As if renting in Ireland isn't bad enough, students are getting ripped off more than anyone else. According to new research, student accommodation fraud is at an all-time high, and Ireland has the highest incidences in the EU. Wow.
A HousErasmus+ survey found nearly one-third of students in a third-level college had experienced fraud while looking for accommodation, and at 29%, this figure was the highest rate in the EU, more than double the average of 12% for all 8,000 students who had studied at 600 institutions in almost 30 European countries.
Types of fraud varied from being asked for a deposit in return for a posted key that never comes, and fake ads on social media or rental sites.
The survey results also show Irish accommodation costs were higher than expected for 77% of the 108 students who took part in the survey, compared to an average of 43% across the EU, making it just as expensive as the UK.
Irish Council for International Students director Sheila Power told the Irish Examiner the levels of fraud experienced by students, particularly international ones, is quite concerning.
“Ireland is rated among the worst in Europe when it comes to the experience of international students trying to find accommodation. This is hardly compatible with our international education strategy to increase international student numbers by 27% over the next couple of years.”
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This is not a new thing either - back in 2015, Conor Clancy, formerly from TCD Students’ Union, told theJournal.ie scammers are aware of the rapid uptake of accommodation and often target students with little experience of the rental market.
Here's some tips for students who are looking to rent student accommodation:
- Make sure that you get a receipt for your deposit
- Be wary of long-distance landlords who request you to wire funds through Western Union or other electronic transfer services and say they'll post the key
- Look out for grammatical errors all over a post
- Do research into a property
- Never give any money until you personally inspect a property.
Have you ever experienced accommodation fraud or know someone who has?
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