Finding it hard to find a decent place to live

Magenta

Is anyone else finding it super hard to find a decent 1 bed in Dublin city?
Places are being let the same day they're advertised, on 2 occasions I've arrived at a viewing and the person who got there 2 minutes earlier has decided to take it, or the place is let hours before the viewing appointment you've set up but the letting agent doesn't tell you til you arrive and then asks if you want to see the crappy studio he has upstairs... has anyone got any tips on beating the rush?

Chris_5339762

Ring the agents and ask them have they anything that hasn't been advertised yet. Read them the riot act to tell them you don't want anything crappy.

TheBandicoot

Yup, totaly agree. I've been looking since May and have been gettin ~4 emails a day from daft(looking for a 1/2bed in Dublin 2/4 for €700-€1400). Nowhere is suitable, either it's a nice apartment in a terrible area or a bad complex or on the ground floor, or a poorly decorated and maintained apartment in a nice area. You might say I'm too picky, but I want somewhere I can actually enjoy living for a good few years and feel safe in, while still being close to my workplace. There is a huge shortage of quality accommodation out there.

I have only made arrangements to view two properties, the first place it was the tenants showing me around, not the LL, and they just picked random names out of a hat afterwards to give to the LL. The second place got let out before I even got to view it.

liffeylite

This does seem to be a real problem. particularly in D1 and D2. It is also going to push up the cost of renting in these areas. Have you tried to extend your search to D4/D6/D7?

Magenta

liffeylite wrote: »

This does seem to be a real problem. particularly in D1 and D2. It is also going to push up the cost of renting in these areas. Have you tried to extend your search to D4/D6/D7?

Yep and it's the same story, especially D6.

liffeylite

what about sharing? is that an option?

it is actually more cost effective to buy at the moment, if you have a deposit and permanent job. the ratio between what you would pay in rent and what you would pay on a mortgage is ridiculous!!

TheBandicoot

I don't see why I should have to expand to outside of the canals. I make a very decent wage and shoul be able to afford a perfectly nice apartment in walking distance of work. I live in Dublin 15 now and take the train to work- I don't see the point in replacing one commute with another. There is just horrible supply in the city centre.

As for sharing, I did that when I was in college, had enough. Again, I make enough money to afford somewhere nice on my own.

So I'm just going to hold out until somewhere actually worth it appears. There are a few places I have in mind.

dearg lady

TheBandicoot wrote: »

I don't see why I should have to expand to outside of the canals. I make a very decent wage and shoul be able to afford a perfectly nice apartment in walking distance of work. I live in Dublin 15 now and take the train to work- I don't see the point in replacing one commute with another. There is just horrible supply in the city centre.

As for sharing, I did that when I was in college, had enough. Again, I make enough money to afford somewhere nice on my own.

So I'm just going to hold out until somewhere actually worth it appears. There are a few places I have in mind.

If you have been looking for 9 months and still haven't found anywhere then perhaps your budget is actually not enough. rents seem to be going up in and around the city centre

TheBandicoot

dearg lady wrote: »

If you have been looking for 9 months and still haven't found anywhere then perhaps your budget is actually not enough. rents seem to be going up in and around the city centre

Daft reports indicate that the average rent for a 1bed in Dublin 2 is about €970. A budget of €1200-1400 should be plenty, and it is, but the thing is that the really nice properties rarely appear on the market. Places like this are what I'm hoping will turn up.

Also I'm in no great push to actually move. If I was there are a few places I would take right now if I had to. I'm just wanting to be a bit more discerning.

dearg lady

yeah, there is an element of 'luck' in finding a decent place too, the best places get snapped up so quickly!

StillWaters

And lots of stock is never advertised, just passed onto a friend. I know that's how I mostly find tenants. If a great tenant recommends their friend, that's worth a lot!

MMAGirl

You have to pay a little bit more for a nicer place.
If you are looking for something in a price bracket that everyone else is looking in you are naturally going to have more competition.
Go a little more upmarket and there will be less competition..

space_man

really depends on the areas you are after.
if you are willing to consider less fashionable areas like Northside (anywhere tbh) or Dublin 12 or 24, then you have much more choice.
Good luck!

liffeylite

Are there no places in the docklands available?

there are so many apartments there you would expect some to be on the market.

its a shame they don't build the next batch of spencer dock apartments, people can say what they like about the recession. but the bottom line in there is an under supply of properties in central Dublin and landlords can demand silly rents for what there is available.

There needs to be more places built. I guess the problem is that there just aren't enough developers with access to cash to be able to do this.

TheBandicoot

I wouldn't consider the northside docklands as safe, and the southside dockands are crazy money. Even most of the stock in the Grand Canal Dock area seems to be 2/3/4 bed apartments for people sharing- the 1beds on the lower floors all seeem to be hoarded away.

And yes, ideally more places should be built. If so much prime land in the heart of the capital was not turned over to council housing we might have a chance(I'm thinking especially here of the likes of the City Quay/Lombard St area, the gigantic flat complexes around Erne Street and between Pearse St and the railway, and the Mount St area arond Howl at the Moon).

gaius c

Supply is tight in Dublin city. Only 2k properties to rent today when there were 8-9k back in 2008.

RATM

TheBandicoot wrote: »

And yes, ideally more places should be built. If so much prime land in the heart of the capital was not turned over to council housing we might have a chance(I'm thinking especially here of the likes of the City Quay/Lombard St area, the gigantic flat complexes around Erne Street and between Pearse St and the railway, and the Mount St area arond Howl at the Moon).

Couldn't agree more with this. Like I am not against the idea of social housing. But the government are subsidising people to live in prime city center areas which means the private renter has to go further and further out of the city to find housing at a price they can afford.

Another factor is that council housing here seems to be permanent. I'm not against the idea of giving people a hand up for 2 or 3 years till they get back on their feet from redundancy, bad health, etc but these council houses just get passed from one generation to another. Our social welfare policies have created a social welfare class and it is just never ending. Who woudln't want to live in a place like York Street just a stones throw from Grafton Street and St.Stephen's Green and pay rents that are only a fraction of market value? The council really needs to start either knocking these flat complexs and letting developers develop them. People who pay nominal sums of rent should be located further out of the city and not be taking up space to the detriment of people who are paying far higher taxes and are a net contributor to the economy.

Kosseegan

TheBandicoot wrote: »

And yes, ideally more places should be built. If so much prime land in the heart of the capital was not turned over to council housing we might have a chance(I'm thinking especially here of the likes of the City Quay/Lombard St area, the gigantic flat complexes around Erne Street and between Pearse St and the railway, and the Mount St area arond Howl at the Moon).

Those people were there when nobody would live in the City Centre. Most private sector renters went to D6 or D6 on the Southside and D3 or D7 on the Northside. Between the Grand Canal and the Liffey is a crowded place with relatively few quality units. The only thing that will increase supply is when the Council sell of their flats. Eventually there might be a process of gentrification, with people buying in who would never have qualified for social housing. This has happened with some Council estates such as in Marino.

space_man

RATM wrote: »

Couldn't agree more with this. Like I am not against the idea of social housing. But the government are subsidising people to live in prime city center areas which means the private renter has to go further and further out of the city to find housing at a price they can afford.

Another factor is that council housing here seems to be permanent. I'm not against the idea of giving people a hand up for 2 or 3 years till they get back on their feet from redundancy, bad health, etc but these council houses just get passed from one generation to another. Our social welfare policies have created a social welfare class and it is just never ending. Who woudln't want to live in a place like York Street just a stones throw from Grafton Street and St.Stephen's Green and pay rents that are only a fraction of market value? The council really needs to start either knocking these flat complexs and letting developers develop them. People who pay nominal sums of rent should be located further out of the city and not be taking up space to the detriment of people who are paying far higher taxes and are a net contributor to the economy.

that would require social/urban planning on some level.
we cant be having that.

TheBandicoot

Kosseegan wrote: »

Those people were there when nobody would live in the City Centre.

And they themselves may well have been the reason.

As has been said, Dublin City Centre needs to be gentrified.

liffeylite

These are fair points . it is something London is looking at doing at the moment. There are so many council estates in central London and it costs so much to house people, it isn't fair to the working people that they are forced to live so far out of town when they are subsidising people to live n the centre though taxation!

I think in Dublin's case, the problem is very much with developers finding cash to begin new complexes and a concern about where the bottom of the market is.

But now is a good time to build good quality accommodation in central Dublin. It will rent at high levels versus the cost of construction.

Tusky

I too am finding it incredibly hard to find somewhere. We are after a 3 or 4 bed house in an area adjacent to city centre. Every viewing we have been to has been jammers, and the property has always been let immediately. Very frustrating.

cruderbeef

Tusky wrote: »

I too am finding it incredibly hard to find somewhere. We are after a 3 or 4 bed house in an area adjacent to city centre. Every viewing we have been to has been jammers, and the property has always been let immediately. Very frustrating.

You should look around Booterstown, 3 miles from Stephens Green, Dart, 2 QBCs and 2 Aircoach routes. Plenty of 3 and 4 bed houses.

Tusky

cruderbeef wrote: »

You should look around Booterstown, 3 miles from Stephens Green, Dart, 2 QBCs and 2 Aircoach routes. Plenty of 3 and 4 bed houses.

Never really considered Booterstown. We were looking at Drumcondra, Glasnevin, Smithfield, Stoneybatter, Rathmines, Ringsend, Rialto, Kilmainham, and South Circular Road.

Major lack of decent properties going up on daft.

bulmersgal

I'm looking in Celbridge, rathcoole, Newcastle, saggart, citywest and Tallaght way and nothing coming up maybe 1-2 places. Some of the adds are fake or agents never return calls its very frustrating.

Magenta

I found a place in the end

I wonder was it the time of year?? Having said that I've househunted in Aug/Sept before and that was crazy too.

bulmersgal

I'm waiting to hear about a gorgeous apartment I viewed on Friday, will find out 2mo and my nerves gone its so nice compared to other crap places I've viewed which were dearer

TheBandicoot

I just give up at this stage. Arranged to view somewhere tonight, turned up on my own and there were about 20 people there outside the building. Didn't even bother to go up to the apartment- what's the point, I can't compete against that many people. Just going to stay in my tiny box room with my parents an hour from work.

bulmersgal

TheBandicoot wrote: »

I just give up at this stage. Arranged to view somewhere tonight, turned up on my own and there were about 20 people there outside the building. Didn't even bother to go up to the apartment- what's the point, I can't compete against that many people. Just going to stay in my tiny box room with my parents an hour from work.

It is frustrating but don't give up. We eventually got a place and moved in on sat. It was the nice place I actually liked

starlit

The closer to the city you be the more expensive it be but I think you should try to go outside the city a bit even if it 10-20 mins even if you could walk or get public transport if you willing to do that much.

Its a lot easier to find a 1 or 2 bed place than it is to find a group share I find anyway from experience of search for a place in dublin when trying to be close to the city but as you go outside the city its easier to find house share than one bed or 2 bed place. Though research as much as possible of what value for money and location that is important to you but you need to budget and compromise on something along the way to search for a suitable place. For me I found it easier to find a one bed/2 bed apartment than a house share even though I ended up looking for house shares more than my own place but decided on my own place felt it was best and best all round for me as I wasn't sure how long I'd stay in Dublin at the time.

The cost is usually determined by demand, location and near services/transport/shops and how close to city it is. So weigh up everything and there will be pro's and con's for every place you look at.

As other posters has mentioned try to get in first to see what not advertised already and get in contact with agents that might help you on that front.

Some places are safer than others but no where is safe really. Though rathmines I found was a nice spot to live and parts of north dublin too but do your research. Donnybrook anywhere along the green line down the south side isn't too bad but more pricey I suppose all depends on the location you looking for and what you can afford.

To be honest i'd avoid the heart of the city centre, suburbs are grand but anywhere in the city too close to the railway stations i'd avoid and wouldn't consider safe except certain times of the day when there are a lot of people around.

Would you consider a 2 bed place in the suburbs as there are a lot of one bed apartments in the city for the same price nearly. Search for the best value as well. Most importantly that you like the place, who you might live with and your letting agent.

TheBandicoot

Just checked Daft and the place is let.

So if you want to know what the market is like(based on my interactions with the LL here):

• Ad appears on Monday
• Tenant moves out on Tuesday evening
• LL schedules open viewing Wednesday evening
• New tenant secured Wednesday evening

**** open viewings, btw, and **** everything. I'm out.

space_man

TheBandicoot wrote: »

Just checked Daft and the place is let.

So if you want to know what the market is like(based on my interactions with the LL here):

• Ad appears on Monday
• Tenant moves out on Tuesday evening
• LL schedules open viewing Wednesday evening
• New tenant secured Wednesday evening

**** open viewings, btw, and **** everything. I'm out.

what! you moving to Drogheda?

Magenta

TheBandicoot wrote: »

Just checked Daft and the place is let.

So if you want to know what the market is like(based on my interactions with the LL here):

• Ad appears on Monday
• Tenant moves out on Tuesday evening
• LL schedules open viewing Wednesday evening
• New tenant secured Wednesday evening

**** open viewings, btw, and **** everything. I'm out.

Have you set up email alerts to be sent to you when a place with your criteria is posted?
They are really handy, however they only work for ads that have been posted brand new. Many agents and landlords just update the ad from the last time the place was up for rent, and since it's not a new ad you won't get an email.

I basically had to push and shove for my flat.
When the email alert came in I rang the agent immediately. She told me there was an open viewing at 6pm and like yourself I said, sod that, and basically nagged her til she agreed to let me view it by myself during my lunch break. I asked her beforehand what paperwork and deposit I'd need if I wanted it and made sure I had it on me when I viewed the place.

You have to be really aggressive. And I'm luckier than most as I work for a very laid back company who let me leave early to attend multiple viewings.

TheBandicoot

Haha, yeah, trust me I have email alerts set up. And yes, I emailed this guy as soon as the ad went up and I told them I could view at any time(like you I can leave the office at any timeif I need to), he still made me wait two days until the current tenant had left and they were having an open viewing.

In future I might insist on a private viewing. But why should any LL agree to that? Like I've seen, he only needs to turn up at the apartment for an hour and can have dozens of people making offers straight away. There's no incentive for him to give anyone the time of day, he has all the cards. So like I said, I give up, the market is too much for me, I don't have the emotional strength.

space_man

TheBandicoot wrote: »

Haha, yeah, trust me I have email alerts set up. And yes, I emailed this guy as soon as the ad went up and I told them I could view at any time(like you I can leave the office at any timeif I need to), he still made me wait two days until the current tenant had left and they were having an open viewing.

In future I might insist on a private viewing. But why should any LL agree to that? Like I've seen, he only needs to turn up at the apartment for an hour and can have dozens of people making offers straight away. There's no incentive for him to give anyone the time of day, he has all the cards. So like I said, I give up, the market is too much for me, I don't have the emotional strength.

while i sympathise with your frustration, you also have to see it from the LL point of view.
if he arranges a private viewing with you or anyone else, there is every chance he will be let down should the prospective tenant decide for whatever reason not to show.
i have personal experience of this, so i know what i'm talking about. people in ireland will not honour appointments without as much as a text message.
so from the LL's perspective, it's much better to line up half a dozen on a particular afternoon/evening and see who turns up. it's the only practicable way to do it.

cson

The being aggressive tip is worth following; hound letting agents and landlords, make yourself available for viewings at any time and literally be ready to go with the following; deposit (if you have 2 bank accounts and a lot of students will due to the offers flying around in years gone by) lash a deposit and first months rent into it and print a statement; have professional references ready from your employer (letter stating you work there) and have prior references from landlords (2 is ideal and note that you can still get these off College residencies - email the village manager.).

MMAGirl

You could even say that if you take it you will pay 50€ a month over asking if they let you view it early.

RATM

@The Bandicoot - also if I remember rightly there is a facility on Daft called the Tenant Database where you can fill in exactly what you're after and landlords get in touch with you. I used it a 3 years ago and had about 6 landlords contact me and ended up in one of their apartments, where I am to this day and happy out.

If you write a good profile on that and show that you're a reliable tenant who'll look after the place well you might just get a few landlords contact you before they spend money on Daft to advertise their place. Letting agents are also likely to use it as a quick way of finding tenants with little leg work so have a good profile/ad is important. Worth a shot IMO.

space_man

cson wrote: »

The being aggressive tip is worth following; hound letting agents and landlords, make yourself available for viewings at any time and literally be ready to go with the following; deposit (if you have 2 bank accounts and a lot of students will due to the offers flying around in years gone by) lash a deposit and first months rent into it and print a statement; have professional references ready from your employer (letter stating you work there) and have prior references from landlords (2 is ideal and note that you can still get these off College residencies - email the village manager.).

i dont think the agressive "strategy" will work, as my experience has been the tenants who have caused me most difficulty have been the pushy ones ie the ones who say "here's the money, i'll move in straight away".
as a LL it's always best to interview all prospective tenants to try and identify the ones who will be best suited, and again speaking from experience the best ones have often been those who were a bit laid back.

space_man

geraldishere wrote: »

get more money bro you 1 bed apt cheap bitch

i dont think that comment is very helpful.
if a 1 bed is all he can afford then where's the problem with that?

there a plenty of people in this country "residing" in large houses in negative equity that they cannot afford.

D3PO

space_man wrote: »

i dont think that comment is very helpful.
if a 1 bed is all he can afford then where's the problem with that?

there a plenty of people in this country "residing" in large houses in negative equity that they cannot afford.

ignore them. they have been trolling on 8 different boards forums today.

MMAGirl

Another thing we used to do when renting was to make this offer to the landlord.

In return for €50 a month off the rent we would do basic maintenance and repairs in the apartment. We would also pay for any repairs ourselves and return the items in the same state we got them in.
€600 off the rent in a year and we usually spent a lot less than that on repairs.

So the landlord gets a hassle free life and we got some rent off. win/win.
They love that.

Of course if anything major went wrong, like boiler etc he would pay for it and we would go back to paying full rent, but that never happened. We always ended up on the good side of that deal.

Nowadays you could probably ask for €75 a month off the rent for such a deal though.

Victor

geraldishere wrote: »

get more money bro you 1 bed apt cheap bitch

Abuse not welcome.

Moderator

space_man

MMAGirl wrote: »

Another thing we used to do when renting was to make this offer to the landlord.

In return for €50 a month off the rent we would do basic maintenance and repairs in the apartment. We would also pay for any repairs ourselves and return the items in the same state we got them in.
€600 off the rent in a year and we usually spent a lot less than that on repairs.

So the landlord gets a hassle free life and we got some rent off. win/win.
They love that.

Of course if anything major went wrong, like boiler etc he would pay for it and we would go back to paying full rent, but that never happened. We always ended up on the good side of that deal.

Nowadays you could probably ask for €75 a month off the rent for such a deal though.

sure and have some DIY novice hacking away at your property?
no LL with half a brain would accept such an "offer".
and besides in today's market the LL might well be asking you for €75 extra in order to maintain the property in good order.:rolleyes:

MMAGirl

space_man wrote: »

sure and have some DIY novice hacking away at your property?
no LL with half a brain would accept such an "offer".
and besides in today's market the LL might well be asking you for €75 extra in order to maintain the property in good order.:rolleyes:

We did it with 2 different landlords over 4 years and it worked out really well.
The only things we had to replace or have repaired were 2 shower hoses, 1 hoover, 1 electric kettle, 1 toaster, 1 microwave, 1 letterbox, 1 kitchen chair, 1 Kitchen hob. :rolleyes:

blackbelted

I also find it desperately hard to find 1 or 2 bed in D2 or D8 area. The apartments in the center are either very crappy or pricy...

I know the friends reference would make it cheaper and easier, but most of them are also looking one to move...

I keep a ref letter from work with me in case they need a proof of income.

Some agents are not nice at all. The way they look at you is like " will you able to pay it?" Why would I bother to rush from work to view it ?! No brainers!! E. g: savills from my experience.

Hope you all the best for the hunting....
Any good/bad experience please share.