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Minister Michael Finneran launches USI Rent Book

27/08/09

Mr. Michael Finneran T.D., Minister for Housing and Local Services, today (27 August 2009) launched the Union of Students in Ireland (USI) Rent Book at an event in Trinity College, Dublin. An annual publication, the USI Rent Book is a guide to the rental market for students and includes information on the obligations and rights of tenants, the Private Residential Tenancies Board (PRTB) and safety and standards in rented accommodation. The Minister paid tribute to USI for the booklet which, he said, deals with a broad range of tenant and landlord issues in a clear and comprehensive way. He also complimented USI for highlighting and communicating important fire safety issues to students, especially those living away from home for the first time.

Welcoming recent developments in the rental market the Minister said “…we have made significant progress in developing the wider private rented sector in recent years. Standards are improving, choice has increased and we have a stable regulatory framework. When one considers that rents are also falling it must be said that this is a good time to be a tenant in the private rented sector.”

Commenting on a recently completed study, conducted at the behest of the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government and the Department of Education and Science, on third level access to, and views on, accommodation in the private rented sector, Minister Finneran said that “ An efficient, fair and well-run private rented sector is an important aspect of my Department’s overall housing strategy….I am pleased to say that, in general, the experience of most students in the private rented sector is a positive one…the days when a shortage of accommodation necessitated a choice for students between affordability and quality are, thankfully, no longer with us.”

The study, which was coordinated by the Private Residential Tenancies Board, with input from both Departments and the USI, finds broad satisfaction in the third level sector with the private rental market and will be published shortly.


ENDS


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