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The Residential Tenancies Board (RTB) website should always be your first port of call when it comes to any questions you may have about being a tenant. It has information on pretty much all aspects of renting in Ireland. If you cannot find the information you are looking for on the RTB website or below, you can:
Contact the Residential Tenancies Board
Contact Threshold for free legal advice on your rights as a tenant
Contact the UCC Accommodation and Community Life Office
Contact the Students’ Union Welfare Officer at welfare@uccsu.ie
If you are struggling to find accommodation please contact the UCC Accommodation and Community Life Office.
We suggest emailing the accommodation office in UCC at resservices@ucc.ie or calling +353 21 490 3849. They are an amazing resource and also manage Student Pad a UCC owned search engine whee you can search for accommodation options in the area of the University. You can access it here: https://studentpad.ucc.ie/Accommodation
Campus Accommodation refers to accommodation complexes owned by UCC.
Campus Accommodation typically opens its application window in February and remains open for one month. Once the application window closes all applicants are included in a random selection lottery. All applicants, regardless of when they applied or any other criteria, have the same chance of being offered a room.
If Campus Accommodation is your priority, it is also advisable to try to book a room in a private complex as well.
The private complexes generally begin accepting applications from January/February. Please be aware that the most popular options may fill in a matter of minutes and are generally at a higher price point than Campus Accommodation. We would also suggest reaching out to them again as soon as the CAO offers come out as students will start cancelling their accommodation if they didn't get into UCC.
The following is a list of possible student accommodation complexes you could try:
This kind of accommodation can be found through the UCC Accommodation Search Facebook page,R Daft.ie.
If you are looking for a house, or a room in a shared house, be prepared to start searching very early. Rooms will come up throughout the year as people move away for different reasons, but you are most likely to find accommodation for the following academic year around the middle of Semester 2.
Owner occupied rentals, also known as ‘digs’, can be found throughout the year. If you’re looking for this type of accommodation it is best to search during the summer months. Digs can be found on websites like UCC StudentPad and Daft.ie.
Note – renting in owner occupied accommodation is a licensee arrangement and the normal tenancy rights do not apply. It is important that you set clearly defined terms in writing before entering into this kind of agreement.
There are some important points to note before entering into this type of arrangement.
Is it a 5 day rental or full week?
Are utilities and food included in the rent?
What access do you have to shared spaces and facilities such as laundry and cooking?
Is there a curfew? Can you have guests over?
Make sure that the agreement between you and the landlord is backed up by a contract, signed by both parties.
Only sign the contract if you are happy with all the details. The contract should:
Layout notice periods.
Stipulate the terms for ending the agreement.
Protect against any rent increases within a reasonable period, ideally a full year.
If you believe your tenant rights are not being respected, or that your landlord isn’t undertaking their responsibilities adequately, you can:
A property that is in good condition – this means that it must be structurally sound, have hot and cold water, and have adequate heating. The electricity and gas supply must be in good repair and all appliances must be working.
The landlord can only enter the property with the tenant’s permission unless every attempt has been made to contact the tenant.
A receipt or statement or rent book that acknowledges payments made for rent and any other payments (e.g. utilities) made to the landlord.
Be told about any increase in rent.
Be able to contact the landlord or their authorised agent at any reasonable time.
Be paid back monies from the landlord for any required repairs the tenant carried out on the property that they asked the landlord to fix but which they did not carry out within a reasonable timeframe.
A valid notice of termination before the end of a tenancy.
Paying rent in full and on time
Keeping the property in good order and telling the landlord when repairs are needed. Tenants must give the landlord and those carrying out repairs access to fix the maintenance issues
Ensuring they do not harm the property
Not engaging in anti-social behaviour
Complying with the terms of the tenancy agreement, whether written or verbal
Giving proper notice when they plan to end the tenancy
Set the property’s rent and receive the rent in full from the tenant on the date it is due.
End the tenancy in the first six months without reason if there is no fixed-term lease in place.
Be told who is living in the property, and decide whether to allow the tenant to sub-let or assign the property
Be informed about any repairs needed and be given reasonable access to fix them
Provide tenants with a receipt or statement or rent book that acknowledges payments made for rent and any other payments (e.g. utilities) received by the landlord
Make sure the property is in good condition
Maintain the property to the standard it was in at the start of the tenancy.
Reimburse the tenants for any repairs they carried out on the structure that they requested with the landlord which the landlord did not carry out within a reasonable time
Give the tenant a written notice of termination at the end of the tenancy
Return the tenants’ deposit promptly at the end of the tenancy, unless lawfully withheld. A landlord can deduct any rent arrears, outstanding bills, or the cost of damages in excess of normal wear and tear to the accommodation. If a tenant terminates a tenancy early, a landlord can deduct for losses incurred.
By law, a landlord cannot refuse to rent a property to someone because of their gender, marital status, family status, sexual orientation, religion, age, disability, race, receipt of State housing payments (such as HAP), or membership of the Travelling Community.
Cork City, alongside a number of other Cork suburbs are Rent Pressure Zones.
A Rent Pressure Zone (RPZ) is a designated area where rents cannot be increased by more than general inflation, or by 2% per year when the inflation rate is higher. Rent Pressure Zones are located in parts of the country where rents are highest, and where households have the greatest difficulty finding affordable accommodation.
If your landlord has increased your rent by more than 2% per annum since the last rent increase this is an illegal rent increase. In this instance you can Contact Threshold for free legal advice or File a complaint with the RTB.
