Sir, – The PBSA Council of Ireland represents nearly 80 per cent of the country’s purpose-built student accommodation (PBSA) sector. We provide Government with a single, evidence-led forum for investors, developers, and higher education stakeholders to engage constructively on student housing delivery.
Our members bring decades of experience from mature markets in the UK, Europe, North America and Australia, where PBSA has thrived for over 30 years.
The new Residential Tenancies Bill 2026 marks a defining moment – and a missed opportunity. Despite repeated warnings from those closest to delivery over the past two years, Minister for Housing James Browne’s Bill embeds long-standing policy risks into legislation.
It excludes PBSA from the regulatory easing applied to the wider residential market, further eroding viability and delaying critical new supply.
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Most strikingly, the Bill fails to introduce a bespoke framework for student accommodation. It does not define PBSA as a distinct asset class or incentivise delivery of much-needed new beds in a critically constrained market.
Browne cannot regulate his way out of this crisis. This Bill does not encourage the development of much-needed new supply and merely defers the problem – students entering in 2028 face a sudden 2029 reset.
PBSA directly relieves pressure on the private rental market, freeing up homes for households and advancing the Bill’s own affordability goals. Blocking new supply displaces students, straining the entire housing system.
The PBSA Council proposed a balanced alternative: cap rents for students remaining in place during term-time throughout their course, for full protection and clarity. New lettings would reset only at defined academic transition points, avoiding disruptive midcourse shocks.
After six years of interventions, delivery has collapsed and viability eroded. This crisis stems from deliberate choices made without meaningful input from sector experts. Browne must now engage stakeholders, treat PBSA as core housing and education infrastructure, and create conditions to attract investment. Students, universities, and Ireland’s housing system depend on it. – Yours, etc,
Colm Lauder,
PBSA Council of Ireland,
Harcourt Street,
Dublin 2.
