There's still no clarity on what college life will be like during the next academic year.
(Source: www.pixabay.com)Students are being warned not to hand over deposits for college accommodation until they know if they need it. There’s still no clarity on what the college year will be like, and how often students will need to attend campus.
The Union of Students of Ireland and Threshold have teamed up to urge students to hold off for the moment so they are not left out of pocket. It follows reports of landlords offering deals to students if they pay a deposit now.
The USI says some students have been offered two months’ free accommodation if they pay upfront now for the next academic year.
CEO of Threshold John Mark McCafferty says students don’t know yet if they need accommodation while Lorna Fitzpatrick, president of the USI, says students need to sit tight for the moment:
She explained the situation:
"The reality is that we don't know what the new academic year is going to look like and unfortunately, students could sign into contracts now that they may not need".
"They're being sold as really good discounts and so on for students at the moment but as I say, they don't know if they need that accommodation just yet".
Both the USI and Threshold are calling on landlords to show flexibility.
