Slum living hits Galway!

JohnCleary

You've read about them, you've seen the pictures of Dublin examples.

Now you can see it for yourself in Galway!

http://www.daft.ie/galway/flat-to-share/galway-city/2-aishling-house-augustine-street-galway-city-galway-973619/

endacl

No crying stool. Therefore it's a palace.

jjpep

Rock bottom.

theteal

You’d get a quare creek in your neck watching that TV

snor

Love the toilet paper as a 'modern Convenience' ����

Zzippy

Is that 3 bunkbeds in one room? Be cheaper to stay in a hostel...

Mrs OBumble

It's far from a slum now.

Building was sold a while back and has been recently refurbed as effectively a hostel. But in the current climate some people prefer hostel style long term over what they can afford otherwise.

Before that it was in bedsits and they were a lot more slum like. Never listed on Daft, but always tenanted thru word of mouth.

There are a few other inner city buildings which were similar, I'm not sure if they've been done up similarly or just removed from the housing stock.

biko

400 per person per month is pretty steep. The slumlord will be pleased

Mrs OBumble

biko wrote: »

400 per person per month is pretty steep. The slumlord will be pleased

Not when you realise that it includes electricity etc.

Regular backpacer would be similar priced in winter but a lot dearer the test of the year.

Mrs OBumble

Mrs OBumble wrote:

Not when you realise that it includes electricity etc.

I assume that you are a slum landlord as €1600 a month for that place is ridiculous.

schemingbohemia

Is it not €3,200 per month as 4 tenants in already with 4 more sought? €38k a year!

schemingbohemia

Mrs OBumble wrote: »

It's far from a slum now.

Building was sold a while back and has been recently refurbed as effectively a hostel. But in the current climate some people prefer hostel style long term over what they can afford otherwise.

Before that it was in bedsits and they were a lot more slum like. Never listed on Daft, but always tenanted thru word of mouth.

There are a few other inner city buildings which were similar, I'm not sure if they've been done up similarly or just removed from the housing stock.

Must have been sold a good while ago, not showing on the
https://www.propertypriceregister.ie/website/npsra/pprweb.nsf/PPR?OpenForm

joeKel73

biko wrote: »

400 per person per month is pretty steep. The slumlord will be pleased

It's worse, it's €100/week.

€100/7 = €14.29/day
€14.29 * 365.25 = €5219.42/year
€5219.42/12 = €435/month

It's the old weekly rent trick, people often multiple by 4 to get an equivalent monthly rate, but it's worse.

TerrorFirmer

schemingbohemia wrote: »

Is it not €3,200 per month as 4 tenants in already with 4 more sought? €38k a year!

Yeah, that's what I was going to say. 4 people already in it, and now another 4 wanted - slumlord raking in the cash.

It's a two bedroom place. Crap like this is just despicable.

JohnCleary

To those who reckon is it not a slum situation, fair play that you'd live in those conditions.

Full disclosure: I am a landlord.

I would never try to pack 6 bunk beds in to what looks like a small double room. Infact, i'd never even put 2 singles and try to make people share. I'd simply let it as a double room at market rate.

It's all well good and saying "It's basically a hostel", but it's not.
Is the unit zoned under Planning as a Hostel?
Are commercial rates being paid?
Has it passed fire inspection?

€100 per week 'all in', meaning you're a licencee, rather than a tenant = no rights. Sure, we can get high and mighty and claim tenant rights, but guaranteed the landlord / sub-letter would have you out on your trot (maybe this is not a bad thing)

I assume that full rental is being disclosed to Revenue? (give me a break!)

I assume that all tenants are PRTB registered? (Not a chance as they'd be pulling the licencee line)

Assuming that this place is to house 8 people, do you really think 2 tiny kitchens & corridors is enough common space for the tenants?

I would also be curious as to how many showers / toilets are there. Max is going to be 2 showers / 2 toilets which is tight for 8 people unless they are really well co-ordinated.

Mrs OBumble

Building sale was in April 2017, according to this article: http://www.advertiser.ie/galway/article/92078/odonnellan-joyce-records-6-million-in-property-sales-in-its-wild-atlantic-way-april-auction

There are questions around planning. But it was operating as (I'm told very grotty) bedsits under the previous owner, and these become illegal. It has at least been cleaned up - and I'm sure the fire-safety is better now than it was. Doesn't mean all is well, I know. Just better.

Yes, it's expensive when compared to a room in a house share - for which people must provide references and commit to six month tenancies. But the young tourists who have been staying in the property would not likely be willing to do the latter, and some would not have the former in English. The rate is comparable to what backpacker hostels were charging as weekly rates. (Some have moved to accepting students instead.)

Given the well-known Dominic St personalities who supervising the fit-out, neighbours are relieved that the building is being used in this way. Other uses were expected - and may still emerge over summer.

Re Revenue - who knows how well this family of businesses follow tax laws. I certainly don't. But wouldn't guess either way, It's possible they stay compliant, so as not to draw attention to themselves.



TL/DR: it ain't great, but it's far from a slum.

draiochtanois

This post has been deleted.

manualskeleton

JohnCleary wrote: »

€100 per week 'all in', meaning you're a licencee, rather than a tenant = no rights.

What does this mean, is this a thing? I'm looking for somewhere to live at the moment and a place I'm going to today has all bills included in the rent.

JohnCleary

manualskeleton wrote: »

What does this mean, is this a thing? I'm looking for somewhere to live at the moment and a place I'm going to today has all bills included in the rent.

Check the lease.

Ask if you are taking up a fixed term lease or are moving in a licencee. Legally to be a licencee the owner must also be living there but it's understandable that a lot of people are not aware of this.

PM me if you require any more info, happy to help as I'm as sick of dodgy landlords as tenants are.

Whereisgalway

Mrs OBumble wrote: »

It's far from a slum now.
.

we are only as blind as we want to be

joeKel73

J o e wrote: »

biko wrote: »

400 per person per month is pretty steep. The slumlord will be pleased

It's worse, it's €100/week.

€100/7 = €14.29/day
€14.29 * 365.25 = €5219.42/year
€5219.42/12 = €435/month

It's the old weekly rent trick, people often multiple by 4 to get an equivalent monthly rate, but it's worse.

Assuming all 8 are paying €100/wk, they're renting that house for €41,760/year! :-o

manualskeleton

JohnCleary wrote: »

Check the lease.

Ask if you are taking up a fixed term lease or are moving in a licencee. Legally to be a licencee the owner must also be living there but it's understandable that a lot of people are not aware of this.

PM me if you require any more info, happy to help as I'm as sick of dodgy landlords as tenants are.

Cheers! There wasn't any lease

I'm getting very frustrated with the number of places I've gone to that don't have washing machines, don't have cookers, have rotten windows and walls with water damage etc etc.. I've also had a feckin awful time dealing with an agency this past year in relation to vital repairs and am so wary of them now.

_Whimsical_

Jesus, can't believe this is Galway. That is just unabashed greed on the part of the landlord.

That place has the makings of a decent house if it was set up for two people and with the location it'd make a tidy enough rental income. Looking to jam 4 people in and make 1600 off them is just disgusting.

If we are willing to accept this sort of thing or give it the "it's hardly a slum" routine" then the city will be gone down the toilet in no time in terms of quality of life for people who can't afford a home of their own.

manualskeleton

This licensee thing has really opened my eyes I hadn't heard about it before and thought that all these owner-occupied ads with everything included in the rent sounded great. Thanks JohnCleary for the heads up!

http://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/housing/renting_a_home/sharing_accommodation_with_your_landlord.html

Your Face

It's not shocking.

House prices and rents have been steadily rising for the last 2 years.

It's ridiculous what some landlords are charging.

Mahogany Gaspipe

If you don't like it don't live in it.

Arghus

Mahogany Gaspipe wrote: »

If you don't like it don't live in it.

That's a pretty facile response to the wider issue.

Mrs OBumble

_Whimsical_ wrote: »

If we are willing to accept this sort of thing or give it the "it's hardly a slum" routine" then the city will be gone down the toilet in no time in terms of quality of life for people who can't afford a home of their own.

Ten years ago, I saw one of the bedsit buildings in Shop / High St.

Stairwell subsided in places, so every stair was a different height (= very dangerous to go up/down) - and twisting and turning in odd ways through the building. Sewage leaking in the hallway on the ground floor. Rooms so small that a double bed was not even an option. Walls so thin that when you neighbour had sex in their single bed, it was just like being there. When the wind blew, the cold draft from the over-hob extractor was so strong that people stuffed plastic bags up there in order to sleep. Single glazing let in the noise of every single drum-beat from the street outside in.

That was a real live Irish slum. Ironically the thing which made it illegal was the requirement for individual bathrooms - and the toilets / showers were actually clean and functional.

I didn't see the bedsits in the Augustine St building before it was done up. But I've been told they were similar (granted without drummers outside), and that some of the showers didn't work.

If anything, I'd say this one has been improved significantly, not turned into a slum.

The calculations people did are off, they assume 100% occupancy, which you never get in hostel style accommodation. I'd guess 80% if you worked on marketing it hard. And the LL will be paying someone for cleaning and for handling reservations / check in-out. As well they will be paying commercial rates, and monitoring contracts on the fire and security alarms, and for more maintenance than a regular LL because it won't be possible to pin communal-area breakages or thefts on individuals.

If anything, I suspect they'd get a higher overall rate of return if they let it as double-bed studios on 1 year leases - but that they want it as short term lets so they can use the property in other ways (eg staff accommodation) over summery.

jjpep

It doesn't say in the ad that's its a hostel, it just says accommodation.

schemingbohemia

_Whimsical_ wrote: »

Jesus, can't believe this is Galway. That is just unabashed greed on the part of the landlord.

That place has the makings of a decent house if it was set up for two people and with the location it'd make a tidy enough rental income. Looking to jam 4 people in and make 1600 off them is just disgusting.

If we are willing to accept this sort of thing or give it the "it's hardly a slum" routine" then the city will be gone down the toilet in no time in terms of quality of life for people who can't afford a home of their own.

It's 8 people, there are 4 already there looking for 4 more!

_Whimsical_

Mrs OBumble wrote: »

Ten years ago, I saw one of the bedsit buildings in Shop / High St.

Stairwell subsided in places, so every stair was a different height (= very dangerous to go up/down) - and twisting and turning in odd ways through the building. Sewage leaking in the hallway on the ground floor. Rooms so small that a double bed was not even an option. Walls so thin that when you neighbour had sex in their single bed, it was just like being there. When the wind blew, the cold draft from the over-hob extractor was so strong that people stuffed plastic bags up there in order to sleep. Single glazing let in the noise of every single drum-beat from the street outside in.

That was a real live Irish slum. Ironically the thing which made it illegal was the requirement for individual bathrooms - and the toilets / showers were actually clean and functional.

I didn't see the bedsits in the Augustine St building before it was done up. But I've been told they were similar (granted without drummers outside), and that some of the showers didn't work.

If anything, I'd say this one has been improved significantly, not turned into a slum.

The calculations people did are off, they assume 100% occupancy, which you never get in hostel style accommodation. I'd guess 80% if you worked on marketing it hard. And the LL will be paying someone for cleaning and for handling reservations / check in-out. As well they will be paying commercial rates, and monitoring contracts on the fire and security alarms, and for more maintenance than a regular LL because it won't be possible to pin communal-area breakages or thefts on individuals.

If anything, I suspect they'd get a higher overall rate of return if they let it as double-bed studios on 1 year leases - but that they want it as short term lets so they can use the property in other ways (eg staff accommodation) over summery.

I don't see any indication in the advert that this is being marketed as a hostel. It says "flatshare" with availability from 1year + , "4 people currently living in this flat", not 4 people staying in this hostel.
That would rule out all your points on commercial rates, security and staffing costs etc.
Unless you know something we don't and the reality is different than that is stated in the ad?

Surely you would agree that it would be an appalling prospect as a home?

If it's being sold as a rental then it is unabashed profiteering from people in dire straits. If it's tolerated or accepted as normal then we are setting a dangerous precedent for accommodation in this city.

manualskeleton

I don't get what the awful past situations have to do with a daft present situation. Should we not be better than this, regardless of what some past place was like?

manualskeleton

manualskeleton wrote: »

I don't get what the awful past situations have to do with a daft present situation. Should we not be better than this, regardless of what some past place was like?

It is most likely a case that a certain poster is a landlord themselves and as such all, they care about is packing in as many people as possible and spending the bare minimum in maintaining their rental properties.

jippo nolan

JohnCleary wrote: »

You've read about them, you've seen the pictures of Dublin examples.

Now you can see it for yourself in Galway!

http://www.daft.ie/galway/flat-to-share/galway-city/2-aishling-house-augustine-street-galway-city-galway-973619/

You can have an audience while your cooking!

manualskeleton

Deleted User wrote: »

It is most likely a case that a certain poster is a landlord themselves and as such all, they care about is packing in as many people as possible and spending the bare minimum in maintaining their rental properties.

Having spent the last 9 months basically in constant chasing and arguing with a letting agency about reaching mandated minimum standards in the property I'm renting (and being ignored/fobbed off/eventually evicted for "a relative to move in" with none of the necessary repairs ever being done), it's further away from this situation we need to be going rather than any backward step towards grim past situations.

https://my.uplift.ie/petitions/ensure-minimum-standards-in-rented-accommodation

Once its safe and kept to a reasonable standard I don't see anything wrong with it. There is a place for all types of accomidation in the market and some people are happy to stay in these setups as its cheaper and flexible.

Personally I wouldn't even stay in a hostel for a night but I know people who lived in hostels for months while travelling or when moving to a new city and not being bothered about looking for permenant accomidation. This is no different to someone living in a hostel for a while except it would offerer more privacy and cost less.

Mrs OBumble

Deleted User wrote: »

It is most likely a case that a certain poster is a landlord themselves and as such all, they care about is packing in as many people as possible and spending the bare minimum in maintaining their rental properties.

Full disclosure.

I am a landlord - overseas.

My 3brm property is not in a location which would make it suitable for use as hostel accommodation - and that's not a business I want to be in anyways.

It is currently tenanted by two people, and is fully managed by a professional property manager, who does quarterly inspections. It's just about to undergo some serious maintenance to the cladding, to fix an issue with water ingress, which the tenant didn't think to mention and so wouldn't have been found without the inspection. It's also had a heating upgrade in the last 18 months.




There is a place in the rental market for various standards of accommodation. As I've shown, slums are nothing new.

It should be fairly obvious that I suspect a bit more about the property under discussion than I'm saying. Let's just say that I don't think notice periods will apply - or that the typical resident will mind that. And that if four people to a room is the worst thing that's done here, that will be pretty good going.

_Whimsical_

Mrs OBumble wrote: »

Full disclosure.

I am a landlord - overseas.

My 3brm property is not in a location which would make it suitable for use as hostel accommodation - and that's not a business I want to be in anyways.

It is currently tenanted by two people, and is fully managed by a professional property manager, who does quarterly inspections. It's just about to undergo some serious maintenance to the cladding, to fix an issue with water ingress, which the tenant didn't think to mention and so wouldn't have been found without the inspection. It's also had a heating upgrade in the last 18 months.




There is a place in the rental market for various standards of accommodation. As I've shown, slums are nothing new.

It should be fairly obvious that I suspect a bit more about the property under discussion than I'm saying. Let's just say that I don't think notice periods will apply - or that the typical resident will mind that. And that if four people to a room is the worst thing that's done here, that will be pretty good going.

What would you expect might be going to happen with it that's worse?

I don't really understand why the person would bother advertising it and letting it to 4 people if they had other plans? What am I missing?

Cheshire Cat

_Whimsical_ wrote: »

I don't really understand why the person would bother advertising it and letting it to 4 people if they had other plans? What am I missing?

Making money until the other plans kick in, I presume.

Mrs OBumble

Mrs OBumble wrote: »

It should be fairly obvious that I suspect a bit more about the property under discussion than I'm saying. Let's just say that I don't think notice periods will apply - or that the typical resident will mind that. And that if four people to a room is the worst thing that's done here, that will be pretty good going.

Sure as long as no one is selling their body or shooting up then what harm if it's vastly overcrowded.

Zzippy

Going on the ad that said couples welcome and Mrs OB's insinuations, I'd say the most logical conclusion one can draw is that Mrs OB has a filthy mind...

Mrs OBumble

_Whimsical_ wrote: »

What would you expect might be going to happen with it that's worse?

I don't really understand why the person would bother advertising it and letting it to 4 people if they had other plans? What am I missing?

Note my earlier comments about who supervised the renovation.

Greaney

JohnCleary wrote: »

To those who reckon is it not a slum situation, fair play that you'd live in those conditions.

Full disclosure: I am a landlord.

I would never try to pack 6 bunk beds in to what looks like a small double room. Infact, i'd never even put 2 singles and try to make people share. I'd simply let it as a double room at market rate.

It's all well good and saying "It's basically a hostel", but it's not.
Is the unit zoned under Planning as a Hostel?
Are commercial rates being paid?
Has it passed fire inspection?

€100 per week 'all in', meaning you're a licencee, rather than a tenant = no rights. Sure, we can get high and mighty and claim tenant rights, but guaranteed the landlord / sub-letter would have you out on your trot (maybe this is not a bad thing)

I assume that full rental is being disclosed to Revenue? (give me a break!)

I assume that all tenants are PRTB registered? (Not a chance as they'd be pulling the licencee line)

Assuming that this place is to house 8 people, do you really think 2 tiny kitchens & corridors is enough common space for the tenants?

I would also be curious as to how many showers / toilets are there. Max is going to be 2 showers / 2 toilets which is tight for 8 people unless they are really well co-ordinated.

Thank you for your honest and informed answer.
Full disclosure: I'm a landlord

May I never rent out anything I would not be willing to live in myself. It's shameful what some people will do for money.

JupiterKid

That place is a total kip - cram as many bodies in, preferably non-European immigrants who won’t speak good English, won’t know their rights or dare to complain. It is dives like this that make the public perception of landlords so poor.

The landlord is a total rack renting chancer. Shame on Daft for advertising it.

Mrs OBumble

Greaney wrote: »

May I never rent out anything I would not be willing to live in myself.

An interesting observation.

I have lived in a place like that for 2-3 months. It was totally suitable for my needs at the time, and far better than anything else I would have got for similar money. Not a "forever home" or even a long-term one - but not everyone needs one of those all the time.

Horses for courses.