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STUDENTS RENTING FROM private accommodation provider Yugo are being given incorrect information about new lease legislation following the banning of 51-week contracts last month.
In July, the Government introduced emergency legislation to ban 51-week leases after it emerged that some accommodation providers, including Yugo, were forcing students to rent rooms outside of the academic term.
This practice meant that on average students were being made to pay over €3,000 more per year to keep their rooms during the summer months when they do not need them.
The government fast-tracked legislation to ban this practice and introduced the Residential Tenancies (Amendment)(No. 2) Act last month to ensure that leases will be based on a 41-week academic year instead of 51 weeks.
The law came into effect on July 20, but it is not retrospective, meaning that students who signed leases before the legislation came into effect are not able to benefit from it.
The Journal has learned that Yugo has since been giving tenants incorrect information about the law change.
In two incidents, when tenants requested to switch to a 41-week lease for the upcoming academic year Yugo informed them that 41-week leases are only available for specific (more expensive) rooms.
In emails seen by The Journal, the tenants were told by Yugo staff that they had been informed that only certain rooms can be booked for 41-week leases. In one instance, a staff member said, incorrectly, that this was because “the law states” that providers must offer at least two options for 41 weeks.
A spokesperson for the Department of Further and Higher Education said: “The Act does not stipulate how many options a provider may offer within a 41-week tenancy type.”
A senior Government source described this behaviour as “malicious and confusing for students” and contrary to the legislation.
“The legislation is clear, and it was signed into law on the 19th of July. Leases since that date are subject to the legislation – and if people see evidence of abuse of this law, they would be well within their rights to report it to the RTB,” the source added.
When contacted by The Journal about the information given to students, a spokesperson for Yugo said: “We can confirm that in Ireland all our room types are available for 41 weeks and longer for the academic year 2024/2025, as shown on our website.”
When asked why they were telling tenants otherwise, the spokesperson said: “We’ve no further comment on this one”.
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No doubt….its a NOVEMBER ELECTION.
I reckon the same ole, same ole with the Social Democrats replacing the green for best seats on the gravy train
@Frank Mc Carthy: yep, definitely next month……. Possibly FFG with a dose of SD’s……… Don’t think greens will get totally eradicated but it’ll be a bad day ‘ in the office ‘ for sure, a good election for independents & maybe a few seats going the way of the nationist crowd. SF will be the biggest losers this time round….. Showed such promise tail end 2023/ start of 24′… but their self inflicted implosions will come home to roost
@Frank Mc Carthy: FF/FG could get about 85 seats. With 87 being a majority.
@Frank Mc Carthy: After the defeat in SF, it will be time for Mary Lou to go away and the senior management that go with her. They really messed it up.
there is no alternative to the woke parties (inclusions, pro migrants, pro everything) now. SD is a party for the labour nostalgic and exists only in big cities. not powerful and woke anyway. What we need is a new party with dedicated honest people that are not corrupted and get the job done. the only country I know having that is called Utopia…. unless …
@Dominic Leleu: it seems the electorate disagree with you. A large portion support FF/FG. Despite them supporting immigration and woke human rights that you’re against.
@9QRixo8H: The electorate have a limited choice, all the parties in the article are either supporting the current influx or want Ireland to take in even more IPA’s.
@9QRixo8H: Define and clarify ‘large portion’? It’s okay to really ‘want’ certain things that suit us to be true. I dunno, maybe you’re a landlord…
@Frank Mc Carthy: they are big bstards all of them, taking our money and throwing it up the wall..
@The next small thing: well you had a choice of 4 different parties who are against the ‘influx’, but they got rejected. You still had that choice.
@James Daly: 45% are supporting FG/FF in the recent polls. In the local election, both FF and FG got 23% each, so 46% for both. A large portion support them, despite the housing issue and young people having to emigrate abroad (as long as borders don’t get closed).
@9QRixo8H: if their combined vote share is 45%, then assuming they transfer well to each other they will be very close to an overall majority. Given that there will be so many opposition parties, as well as a good few independents, they could probably survive as a minority government if they had a mind to
@Frank Mc Carthy: It would be really great if the government stays full term. All good people of Ireland support this government despite several mistakes like delays in opening asylum centre in Coolock.
I really feel that it doesn’t matter who we vote for now because FFG will be elected again. It is beyond depressing.
@Lily Martin: that’s it in a nutshell Lily, look at the ‘ opposition’ benches….. Definitely nothing to inspire any confidence there. To quote shakespeare { Hamlet}…: therein lies the rub’
@Lily Martin: the opposition is definitely lacking, but FFG voters will be out in force and this mentality is exactly what’ll win them the election.
Vote tactically, reduce their majority.
@Lily Martin: there is nothing depressing about this government. Really competent professionals. There is not much alternative so all good people of Ireland will be happy for FFG to rule the country.
@Lily Martin: there’s actually no sensible option to vote for. And that’s by design. Money stays in power. If you like an options economic policies but their societal policies are nuts (if you know what I mean)and visa versa. Can we not just get a normal left wing option without the childhood castration and value based education in schools. Is that too much to ask?
answer is none of them….not one party has the irish interests at heart…number one on the list for any gov should be health and for the way our country should be our health system is shockling poor…crime min sentences should he increased too many getting away with suspended sentences….houses….the gov should he flat out building public houses to flatten the price of a private house way too much money to be paying….my fullest answer is that no matter who gets in they are all bluffers….just all talk and no answers
@kaidon sharkey: Apathy is the enemy of democracy
@Frank Mc Carthy: if there was a referendum on the wages of tds to bring it down to 50 grand a year then maybe they would start showing some concern about the people who they r ment to represent
@kaidon sharkey: my ol granny used to say , ‘ if wishes were horses beggars would ride’
@Frank Mc Carthy: thats a good saying
@kaidon sharkey: That’s probably the stup idest comment I’ve seen in the Journal. Who in their right minds would take the job of a TD for 50k only an id ot?
@Sean Hayes: that went way over your head lad….
@kaidon sharkey: have to be honest, she was dead & gone before I actually realised what it meant
@Frank Mc Carthy: my condolences though…never heard that saying its a good one she had a wise mind
@Sean Hayes: well maybe they should be put down to 50,000 and prove what they can actually do before they get any sort of bonus it’s our money at the end of the day why should we pay them a substantial amount of money to do whatever they choose to do so I don’t think it’s a stupid comment Make them work for the money that we pay them they work for us they shouldn’t dictate to us what they think is right when the country is falling apart so maybe you should understand that man’s point of view instead of begrudging him with stupid remarks
@kaidon sharkey: how come that no party has the Irish interest at heart but all good people of Ireland will vote FF/FG?! Our family will vote for FG because they have the job to finish – open asylum centre in Coolock despite opposition from drug gangs.
LOL
What a line up
Something really broken in this so called “democratic” system.
Really do not think it can be fixed considering the machinery in place and the vested interests supporting. Apologies for the depressing outlook
@The Hard Road: The ‘independents’ photo is hilarious tho, chancers
Insanity repeat for past 19 years same choices, expecting different results.
Take it from non native Irish with broken English.
@sakk sa:
I am 60+y on this godforsaken planet. Nothing much has changed really. What do you expect ? Apparently all this bs started with Adam and Eve. It was paradise and they fecked it up.
@sakk sa: grama nasis, sooo how many languages u learned to develop more brighter motorways upsters…
@offside again: atitiude change may help elderly to let it go attachment thinking for prep n plan into a other planet stage….
@A W: tree
@sakk sa: I will vote for who I deem the best. Why vote for change if it will possibly be worse. From an Irish native.
I hate the thoughts of this lot knocking on my door again.
There’s only so much of mr smugness failure donnelly i can take anymore. Along with mr smugness failure Darragh houses for all O’Brien. But but at least them parasites greens should be put to grass..
Nepotism and corruption is rife.
They all sing,from the same hymn sheet is this regard.
Why are no ordinary people going forward for elections.mostly they all hail from wealthy stock.
@Timothy Dennehy:
Are you running?
With the abuse TDs get I wouldn’t do that job, even for €100k+ per year!
@P. J.: what abuse? It’s their job they know exactly what they’re doing. They know exactly what they signed up to do. Just like any other profession.
There once was a man named Cobalt,
His antics the papers could halt,
A spy he did kiss,
The guards did not miss,
Yet voters will say, ’twas no fault.
@Watchful Axe: there once was a man from Nantucket who’s……. Oh I thought we were doing Limerick s
They all look very well fed. And quite determined to keep feeding as we balefully listen to their pithy platitudes about ‘the most vulnerable’, ‘mental health’ and ‘international obligations’.
I love my country, I really do. But is this what represents us; this yawning self-serving gallery of muppets?
Fianna fial can run as many candidates as they want,I don’t vote for a corrupt political organisation
The Rod board for me. I love what they’ve done to the country. Not to mention the two c u n t parties that took them on in the first place to.stay in power. I use that word with a lot of pre thought and consideration.
It’s like deciding which end of a carrot you want to eat out of a pile of sick.
Hopefully it’s a one party government, thats the only slight positive I can see, we need infrastructure desperately, if the greens get anywhere near government we’re goosed.
No party in Dail Eirinn representing the Irish people anymore, people have lost faith in mainstream politics & major institutions in Ireland, having been failed with scandal after scandal, by all for decades. When you leave a populace without hope or alternative or change, they will eventually turn. We need something more radical now in Ireland to reclaim our country, Dail Eirinn has failed abysmally. Voting in any party either from Cabinet or Opposition won’t see any change, people are frustrated on the ground but fear is making it, not come to the fore, however another RTE, NCH, SIPO, Irish Rail, Irish Water expose or increase in cost of living is not far away & if you vote in any of the parties in Dail Eirinn, you are accepting that it’s ok for them to impose more pain on you.
Why are journalists this excited about the date of the GE. I’m genuinely perplexed as to why it matters this much as it’s due in the next few months regardless.
Anything to make sure Mary Muslim Lou and her Pedo party don’t get elected.
Will ya look at the sketch of them all, eager beavers.
Who gives a flying FOCK anymore?? No seriously we no longer live in a democracy… our GEs as pathetic as the Rose of Tralee.
The cash grab begins again
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