The word ‘landlord’ has some poor connotations among the Irish, and the bad rep will not be helped by revelations from the Union of Students in Ireland that almost two-thirds of student tenants find it difficult to get their deposits returned by landlords when they vacate their dwellings.

The student union had Red C carry out a survey of more than 1,000 people over the age of 18 and its main finding was that 60% of respondents found it difficult to get their deposits returned from landlords.

The survey also established that there’s 40% less rental space available than there was this time last year, while rents have increased by over 8% nationally, and much more in cities.

In response, USI is launching its partnership with Deposify, a startup offering a deposit management service for landlords and tenants, and is re-launching its room registration website homes.usi.ie, which is aimed at students looking for accommodation and for landlords who wish to rent.

USI is urging anyone with spare rooms to rent them out to students. As a solution to the student accommodation crisis, the union launched its ‘Homes for Study’ campaign today, pointing out that people can rent out rooms to students during the college term tax-free up to the value of €12,000 annually.

In Association with

Deposify is backed by Bank of Ireland and Delta Partners and its founder and CEO, Jon Bayle, is a former corporate finance solicitor at Matheson law firm.

Bayle said: “Rental deposits cause problems for landlords and tenants. Deposify gives both a joint account for rental deposits, and lets them manage and control how and when deposits are paid and resolve deposit-related disputes. USI is doing much-needed work in the housing sector and Deposify is pleased to be part of this work.”