that “600 euro a month is too much to be charging a student” and that he has decided to not advertise the post on the universities accommodation page in order to protect the students.

Leon has made it his mission to tell landlords what he thinks, saying that they “are getting HEAT” from him, personally.

A landlord trying to charge €150 weekly in Maynooth. I remember a time when that was two weeks rent. Anyways low battery or not, tonight these landlords are getting HEAT. pic.twitter.com/UzTpPJKY3O

— Leon Diop (@DiopLeon) August 19, 2018

This isn’t the first stand students have taken against landlords who are charging ridiculous amounts of money for student accommodation around different colleges. During the year, DCU’s students union took it upon themselves to protest against the rise in rent in Shanowen, which is student accommodation next to the college, who were attempting to charge 10,000 euro for a nine months lease.

With the lack of accommodation around universities, students and their families are beginning to feel the cost pressure that comes with going to university, making it more difficult for students to gain the experience and education that college brings. Supporting the Student Unions choice to stand up against these landlords will benefit students in the long run, and hopefully make a difference for years to come.