Is this wait for rental properties normal?

SparklesBlood

So the deal is, I moved here from another country last year and I'm not accustomed to the rental system in Ireland just yet. The place I'm in now is a winter let of a holiday home, I said I'd take it and moved in no fuss.
I viewed a property a week and a half ago and said I'd take it, but the letting agent said the landlords want it kept up for a while to see what else comes along. Two of us would be moving in, both with full time jobs, no pets, no children, I don't really see why we haven't been accepted, we have good references.
The country I come from don't work this way, we say we'll take a place, they do a credit check, take a work reference and a deposit and you get your keys, this can be done all in the same day and you're away.
As you can imagine, this was a bit of a shock and it's fairly frustrating, my current lease has about 6 weeks left, but I'm concerned now that it'll take me too long to get a place if these waits are the norm here.
So...is this what everyone is experiencing?

Captain Flaps

The landlord, for whatever reason, has put you down as their plan B tenant. Why this is could be anyone's guess but that's not normal and I'd be pretty insulted if I was told they were waiting for something else to come along. Sounds like the landlord might not be worth the hassle. Just move on.

magicmushroom

I wouldn't say it's the norm, at least I've never experienced anything like this.

However, with rental properties being in demand, I can see (although not agree with) why a landlord would do this.

If I were you, I would see this as an indication of what kind of a man he is - greedy - with a concern for money over the quality of tenants.

If your money isn't good enough for him, look somewhere else.
With only 6 weeks to go, I would NOT be sitting around waiting.

SparklesBlood

Thanks for replying. I wasn't sure to be honest, since the letting agent had said he had another couple waiting on another house we viewed for 2 weeks and that house is still available. Thought this might just be normal here and bizarre to me being foreign.