This week Trinity College Dublin Students’ Union (TCDSU), alongside students’ unions from DCU, UCD, NCAD, and IADT, launched their “Digs Drive” in advance of university students moving to the capital for their studies.
The three day initiative sought to address the ongoing accommodation crisis facing students. A press release from the organisers stated how: “the chronic shortage of rental accommodation in Dublin has put the pursuit of education and the on-campus student experience of a growing number of prospective and returning students at risk”.
The drive saw the five Dublin based students’ unions urging residents who live near their colleges to consider renting a room out to students for the upcoming academic year.
The Digs Drive began at 7am on August 13 when elected representatives from each respective union began distributing flyers to individuals making their way to work from Connolly Station.
The distribution of flyers reconvened again that evening between 5pm and 7pm to target those embarking on their commute home at Pearse Street Station, Tara Street Station and the GPO.
This tactic was replicated on Wednesday and Thursday as well.
A post made to social media by TCDSU revealed that a total of 3500 leaflets were distributed to commuters over the three day long drive.
Figures provided by the initiative’s organisers show that a total of 3395 students have registered for the service while an additional 782 landlords have signed up.
Currently 214 properties have been approved for the initiative while a further 154 have been rejected. The initiative’s leaders have cited prices which are “usually too expensive” as the reason for these rejections.
Figures provided by TCDSU President Jenny Maguire show that the group dealt with a total of 251 cases in July 2024 as well as a further 194 cases as of August 19.
In a statement to Trinity News TCDSU President Jenny Magure said: “We stand out and beg people to rent a room because we believe in a better option for students than suffering.”
“This is a belief we must share for us all. We must all come together and reject the privatisation of all that was once good in this country, and push for a better future for all of us.”
“In a world that feels deprived of joy, it is radical to be hopeful, and I demand hope,” she concluded.
The Sinn Féin spokesperson on Further and Higher Education, Mairéad Farrell, spoke out in support of the Digs Drive: “I commend the student unions for their strong campaign to ensure that every young person who wants to go to college can go and find a place to live.”
The union representatives are emphasising the rent-a-room relief scheme in order to entice individuals to participate in the drive. Under this scheme homeowners can earn up to €14,000 per year tax-free for renting a room in their home out to a private tenant.
One does not have to own the property in order to qualify for rent-a-room relief making those who are tenants eligible to sub-let.
The Digs Drive comes following warnings to students by Gardaí to be wary of accommodation scams as the new academic year looms.
TCDSU has confirmed that they employ people to confirm that accommodation posted to their site is suitable.
TCDSU and their UCD counterpart also participated in a “Digs Drive” last year which saw former TCDSU President László Molnárfi call on “the government to treat housing as a human right, not as a commodity”.
Photo by Joe McCallion for Trinity News.
