STUDENT'S looking for accommodation at the moment will need their wits about them - in spades. Finding a place to live is a nightmare at the best of times but for many students this will be their first brush with real-life issues, such as market forces. The issue of filthy lucre is about to rear its ugly head.

The process of finding a place to live for the next eight months can be fraught with difficulty. The best advice from the Union of Students in Ireland is that the early bird catches the worm.

The types of accommodation available range from residences both on and off campus, self-catering accommodation in the private sector (i.e. houses, apartments and flats), hostels and catered five and seven-day lodgings.

Most of the on-campus places will have been filled at this stage. UCD had 400 places set aside for first years and a lottery was held over the weekend for all of those.

College and student union accommodation officers provide accommodation lists. Many of these will have been compiled over the summer months. In some eases, the colleges or the unions will have inspected the accommodation. The problem is, as USI points out. that these lists generally go out of date within two to three weeks and they need constant up-dating.

"We would strongly advise students to get up to college early and check everything," says Helen Ryan, USI's welfare officer.

But she cautions students to be careful about signing anything until they have had a proper look around the flat or house. Don't sign leases unless you are sure. "We don't want them signing their lives away. They should make sure that they know what they are letting themselves in for."

The average rent in Dublin in is between £35 and £40 a week. If you are sharing that could go down to £30 a week. At centres around the country this rate would be about £5 cheaper. As for "digs", the going rate in Dublin is £55 a week for board and lodging from Monday to Friday. For the full week it would be an extra £10 or £15 on top of this.

"The worrying thing in Dublin is the lack of affordable accommodation," says Helen Ryan. The problem elsewhere is not price but the lack of accommodation.

For example, Galway city's current accommodation rates include the following average figures: about £120 a week for a three-bedroom house (this kind of house will take five - i.e. about £24 a week each); a two-bedroom flat would be more expensive, at around £120 or £140 a week - i.e. £60 or £70 each - and digs for seven days are between £60 and £70, while for five days it would be between £50 and £60.

In Galway there is a "very close relationship between town and gown," says Margaret Faherty, director of student accommodation at UCG. With between 1,400 and 1,500 first year students beginning this September at UCG and with 75 per cent of the student population coming from outside the city, the pressure is on.

The on-campus Corrib Village accommodation, managed by an independent company, is already full, with a waiting list of between 40 and 50.

Waterford RTC is as good an example as any of a third-level college which is suffering from a severe lack of accommodation places. The college has on-campus accommodation.

However, demand is still growing each year. John McGrath, president of the students' union in Waterford RTC, says the phone is "red hot everyday" with students looking for a place to stay. Degree courses which are only available at Waterford RTC are attracting students from different parts of the country. It is pretty difficult for those who have to travel from elsewhere, when places are let as soon as they are advertised. At the University of Limerick also, the first places to fill up were the two on-campus villages. According to Pauline Gilheaney, spokeswoman for the company which runs these villages, first years write to them in January, enclosing a deposit of £75. If they don't get a place at the college, the deposit is returned.

Cork has a different story to tell. Here a number of apartment blocks, specifically designed for student found in private houses and flats.

accommodation has been built in recent times and the result is that there is a finely-tuned balance between supply and demand throughout the year.

"We're fortunate," says Matt McDonnell, accommodation and student activities officer at UCC. Already there are six apartment blocks operating in and around UCC and two new blocks are due to open later this month but the number of students keeps rising and supply has never out-stripped demand.

The student population at UCC is around 12,000 at the moment. This is set to rise to 15,000, according to Mr MeDonnell. In time. the eight blocks will provide up to 1,800 spaces. The other places are

Still, for many students who don't start looking for accommodation until mid-September, it may be too late, according to Helen Ryan.

She urges students to make sure that there are adequate fire exits, proper ventilation - especially in the kitchen and bathroom - and that the place is not damp.

Students should know that it is illegal not to have a rent book; having a record of rent payments is to both the student's and the landlord's advantage. A survey conducted by USI recently found that over 40 per cent of tenants did not have a rent book.

If your landlord does not give you one, they are available from local students' unions, most stationers or Threshold, the housing advice bureau.

The Charter for Rented Housing, published by the Department of the Environment, has more information on this and other issues, and USI recommends this booklet to students who are in the process of looking for accommodation.

As a tenant, you have a number of legal rights, of which you should be aware. If any repairs or alterations need to be carried out, ensure your landlord makes them before you move in. Before you sign any lease, go over it with your students' union or college accommodation office. Also it requires four weeks written notice from either your landlord or yourself in order to vacate the accommodation.

These rules do not apply to college accommodation Digs too are outside the scope of housing legislation so students entering digs should consider drawing up some form of agreement covering meals notice to quit and guests.