References needed for renting in Ireland

chaoclive

Hi guys

I'm going to be returning to Ireland after 7 years in China and would like to know a little about renting a house.

I don't have references (I've mainly lived in university accommodation in China) and the last time I rented a house in Europe was in 2005/6 when I was working in Belfast.

Do you think the fact that I don't have references will cause problems? Are there any ways around this? E.g. paying a higher deposit or paying X months in advance?

I'm a bit worried about this.

Thanks!
Clive

PS: I'll either be looking to rent in Letterkenny or Dublin.

djimi

Can you get a reference from an employer or any other source that can vouch for your character? It doesnt necessarily have to be from a previous landlord.

I suspect that it would be less of an issue in Letterkenny than in Dublin. Parts of Dublin are very high demand for rent at the moment and where landlords can choose from a large number of potential tenants the lack of references might be more of an issue for you.

chaoclive

Oh, that should be fine. But again, the latest employer would be in China and both of the companies I worked for in Belfast don't provide personal references. I guess I could ask an old colleague to write something for me!

Thanks a lot
C

Scortho

I'd say if you offered the landlord an extra months deposit, the reference part might be waived?

djimi

Im going to be honest, given the way that certain landlords seem to be behaving at the moment, I would be in no hurry to volunteer a larger deposit, because they more that you offer the more you stand to lose. Its one thing risking one months deposit (nothing you can do about that) but I certainly wouldnt be risking any more than that.

Rosier

Never been asked for a reference; have a look on daft ie as only a few ads mention this. Look at Letterkenny especially. Good luck

djimi

Rosier wrote: »

Never been asked for a reference; have a look on daft ie as only a few ads mention this. Look at Letterkenny especially. Good luck

It would be very unusual for a rental not to ask for references to be honest, especially in areas where the rental market is in any way in a healthy state.

chaoclive

Cool. Thanks for your help guys. I've never been asked in Northern Ireland but some friends who rented in ROI said that they have been asked.

There's so much to think about before moving back. I don't even has a PPSN yet.

Rosier

djimi wrote: »

It would be very unusual for a rental not to ask for references to be honest, especially in areas where the rental market is in any way in a healthy state.

Well this is my seventh rental in recent years and never been asked for references.. not unusual thus.

As a matter of interest do look at daft ie. Seems to be some agencies who ask while the majority do not

ghogie91

To be honest it would depend on the property and how much the landlord values it also

I tend to see landlords who own more than one property available to rent seem to forget about the references.

Then you have people who are renting the second house they have for whatever reason who value the property and want it sold asap looking for references off people, so to find out if they are going to wreck their house and make it unappealing to the buyers market.

Im my own experience I have never been asked for a reference, I had work references ready to go but chose not to bring up the subject when the landlord was overlooking it (whether it was just forgotten or looked at as irrelevant)

end of the day money speaks for itself, if you are waving a months rent and a deposit at a landlord you will more than likely get the property, no one not even the landlords have it easy these days with bills, new taxes etc so if the cash is available then its a 95% chance of being yours

Mrs OBumble

For your renting, a reference from your current employer would be worth more than a previous one - they're lookng to know that you can pay the rent, not that you could.

But any personal written references that you can dig up could help too.

Grolschevik

djimi wrote: »

It would be very unusual for a rental not to ask for references to be honest, especially in areas where the rental market is in any way in a healthy state.

I've been renting in Dublin for years and I've never been asked for one. I'm not saying that's the norm, though, just that it can happen.

Clive

Very few employers will give a personal reference these days - essentially all you need is a one-liner confirming that you are currently employed by XYZ company. If you could get a reference from your house in Belfast that would satisfy most agents - they generally just want to "tick the box" that they have checked employment and previous landlord. If you're dealing direct with a landlord you can explain your situation and they may be happy without it.

I've never not been asked to provide references in Dublin.