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Where to live in/around cork city? Will be working in Citygate Mahon.

  • 01-01-2014 8:24am
    #1
    Registered Users Posts: 23


    Hello friends,
    I will be moving to cork in a couple of days. I will stay in a hotel for couple of days until I find a place.
    I am looking for a place in/around cork city with good public transport to my workplace (Citygate Mahon). Since I do not plan to buy a car for at least another couple of months, public transport is really important.

    I know about sites like daft.ie but before I go looking for apartments, it would be better if I can focus on some particular areas.

    Also, the area should be generally safe. I am non-white and I have read some threads about people intimidating foreigners in some areas in Cork. I understand its probably not very common but just in case.
    My budget would be around 500-900 euros a month. I am single and am okay with sharing as well.
    Of course, it is best if I can get a place around Mahon itself. But the area is probably too expensive for me.
    I am okay with living in the suburbs as well as long as there is access to frequent buses to the city and especially my workplace.

    Thank you.
    I have read a lot of threads on this site and I must thank the site creators for this amazing site. Its my single best source of information about Ireland and Cork in particular.


Comments

  • Registered Users Posts: 740 ✭✭✭Aka Ishur


    Jacobs Island/Skehard Road/Douglas would be the areas I would be looking. Nice places on Jacobs Island, if you are on the side away from the road.


  • Registered Users Posts: 219 ✭✭suds1984


    Somewhere like the skehard rd would be perfect. Could walk to City Gate or get the bus if necessary (depending on the part of skehard rd up to 30 min walk) also would be able to walk to Douglas & be able to get bus into town or taxi into town for €10 for socialising. I think the brickfields/silverdale end of the road would be the farthest from city gate but still walkable & bus able. Mariners hall is at the other end if the skehard rd- perfectly safe as well. Nearer to city gate as well but not sure of any buses from there to city gate (prob not necessary). If you look at the 215 route- that passes outside city gate and look for somewhere along that route - you should be fine.


  • Registered Users Posts: 23 duh


    suds1984 wrote: »
    Somewhere like the skehard rd would be perfect. Could walk to City Gate or get the bus if necessary (depending on the part of skehard rd up to 30 min walk) also would be able to walk to Douglas & be able to get bus into town or taxi into town for €10 for socialising. I think the brickfields/silverdale end of the road would be the farthest from city gate but still walkable & bus able. Mariners hall is at the other end if the skehard rd- perfectly safe as well. Nearer to city gate as well but not sure of any buses from there to city gate (prob not necessary). If you look at the 215 route- that passes outside city gate and look for somewhere along that route - you should be fine.

    Thank you.
    Is there any site where I can get the info about the bus routes?


  • Registered Users Posts: 6,797 ✭✭✭Cork Lass


    Www.buseireann.ie - click on the services & destinations tab and the the town/city tab. This will give you all the routes and the timetables too. Welcome to Cork and I hope you enjoy your time here. We're quite a decent bunch of people really.


  • Registered Users Posts: 219 ✭✭suds1984


    Also they is the journey planning app (transport for Ireland) which is useful enough. You can put in the stops (city gate mahon) and the buses at that stop show up. Think you can also see the routes on a map, which can be helpful.


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  • Registered Users Posts: 481 ✭✭clerk


    duh wrote: »
    Also, the area should be generally safe. I am non-white and I have read some threads about people intimidating foreigners in some areas in Cork. I understand its probably not very common but just in case.

    Blackrock is generally speaking a nice area, you are unlikely to get any hassle as a foreigner. There are a load of non-Irish working ( especially in the call centres ) in Citygate so you won't stand out a whole lot really.:)

    if I was you and you say you don't have a car, l'd definitely go for Blackrock. Anywhere on Skehard rd. / Church rd. / Beaumount. l wouldn't go as far as Douglas with no car, as there is little or no bus service from Blackrock to Douglas.

    Eden would be perfect, not sure what the rent is there ?

    Best of luck.:D


  • Registered Users Posts: 481 ✭✭clerk


    duh wrote: »
    I am okay with living in the suburbs as well as long as there is access to frequent buses to the city and especially my workplace.

    Blackrock is the suburbs as such, you'd really be better off living in blackrock in terms of getting to work on public transport. Cork is a fairly small city but generally speaking the public transport isn't great. No Dart/Luas/Underground, basically all buses. You would often have to get 2 buses to get from one side of the City to the other for example. Blackrock is on the South side of the City for your information. There would be a very limited bus service from Cork County to Blackrock for example. Best get a gaff in Blackrock basically.

    From a social point of view as you head towards Beaumount from Blackrock you'd heading towards the City which would be handy if you fancied hitting the city centre for socialising. For that reason l wouldn't go for Jacobs island as that it on the other side of Mahon Point, albeit very near Mahon Point but not near a whole lot more, e.g. restaurants/pubs etc., especially with no car.


  • Registered Users Posts: 40 Zuzi


    Also are nice places around Blackrock, you can easily get the 202 or 215 to get in Mahon Point.


  • Registered Users Posts: 23 duh


    Thanks everybody. So Blackrock it is. My visa just arrived :)
    I will look for the apartment once I land there which is Jan 16th.
    A few questions:

    1) Do I need to pay any commission to the people who post listings on sites like daft.ie?

    2) What is generally the amount paid as deposit to the property owner?

    3) What are some things I need to be careful about when renting an apartment?

    4) How do I find out whether the apartment is not too old?

    5) What does it mean by 1 year contracct. So What happens if for some reason I need to vacate the apartment before one year? For ex: laid off by a company? Go to some other country etc. Do I need to pay the rent for the whole year?

    Thanks


  • Registered Users Posts: 40 Zuzi


    duh wrote: »
    Thanks everybody. So Blackrock it is. My visa just arrived :)
    I will look for the apartment once I land there which is Jan 16th.
    A few questions:

    1) Do I need to pay any commission to the people who post listings on sites like daft.ie?

    2) What is generally the amount paid as deposit to the property owner?

    3) What are some things I need to be careful about when renting an apartment?

    4) How do I find out whether the apartment is not too old?

    5) What does it mean by 1 year contracct. So What happens if for some reason I need to vacate the apartment before one year? For ex: laid off by a company? Go to some other country etc. Do I need to pay the rent for the whole year?

    Thanks

    First of all, congratz!
    then, on Daft.ie you don't pay anything if you are looking for...you pay only if you want to post on it.

    Usually more of the adds of flat/house etc are posted by agencies, some few from owners directly.
    The deposit requested is equal to one month of the rent, (the rent market is really fast in here, there is higher request).
    I can suggest you to take with you maybe a sum of money while you are visiting houses, and if you like it give it straight away to the agency guy in order to hold the house, otherwise can happen that someone just after you viewing the house will give the deposit and you'll lose it.

    From my prospective the most important thing you need to be aware in Ireland when you enter in the house is the smell of mould! Also check the corner of ceilings in order to see any trace of stain of water or humidity.
    I don't like either the carpet since hold the humidity and dirtiness (just thinking about who rented before you...if was clean or not.... :eek: but maybe is just my thinking)

    Be careful about the windows as well, since if they are old you'll fight with draughts all the time.

    To check if the house is old is always better ask for, and be careful of how is maintained inside and outside.

    Hope this help, all those things are coming from my experience as non Irish lady living in here :P.
    Anyway if you need anymore advise just send me a private message.

    All the best!


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  • Registered Users Posts: 392 ✭✭Footoo


    OP why not have a look at Old Blackrock Road more specifically. There are a couple of apartment complexes there and plenty of houses in and around. It's a couple of mins walk from the City Gate bus route but more importantly it's only short 10-15mins walk to the city centre.


  • Registered Users Posts: 8,237 ✭✭✭Sonics2k


    Does anyone know if the estate agents are back?

    I called one agent about a place which she promptly said was gone. I was about to ask about another place she had when she just hung up.

    And now she won't answer her phone at all, over an hour later.


  • Registered Users Posts: 40 Zuzi


    Sonics2k wrote: »
    Does anyone know if the estate agents are back?

    I called one agent about a place which she promptly said was gone. I was about to ask about another place she had when she just hung up.

    And now she won't answer her phone at all, over an hour later.

    I think they should, and at least they should have activate a voice mail explaining the opening hours if they don't want to be disturbed!

    By the way, to me happen so often to find unprofessional agents, some time they give an appointment and don't even show up! :mad:


  • Registered Users Posts: 4,027 ✭✭✭H3llR4iser


    duh wrote: »
    Thanks everybody. So Blackrock it is. My visa just arrived :)
    I will look for the apartment once I land there which is Jan 16th.
    A few questions:

    1) Do I need to pay any commission to the people who post listings on sites like daft.ie?

    No, it's the landlord's issue. You just pay the rent.
    2) What is generally the amount paid as deposit to the property owner?

    One month's rent, then you will have to pay for the first month's rent when you enter the property. So, let's say you go see an apartment which is 750 per month on Jan. 17th, you like it and take it, you will give the agency/landlord 750 as a deposit. Then, when you go and collect the keys, another 750 which is the first month's rent.
    3) What are some things I need to be careful about when renting an apartment?

    I'm not sure where exactly you are from and what kind of accommodation you grew up in; However, as a general rule, foreigners will find Irish houses to be dark and old-fashioned. To a minor extent, the same goes for the apartments. Especially in Cork, it could be some time before you find a proper, reasonably modern place which isn't filled up to the brim with furniture that should really be in a landfill.

    Take your time, visit many and only go for it when you REALLY, REALLY like the place. I'd avoid places with carpets like the plague, many stingy landlords do not replace them even after they're LONG gone, and they can stink big time.

    All in all, in your position I would go to a B&B and arrange a fixed price for, say, a week's stay in order to afford you time to properly look for a place; It's what I did when I moved here.
    4) How do I find out whether the apartment is not too old?

    See above; You'll know as soon as you step in them, if there is carpet and it's old, the smell will be...peculiar. Look for mould and again, use your nose.
    A thing most people often overlook is the heating system; More recent and/or fully refurbished places will have a gas boiler, while older places will be fitted with electric heaters, immersion tanks and/or electric showers (chances are, not being from Ireland you never saw an "electric storage heater" or an "electric shower" before in your life; it was so in my case!).
    5) What does it mean by 1 year contracct. So What happens if for some reason I need to vacate the apartment before one year? For ex: laid off by a company? Go to some other country etc. Do I need to pay the rent for the whole year?

    Thanks

    This might be the most controversial part of the Tenancy act; Technically speaking in a "fixed term contract", which is what the "1-year lease" things are, you are bound to it until the natural end of the agreement. So yes, if you need to go and your Landlord doesn't wish to accommodate, you might need to pay for the remainder of the agreement - or go and find a new tenant yourself. However, you can discuss it before you rent - some agencies and/or Landlords will add a "30 days notice mutual resolution" option, which will allow you or the landlord to terminate the agreement at any time, given the 30 days of notice. I had such an option on a place I rented before and it came in quite handy when some "undesirable" people moved in the neighbourhood :)


  • Registered Users Posts: 23 duh


    So i arrived in Cork last week. Have been busy with induction trainings etc.Got my phone only last friday.

    I tried looking for apartments in the jacob's Island, Blackrock area. Not many are there. A lot of agents do not even pick up the call.
    If any of you run an agency, know someone who does, has an apartment to let or wants to share an apartment or knows someone who wants, then please let me know.

    Thanks


  • Registered Users Posts: 23 duh


    Bump up!


  • Registered Users Posts: 3,669 ✭✭✭who_me


    I'm not sure which agency has accommodation where... but I lived in an apartment managed by Absolute Properties (South Main St.) and they were very easy to deal with.

    If you're looking to share, you could check out cork.gumtree.ie, they usually have a lot of people looking for a house/flat mate.


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