For many future college students, the prospect of living in a student accommodation is a chance for a new-found freedom. This, however, could not be further from the truth. Student housing is struggling, yet it is not just the rent prices that are at the root of the problem. What students need from Halls and the likes is at least a shred of faith in their competence.
The reality of student housing in Dublin, alternating between rent freezes and rising rent costs, has been at an all-time low for much longer than can be pardoned. The cost of close to €8000, according to the University Times, for what the accommodations really offers is preposterous and puts a strain on already financially struggling students. Meanwhile, those who were not lucky enough to win the lottery (the admissions process) are forced to rely on third-party accommodations, which sell out months in advance and whose costs are almost unimaginable. Paying for utilities should not come at the price of two weeks worth of grocery shopping. This, unfortunately, is the reality for many.
International students and those whose drive to College well exceeds the possibility of commuting are now facing the living conditions which seem appalling at this price point. The money which students pour into their housing translates into mould on window sills, flooding showers, and occasional lack of hot water. To have to withstand these conditions, which are at best inconvenient and at worst detrimental to one’s well-being, should not be considered typical to student housing. At the very least, it should come at much lower prices, which, looking at student accommodations in other European countries, is attainable; single rooms in Lisbon or Hamburg come at a weekly rate of around €100, compared to Dublin’s nearly €300.
There appears to be a dissonance between wanting students to accept these conditions in an adult manner, and treating them like children playing house. Until recently, the overnight guest policy loomed over the residents of Trinity Hall and the College’s on-campus accommodation.Overhauled by the Residential Tenancies Board in February 2025, the policy restricted the residents’ ability to sign-in their guests past midnight, putting a strain on the students’ sexual freedom and being a “breach of privacy” as stated by former TCDSU President László Molnárfi. The very fact of how recent this seemingly obvious development is shines light on the paternalistic nature of the administration which does not provide the residents with the basic rights they require as tenants. This is an issue of more than sexual rights – it is a testament to the discrimination of student renters, who deserve to be treated as any other tenants.
The overhaul of the overnight guest policy is a step in the right direction for student accommodation, but it does not account for all the other policies inhibiting student freedom. Take, for instance, the unwritten balcony policy of which Trinity Hall residents are informed about upon arrival – the balconies attached to some of the flats are not to be opened or used in any way. Whether the balconies have not been maintained in accordance with health standards, or whether this is an arbitrary rule, it appears to be yet another case of the administration disallowing the tenants to make use of the equipment they are paying for. The alcohol policies fall under that same umbrella – despite the JCR frequently organising student nights out with complementary drinks for the ticket buyers, none of the said drinks can leave the premises of the canteen, making the alcohol consumption rule quite hypocritical. The anxiety of getting caught with an X-Lite instills a genuine fear of consequences in the residents and creates the necessity of sneaking around à la schoolchildren, leading one to think that the regulations are attempting to prevent college students from being college students.
Speaking to The University Times, a resident of Trinity Hall in academic year 2024-2025 stated that they “understand why they’re doing that, because so many people come from different backgrounds and not everyone knows how to live in these conditions” but that room inspections are a step too far. If the living conditions in College accommodations are not to resemble the title of “prison,” which Halls was awarded by multiple students in the course of the 2020 lockdown, then some of the regulations ought to be reconsidered.
Still, there is a lot of good resulting from the actions of the JCR. Just last year, the JCR Café was founded in Halls, providing the residents with a fresh, welcoming space as well as employment opportunities for the students. The empty space commonly known as the canteen, but which has not been serving any food in recent years, has finally found a new purpose. Together with the music room, the Social Convenience Store run by the dedicated Brian Lowe, and a third space in the form of Oldham House, Halls fosters an unforgettable atmosphere which for many can become a home away from home. Unlike most student accommodations, it creates a sense of community and belonging, for which it deserves to be applauded. It also offers various forms of support for students in need which, simultaneously, should not be the reason to impose infantile regulations to the point of it being insulting.
The reality of student housing is dire, this much cannot be denied. The costs are outrageous, and the living conditions are unsatisfactory. What needs to happen in order for the realities to change lies in not only dedicating to rent freezes and providing more housing options, but shifting the very approach to the student renters that the College seems to have. If students continue being treated as children in need of supervision, rather than consenting adults, no change will be made. And if the students are to be treated as children, then they shouldn’t be carrying the weight of living in an unaffordable, inconducive-to-their-social-lives environment on their shoulders.
