Brazilian student in Cork 'had to share a bed with two people at different times'
More than half (54%) of survey respondents agreed or strongly agreed their mental health had been impacted as a result of the housing crisis. File picture
A German student who came to study in Ireland spent four weeks living in his car, according to a study, which also revealed more than a tenth of international students had to share a bed with a stranger when they moved to Ireland.
The latest study from the Irish Council for International Students (Icos) comes as the council joins with the National Women’s Council and Threshold to meet with politicians in Leinster House to push for changes to the rental market.
They are seeking progress in legislating against sex for rent, as well as the provision of a national student accommodation strategy.
The report from ICOS found:
- More than half (54%) of respondents agreed or strongly agreed their mental health had been impacted as a result of the housing crisis;
- 14% of respondents said they shared a bed with someone they did not know before moving into their accommodation;
- 5% of female respondents said they had either received an offer to rent a room in Ireland in exchange for sex, or had seen a room that was being advertised in exchange for sex;
- A tenth said they had been a victim of an accommodation scam while here. Only 14% of respondents who said they were a victim of an accommodation scam reported the incident;
- 61% of respondents who said they were working reported half their monthly salary goes towards paying their rent;
- 20% of those who work said they spent 70% of their income on paying rent;
- 12% of respondents did not have access to a cooker; 10% said their accommodation did not have heating; and 38% did not have a lease agreement for their accommodation.
More than 500 students were interviewed for the survey. Among them was a German Erasmus student who reported they had been living in a car for four weeks.
A female student from Mexico said she had posted on social media she was looking for a room to rent. She said she received two responses “from men saying they had a room to rent and asking me what I could offer in exchange".
"One of them directly said that I could sleep with him, he then sent some obscene images.”
A French Erasmus student reported: "The owner [who has a studio in the house] asked after five days if I wanted to have sex with him.”
Meanwhile, among those who had to share a bed with a stranger was a Costa Rican English language student who said: "We pay so much money for such bad conditions, only one bathroom. I’m sharing a bed and room with a stranger so there is no privacy.”
A female Brazilian student based in Cork said she “even had to share a bed with two people at different times, whom I had never met before, until after a year and a half, I finally got my own room".
"We went through many emotional ups and downs with accommodations here.”
Executive director of Icos Senator Laura Harmon said the organisation was urging Justice Minister Jim O’Callaghan to “act without delay in ensuring there is a legislative ban on sex for rent".
Department of Justice officials have been liaising with the office of the Attorney General since an investigation into sex for rent in December 2021 in a bid to draw up legislation to ban the practice.
