Finding a home from home

Finding rented accommodation is a notoriously daunting task and, in Dublin in particular, house-hunting students will have a pretty rough time ahead this year. The flip side of all this pain is, of course, the glorious freedom of moving away from home - so take a deep breath and get out there.

The transition from home to surviving alone can be made easier by spending the first term, or even the first year, in digs or college accommodation. According to the USI, digs are becoming increasingly popular among students. In fact, a number of colleges are now insisting that first-year students take digs accommodation if they can't get campus accommodation. Digs are priced at between £45 and £55 for five days and between £60 and £70 for seven days.

Getting your own flat or sharing with friends may seem like a more enticing plan. The problem here is that all those scary rumours about prices rocketing and standards plummeting are true. According to a recent survey by Threshold, the housing advice bureau (with offices in Dublin at 018726311, Cork at 021-271250 and Galway at 091 563080), accommodation charges in Dublin have increased by up to 20 per cent in the past year. This means that students can be looking at paying around £50 each a week, if sharing.

Most landlords will look for a deposit of a month's rent and between two and four weeks' rent in advance. Some will even demand an ESB deposit of £60 or more. In Dublin, students should be prepared to pay out about £400 to secure a flat and they will need to have this money ready or obtainable within minutes - otherwise the landlord might just give the flat away to the next in the queue.

Rents are increasing because of a drop in student accommodation in recent years and a significant increase in the student population. The trend in Dublin, in particular, is for houses, which were previously converted into flats, to be returned to private use.

Compounding the problem is the lack of legislation surrounding rent prices. According to Threshold, it's quite common to find a landlord in one house charging an extra tenner for flats which are of a similar standard to the ones next door.

To get over such financial burdens, students might think about combining resources and renting a house to share: facilities are likely to be far better than those in a small flat or bedsit and the cost will be kept down.

Finding rented accommodation may be very trying but it's not one of those things to put on the long finger. The sooner you get going the better, or you might find yourself with pretty grim choices.

Those who prepare themselves well and approach flat-hunting in an organised manner will probably avoid the worst pitfalls. Arm yourself with a phone card, get the first edition of the local paper and start phoning early, pen and paper at the ready.

Apart form the newspaper, there are other sources students can try for lists of flats. Most colleges will send information to students shortly after they have accepted a place but intending students can contact the students' services office directly.

Student unions and, in many cases, the colleges themselves hold lists of accommodation. These will be available at different times, depending on when the college term starts. Notice boards, shop-windows and word-of-mouth are all good sources too. There are also quite a few accommodation agencies around but, according to the USI, problems such as the expense involved in signing up with an agency mean they are not generally recommendable.

Remember, it's important not to go house-hunting alone. Always bring someone with you for advice, opinions and safety. Younger students might consider bringing a parent or an older brother or sister who has some experience of lease agreements. The student union offices will provide information, advice and negotiating services to all students and, generally, its services include advice on legal rights and housing regulations.

As a tenant you have a number of legal rights. The Charter for Rented Housing, available from the Department of the Environment and most colleges, is a good guide to your entitlements and obligations. Tenants' rights in Ireland are not the greatest but, according to the Housing (Rent Books) Regulations 1993, all landlords are obliged to provide rent books at the beginning of a tenancy - this is a record of rent and other payments made by tenant to landlord. For further details of what a rent book must include contact your student union or Threshold.

Bear in mind that tenants have a right to quiet and peaceful possession as long as they pay the rent. Nobody, including the landlord, has the right to enter a flat without permission.

A more detailed guide and survey of accommodation availability and prices will be included in next Monday's College Places supplement.