New legislation protecting Kerry students and their families in relation to rental accommodation has not yet come into force.
A section of The Residential Tenancies (No. 2) Act, which was signed off in early July, prevents accommodation owners from charging students more than two months' rent.
The Residential Tenancies (No. 2) Act was passed on the 9th July.
This law was drafted partly in response to some accommodation owners who charged students yearly or half-yearly rents during the pandemic, yet didn't offer refunds when all third level education was moved online.
The law says a person is not required to make a payment of more than two months' worth of rent, which includes a month's rent and a deposit of the same amount.
However, the act has a number of exceptions: a person can agree to pay more than the limit in advance if they wish; additionally, this section only applies to tenancies created not earlier than one month after the passing of the act.
This means any tenancy created before August 9th would not be covered by the act.
Sinn Féin TD Pa Daly recently said he's been contacted by a number of students about paying full, upfront rents for the upcoming academic year.
Sinn Féin are seeking a statement from the minister on the topic.
