Students searching for accommodation for the new college term are being warned to watch out for 'scammers'.
An awareness campaign is being launched today by the national housing charity Threshold in conjunction with the Union of Students in Ireland and Daft.ie.
The message to house-hunters is that if an offer looks too good to be true it probably is.
UCD Student Union President Barry Murphy says students are having a tough time finding somewhere:
"It's been absolute hell I suppose they're coming from the country for the most part and its heir first time arriving in Dublin in the Dublin housing market."
"They have very little knowledge of the areas and they're been taken advantage of either through landlords providing sub-standard accommodation or landlords providing luxurious accommodation but with extortionate prices attached."
