Students warned of housing scams ahead of new academic year

Students have been warned to beware of scams when looking for accommodation for the upcoming academic year.

National housing charity Threshold has partnered with the Irish Council for International Students (ICOS) and the Union of Students Ireland (USI) as part of its annual ‘Scamwatch’ campaign to raise awareness around fraudulent housing scams.

Over 250,000 students are expected to return to college this year, with over 100,000 living in the private rental market, as previously indicated by 2023 figures.

However, the limited supply and the cost of purpose-built student accommodation means many students will look elsewhere for available properties.

USI Vice President for Welfare, Niamh Doherty said: “We know it can be especially hard for first years and international students, who don’t have as much time to get their accommodation sorted. It is even harder when there is such a shortage of accommodation, and everything is so expensive.

“Students can get desperate, and it can be really easy to fall victim to scams, so we hope this campaign can guide them on what to look out for and how to spot a scam if they encounter one."

Threshold said that international students are at particular risk of falling for scams, as language barriers present challenges when looking online for housing.

Executive Director of IOS Laura Harmon said: “Due to this language barrier, our research has found that more than one in four international students use group chats and social media pages to find accommodation, where scams are particularly prevalent and as a result, are more likely to fall victim to an accommodation scam.

“We carried out a survey with 819 participants late last year that found 13% of these had been the victim of an accommodation scam, but only 11% of this cohort reported the crime to authorities."

The 'Scamwatch' initiative encourages students to reach out to Threshold and ask for help if they are unsure about a property they are hoping to rent.

Threshold has useful resources available at www.threshold.ie/advocacy-campaign/scamwatch/.

The helpline is open Monday to Friday, 9am- 9pm at 1800 454 454, with webchat option available at www.threshold.ie/get-help/ for any renter in need of advice or support.