The Union of Students in Ireland (USI ) deposited flyers into 100,000 homes across Ireland last week to promote the digs for students website www.homes.usi.ie
The USI is calling on homeowners to rent spare rooms to students and avail of up to €12,000 in tax-free rent per annum. This step-up in marketing of www.homes.usi.ie comes in conjunction with the release of the Leaving Cert results and CAO round one offers. The USI said this is a short-term solution to the lack of accommodation and is asking the public to lease out spare rooms to help with the crisis.
USI president, Annie Hoey, said they will be targeting homes across the country that are in close proximity to colleges: “We will be targeting houses located close to colleges across Ireland that have spare rooms,” she said.
“The flyers are a direct marketing means of informing the public on how bad the rental crisis is and how much money they can make from renting out spare bedrooms to students. Leasing out spare rooms is a very straightforward process, especially for parents whose children have flown the nest or who are attending college the other side of the country. The average cost of college per child is €11,000 annually and leasing out a room to a student will greatly help with this cost as you can make up to €12,000 annually tax-free.”
The USI says digs are a “win-win” for students and homeowners — students have all of the positives of living in a homely environment, and homeowners can make money tax-free by simply uploading pictures of the spare room(s ) with a brief description and monthly cost. Anyone interested in renting a room can do so by visiting www.homes.usi.ie, with the process taking about five minutes to complete.
