The Minister for Higher Education, Patrick O’Donovan, says his Department doesn’t want to overregulate families who are providing “digs” accommodation to students.
The Dail has been debating the issue of further protections for young people who stay in a family home during their time at university.
Sinn Féin wants to see the renters given more rights, including a minimum of 30 days’ notice if the homeowner wants them to leave.
Speaking on South East Radio’s Morning Mix, the Sinn Fein Spokesperson on Further and Higher Education Mairead Farrell said that even the basic right of being able to lock your door, is not available under current legislation, saying:
“One of the things that shocked me when I looked at this whole thing was the fact that you don’t have the right to lock your bedroom door. Now most students will tell you that something as innocent as a small toddler who doesn’t understand that you’re not really a part of the family might be running in and running out of the bedroom. Parents and students alike would be concerned that there could be a more sinister element as well to that. The other thing is that there aren’t protections there like notice periods at all. So that impacts both on the person that is renting the room, but also on the person that actually rented out the room.”
