About time.

The government is planning to introduce a bill that will ban 51-week student leases, ideally in time for the Dáil summer recess. This would mean that the legislation could be in place for the upcoming academic year starting in September.

In Ireland, a typical academic year for students lasts between September and May (just 35 weeks). Despite this, some student accommodation providers enforce minimum 51-week leases. Often, these providers do not allow subletting, forcing thousands of students to pay rent while they are not living there.

Taoiseach Simon Harris has been working on this issue since before taking office as Minister of Further and Higher Education. In February, Harris stated that he will amend existing legislation to make it “crystal clear” that planning permission for student accommodation will require the mandatory lease period to be confined to the academic year.

The Journal reported in February that some students renting student accommodation in Dublin pay, on average, €3000 more a year due to private student accommodation providers extending their lease beyond term time.

The 51 week student lease discriminates against international students, and students studying in the capital but live elsewhere in Ireland. It creates unnecessary financial burden, and prevents some students from moving home during summer.

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