Students of NUI Galway and the GMIT must not sign long term student accommodation leases until they know how long they will be physically spending on campus due to the situation with Covid-19.
This is the view of Fianna Fáil Galway City East councillor, Alan Cheevers, who has written to both third-level institutes, calling on them to "provide clarity" in relation to student accommodation. ""Students should not sign long term leases because they might only require accommodation one or two days a week depending on Covid-19," he said.
Cllr Cheevers has also called on the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Simon Harris, to demand that third-level institutions provide "more clarity" to students "who do not know what to do when it comes to their housing needs" for the new academic year.
"This is a testing time for students," he said. "The academic year is about to start and, at present, many feel left in limbo in relation to their accommodation needs. They need clarity before handing over deposits to landlords."
