Third level institutions in Limerick say that they are assisting up to 16 international students who have found themselves sharing in what was a two-bedroomed house.
The international male students sourced the accommodation in the house through an online advertisement.
They say that they were led to believe that only four to six people would be in the house.
Four single beds have been placed in one room with only inches dividing the beds from each other.
There is one kitchen and until recently one toilet.
Two additional toilets have been added recently. A narrow stairway leads to the third floor where two single beds have been placed in two rooms.
Other rooms have also been fitted with single beds.
One of the occupants who spoke anonymously, said that the living conditions are very difficult.
"When I got the advertisement, I contacted the landlord. He told me there would be four to six people in the house. When I arrived there was a queue of people waiting outside. Like me they were devastated," he said.
"When I got into the house I couldn't even move my luggage because there was so much stuff and other people in the rooms. There wasn’t even room to move", he added.
He said he challenged the landlord about the number of people in the house and told him that this was not what he had expected.
He said the landlord told him all the other rooms were booked and that there was a housing crisis in Ireland.
"It was very difficult because there was only one kitchen and a toilet downstairs for all 18 tenants to share."
He said he had paid a €500 deposit and a further €500 for a month’s rent in advance.
Some of the tenants are attending courses in the Technological University of the Shannon, in Limerick. The college has been made aware of the students' situation. Gearóid Folan, vice president of the students union in the college said that the situation that the students find themselves in is "shocking".
He said that he had visited the students house and that the college was now assisting them to find alternative accommodation.
"It is disgraceful and it is shocking. We are in a situation where up to 18 students were living in a two-bedroom house. I am appalled by this and I have never seen anything like this in my time. I’m genuinely worried about the students' situation in the house", Mr. Folan said.
He said that the college had secured alternative accommodation for a number of the students.
The University of Limerick also said that it was assisting the students.
In a statement it said: "UL Global and the Accommodation Service is doing everything possible to engage with the students to find alternative, more suitable accommodation".
Another one of the students who spoke to us said that as the college year has now started that most of the student accommodation in Limerick is full and that it is very difficult to find other accommodation.
We contacted the person who advertised the house for rent for comment, but received no reply thus far.
