Moving out of home for the first time, Co. Laois

Nodferatu

im a 28 year old guy living at home with the parents paying my way. however i want to move out fairly shortly, in 4-6 weeks time. i have a good bit of money saved up i know i may or may not depending on place need to pay a deposit etc, anyways i just been on daft.ie I'm struggling to find any 2 bedroom sharing apartments, everything seems to be house share 3-5 bedroom house. I'm just kinda lost as to how to start going about moving out. don't really have anyone to talk to about this, would it be advisable to go to an agent, or should i just ring people in the property's advertised? also, like when i pay rent each month, what other bills would i usually have, electricity and gas/oil i know, but what else, do you pay for bins? that kinda stuff, id appreciate help as I'm kinda lost on just where to begin

Man007

Hey Nodferatu

I reckon your best bet would be to look for ads of people seeking shared accom rather than agents Daft let you search specifically for this.

As regards financials most places ask for one month rent as a deposit plus one month up front.

The only other outgoings would be heating 50-100 a month depending on time of year electricity 120-150 every 2 months, bins max €10 a week and food depends on your own lifestyle.

All above costs are for a 3 bed house and are full costs do you would just pay your share obviously heating and elec would be less for an apartment

Hope this helps

Nodferatu

thanks man007.

i've done a bit of research and have another question or two,
could anyone tell me, are lease's generally flexible? can you bargain with landlords or whoever about the lease length? with todays economy and the way things are NOBODY'S job is safe, it'd just be extra comfort to have a lease of 6 months just as a safety, rather than taking a place on for a year. or is a lease generally stated and cannot be changed!

silja

If you sign the lease, then it cannot be changed. But, as you mention, the economy means that tenants are in a stronger bargaining position than they used to be. Many landlords will agree to a 6 months break clause.

ProudDUB

Yes, we are in a recession but that works both ways. Your land lord could lose his job just as easily as you could lose yours. He may have financial obligations that you do not such as a mortgage, the NPPR tax, the household charge, future property taxes, the cost of maintaining/decorating the property, the cost of advertising it and finding and vetting tenants, fixing broken appliances etc etc. Their willingness to haggle would depend on their individual circumstances, but most landlords would want a commitment from a tenant to stay for a specific period of time.

If you sign a lease for a fixed period of time and you break it, that impacts the landlord too. He can come after you for the rest of the rent for the remaining term of the lease (but few do) as well as hang onto your deposit to compensate him for the time that the property is sitting empty. If you give him sufficient notice, you find him a replacement tenant, and he is not out rental income, you should be ok to get your deposit back. But you won't if you just up and leave. So don't sign a fixed term lease unless you are sure of exactly what the obligations and implications are.