TWENTY-YEAR-OLD Alexandra Brindley and three friends from boarding school started to look for somewhere to live in Dublin as soon as they got their college offers three years ago. “But no one had any interest in students.”

They couldn’t get campus accommodation and were beginning to despair when they found a three-bedroom apartment in an upscale development in Ballsbridge through a family contact.

They had to get references from their headmistress and guarantees from parents before securing the apartment thorough dublinlettings.com “which had faith that we weren’t going to wreck it”. The rent then was €2,000 a month – €500 each.

The four students – studying in Griffith College, DIT and UCD – are still there. They haven’t found it too restrictive – “We can have people back, as long as it’s quiet after 11pm; we respect the people around us, and we’ve found quite a few college friends live in the same complex.” There are no wild weekends, because like most students, they go home to their families – Alexandra is from Co Meath – most weekends.

Their apartment is owned Elizabeth McDonald, a magazine publisher who has invested in a number of properties. The softly-spoken Lancashire woman doesn’t like to be called a landlady – because of its fierce connotations – but she is, and one who is very happy to rent to students. She generally looks for a year’s lease.

She describes Alexandra and her friends as “great girls” and is equally happy with four boys who are tenants in an apartment she owns on Mount Merrion.

“They’re aged 19 to 23; I said ‘now boys, all the furniture here is new, can you possibly take care of it’. They’ve been very helpful.

“You have to have references, and you must like people going in, or have an agent you can trust – but I’ve had a few students and find it’s easy to look after them.”

In fact, she adds “I’ve had far more problems with non-students.”