Analysis: Across Europe and North America, student housing co-operatives have emerged as a proven solution to housing needs
Ireland's student housing crisis continues to deepen. Escalating rents, overcrowded rentals, and an overall shortage of accommodation have placed third-level students in precarious, stressful and unsustainable living conditions. Co-operative housing potentially offers a meaningful alternative to the dominant state-led and private rental models. Across Europe and North America, student-led housing co-operatives are thriving, offering affordable, self-managed and resilient alternatives to the broken rental system. To what extent could this model reform student accommodation in Ireland?
As of July 2025, the Department of Housing reported a record high number of 16,058 people homeless in Ireland. These numbers don’t include people who are couch surfing, homeless in hospitals or prisons, living in vehicles, staying in emergency shelters, or sleeping rough. The Growing Up in Ireland survey showed that 69.9% of 25 year olds in Ireland currently live with their parents of whom over 85% said it was mostly or partly due to financial reasons.
The housing crisis consequently affects students across Ireland. Despite a recent rise in purpose-built student accommodation, many students can’t afford the costs and are forced into the private rental market, often living in appalling conditions. If they can’t find any accommodation, they may end up couch surfing or dropping out of university altogether. Even those with a place to stay often have to skip lectures regularly for work just to afford rent; which may become more common with a proposed increase in undergraduate fees.
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From RTÉ Radio 1's Liveline, Many students are worried about sourcing accommodation for the year ahead
What is a housing co-operative?
A co-operative is a people-centred enterprise which is owned and/or controlled by its members and operates for their benefit. The co-operative housing model provides a member-owned and community-focused form of housing that puts people before profit. Unlike traditional for-profit businesses that exist to make money for shareholders, co-ops are run democratically to meet the shared needs of their members.
In a housing co-op, members typically buy one share to gain the right to live in the home, making them both residents and part-owners of the co-op. Members help to shape how the co-op is run by voting on key decisions, such as governance and policy, through a one-member-one-vote model. Housing co-ops take many forms: from a single house or a few apartments, to large buildings with hundreds of units. Some housing co-ops operate like rentals, while others let members co-own the property collectively. No matter the structure, all housing co-operatives aim to create affordable, secure and supportive living environments where resident members have a genuine say in how things are done.
From Cooperative Housing International, What is Cooperative Housing?
Student housing co-operatives in other regions
Ireland isn’t alone in facing a student housing shortage. Across Europe and North America, student housing co-operatives have emerged as a proven solution to student housing needs.
SEASALT (South EAst Students Autonomously Living Together) Housing Co-operative in Brighton was founded in 2018 by University of Sussex students. SEASALT offers affordable, high-quality housing without a landlord. Residents collectively own and manage their property, taking on roles like treasurer or well-being officer to keep the co-op running smoothly. With support from Brighton & Hove Community Land Trust, SEASALT operates an accessible seven-bedroom home focused on democratic living, sustainability, and tackling the student housing crisis.
From Co-operatives UK, Across the world students are taking back control of their housing by starting housing co-ops that they own and run
La Ciguë, founded in the 1980s in Geneva, is a non-profit housing co-operative that provides affordable, stable accommodation for students and young adults. It was created in response to the city’s high rental costs where average rents can exceed 1,500 euros per month and the lack of suitable, long-term housing for young people. La Ciguë’s model is based on self-management and participation. Residents are also members of the co-operative: they buy a share when they move in and sell it back when they leave, replacing the traditional rental deposit system. This approach keeps monthly rents low while giving residents a voice in how their homes are run. In 1998, it completed its first purpose-built building, designed specifically for shared living, with walk-through corridors and communal spaces that encourage interaction. As of today, La Ciguë houses more than 500 members in shared apartments ranging from two to fifteen residents.
Founded in 2015, L’Aclef (Association for Co-operation in Student Housing in France) is a student-led, non-profit initiative providing over 430 beds across 190 shared units in Paris, Bordeaux, Toulouse, and Foix. The co-operative-inspired model leases large apartments from social landlords and sublets them to students under flexible, income-based contracts, offering rents about 33% below market rate. As a state-approved social rental intermediary, L’Aclef ensures accessibility while adapting to student realities like short-term leases, furnished spaces, and simplified application processes. Governance is democratic: students participate in decisions through general assemblies and board representation, while staff support daily operations without voting rights. L’Aclef fosters community life, supports environmental responsibility, and builds local ties, notably through partnerships like its project with Sciences Po, where students volunteer in neighbourhood programs.
Read more: What statistics tell us about the 440,000 young adults living with parents in Ireland
Berkeley Student Cooperative (BSC) is a nonprofit housing organisation that provides affordable, community-based living for students in Berkeley, California. Established in 1933 to counteract the rising cost of housing and promote democratic values, the BSC offers an alternative to traditional university housing and private rentals. Their student-run housing cooperative fosters a strong sense of community and shared responsibility. Each member contributes a few hours of labour each week, through tasks like cooking, cleaning, or gardening, keeping operating costs low and making their housing significantly more affordable than other options in the area. With over 1,300 members living in 17 houses and 3 apartment complexes, the BSC thrives on principles of self-governance, mutual aid, and inclusivity. This decentralised model not only builds leadership skills and accountability but also ensures that the community reflects the diverse needs and voices of its members. The cooperative model fosters diversity, creativity, and resilience, attracting students who value social justice, communal living, and affordability.
How could co-operative housing work in Ireland?
Ireland already has the legal and organisational groundwork for co-operatives, but the model has been underutilised in the housing sector, especially when it comes to students. Many of the elements needed to make it successful already exist: a strong network of universities, an active student population, an urgent housing crisis, and emerging interest in alternative, sustainable living models. With support from existing co-operative federations, student unions, universities, local councils, and community land trusts, students could organise to form housing co-operatives based on the models that have worked abroad.
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From RTÉ Archives, an episode of 'Tangents' broadcast on 4 April 1973 on a co-operative housing scheme in Carrick-on-Suir, Tipperary
Some students in Cork and Dublin have begun organising and have founded Cork Student Housing Co-operative and Dublin Student Housing Co-operative respectively. These co-ops could lease or purchase property, possibly from local authorities or through public land initiatives and operate as self-managed, democratically run communities. State funding or credit union backing could help finance initial costs, while students’ weekly labour and shared responsibilities would keep ongoing expenses low.
Rather than being passive renters with no control, students would become co-owners with a real stake in where and how they live. Not only would this alleviate pressure on the overstretched rental market, but it would also empower a generation of young people to take ownership of their housing and their communities. In the long term, co-operative student housing could serve as a blueprint for broader housing reform across Ireland - centred not on profit, but on people.
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The views expressed here are those of the author and do not represent or reflect the views of RTÉ
