Threshold, the national housing charity, has warned students heading to college this September to be vigilant when it comes to housing scams.
This comes as the Irish Council for International Students published a new survey, which shows that almost one in eight international students coming to Ireland to study have been the victim of a private housing scam.
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The joint 2024 campaign, which links ICOS, the Union of Students in Ireland, and Threshold, calls on students to carry out some thorough checks before paying deposits for private rental accommodation, as the new academic year commences in the coming weeks.
Andrew Clinton, Threshold Advisor said there are several checks that the charity can do to see if the property is a valid one: “We can check if it is currently tenanted by searching the Residential Tenancies Board register of tenancies as well as make an assessment based on the details a student provides, if they contact us. We can advise them on what further information is required to check legitimacy and if this is not forthcoming, there is usually an untoward reason for that.”
Threshold’s helpline is open Monday to Friday, 9am- 9pm at 1800 454 454, with webchat at www.threshold.ie/get-help/ for any renter in need of advice or support.
Also see the dedicated student Scamwatch page at https://threshold.ie/advocacy-campaign/scamwatch/
For information and advice for students moving to Ireland to study, visit www.internationalstudents.ie/info-and-advice, or contact ICOS at +353 1 660 5233.
For student support and advice, visit www.usi.ie,or contact the USI at (01) 7099 300.
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