Renting a house
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Finding a home is not easy. This article aims to explain this process while providing some advice that may facilitate this process. You can start the search steps before moving to Ireland.
Set your priorities
Finding an ideal rented home is a kind of dream (ideal location, ideal furniture, appliances, the perfect neighborhood, close to school, close to work, close to shopping, close to the mosque, stunning views, green areas …). So, set your priorities: what you must have and what you can cope with its loss. Knowing your priorities will definitely help you make the right decision that’s right for you.
Set your housing budget
When you rent a home, you will be responsible for paying utility bills, such as electricity, gas, telephone, garbage, and the Internet. There are major differences in these bills depending on the condition of the home, the heating system, the efficiency of the appliances, etc. These bills may average 150 ~ 250 euros per month. This large margin is mainly due to the cost of heating between the summer and winter months. You can read more about the utilities on this page.
Be aware of your rights and obligations as a tenant and the rights and obligations of the property owner.
Since you’ve set your priorities and budget, it’s time to find your home. This process has four stages
- Search for a home
- inspection visit
- Pay the insurance
- Moving home
Search for a home
Most rental properties (rooms, apartments and homes) are advertised on accommodation websites. The most important site is http://www.daft.ie.
You may also find accommodations available by word of mouth or “for rent” on real estate.
Most student unions also maintain residence lists.
Finding new housing can be difficult, especially in big cities like Dublin and Cork, and it becomes more difficult when you start studying at universities.
- Find out about the different areas in the city that you will live in.
- Browse the daft site and get to know it, to get an idea of the available options and their prices
- Check public transportation options near your work and target home. Your ideal home may be away from your work but have convenient transportation options. In this case, expand our search criteria. You can check public transport lines in Google Maps. Note that it may be difficult to obtain a driver’s license quickly after your arrival.
The following steps can speed up the time needed to find your home
- Register for daft before you come to Ireland
- Set daft.ie alerts for your specific requirements (location, # bedrooms, housing budget limit, …). [Before you came to Ireland]
- Prepare your reference letters (letter from your business and letters from your previous lease contracts). Get your HR reference letter on your first day.
- Subscribe to the mobile internet service as soon as you arrive in Ireland. My advice is to get a prepaid subscription with unlimited calls and data. You can learn more information about mobile phones in this article.
- Once you receive a notification email for a new home, contact the advertiser (the rental agency or owner) to schedule an inspection visit. Read the announcement carefully in case you are asked to send your documents via email.
Inspection visit
Some advertisements specify visit time while others are determined by email or phone calls. In a competitive rental market, you need to make a decision quickly. Therefore, before going to an inspection visit, set your priorities: what you must have and what you can cope with its loss. Knowing your priorities will definitely help you make the right decision right away. You must be careful in the decision because you will adhere to a contract and pay a deposit that may be lost if you change your mind.
Before going to visit, take a copy of your papers with you (business answer, …). Make a checklist of what to search for and fill out during or after completing your visit. This list will be useful when visiting more than one house. Download a sample here.
When visiting a home, make sure that
- You are satisfied with the condition of home and furniture
- What services are included in the rent? It is common for rubbish (refuse) to be included. More about the utilities here.
- There is no sign of moisture. Humidity is an indication of various hidden problems.
- What are the available appliances? Note that there are minimum standards that the government sets for rental homes and it can be read here.
- If you have a car or plan to buy one, make sure (in writing) that parking is available. This is very important when renting an apartment.
It is normal that during a visit it is in many people, especially for the home in a vital place (next to the university)
During the visit, if you like the house, you tell the organizer of the visit that you want the house and leave your phone number and copies of your reference letters. If you are alone on the visit and you are sure you want to take home, you can pay a booking deposit (100-200 €).
- If you pay any money, take a receipt and only pay cash after checking an ID (passport or driving license) if you are dealing with a person.
- The booking deposit is nonrefundable if you change your mind.
Pay the deposit
The deposit in most cases is a month’s rent, and it may be more (two months, for example). Keep in mind that the rent is paid in advance, which means that when you rent a property, you will pay the deposit + a month’s rent.
- If you pay a booking deposit, you pay only the balance. Otherwise, you pay the whole deposit.
- It is better to transfer money to a bank account in comparison to paying in cash.
- If you pay cash, pay at the rental agency office. If you are paying a person, only do so after seeing a proof of identity (Passport or driver’s license). If you pay any cash, you take a receipt for it.
If the landlord wants you to sign a fixed-term lease, do not agree unless you are sure that you want to stay for that long. If you leave before the end of a fixed-term lease, you may lose insurance (read the contract).
After the contract term expires and when you leave the house, a part of the deposit may be deducted in the event of damages to the home or in the event of unpaid bills. Read your rights and obligations as a tenant.
You can read more about deposits here.
Moving into the home
The owner or agent can accompany you on the day of your move, but they may ask you to collect the keys from the office. If the owner or agent does not conduct an inspection on the day of your transition, know when he intends to do so.
Take photos of the house and if possible write the date. This is important if a dispute arises over the condition of the property when the contract expires.
It is important to know the owner’s name and address. In case of dealing with an agent, the tenant is entitled to obtain the full name and contact details of the landlord (owners)
Content list: You must make a list of home content for the property on the day you move. You can download the home content template here. If the property owner or his agent is present, ask him to check the property with you. Ensure that the property owner or your agent approves and signs the home content list. This enables you to agree on the condition and cleanliness of the home on the day of the move, avoiding any disputes over insurance upon moving out.
Rubbish: Make sure you have refuse bins and know the collection schedule. Most renters will provide renters with bins, but they are only required to do so if the property is rented to several tenants.
Prepaid Utilities: If the house has any prepaid gas or electricity, collect the relevant meter cards and charge them on your first day. This should be done during the day as the prepaid points may close at 6 pm.
Postpaid facilities: If the home utilities are bill-based, you should contact your service provider to give them your details and the current meter reading. If the previous tenants did not pay their final bill, you may receive an invoice for their use. Keep the first meter reading to be handy if any problem occurs.
Oil heating: If the property has an oil heating system, check the amount of oil in the tank and arrange to fill the tank. Check your lease agreement if you have to leave the same amount of oil in the tank when leaving the property.
Internet: You will probably need to transfer any phone or internet services to your name or make a new subscription.
Television: Transfer your TV license to your new address.
Property insurance: Once you move into your new home, you may need to insure the house content in the event of damage or theft. The property owner’s insurance will only cover the building itself and any furnished furniture or fixtures. If a fire catches the property, you will not be entitled to any compensation unless you have insurance for your contents.
Update your data: Once the transition is complete, you will need to submit (or update) your new address to several entities (your bank, work, your doctor or dentist, the driving vehicle licensing office, any government agency that has your address)
Terminating the contract before its term
Usually, you cannot terminate your lease unless the property owner violates his/her obligations, and there is a clause in the lease contract unless you and the landlord agree to terminate the lease. If you cancel the lease without having reasonable grounds to do so or if you do not give the correct termination notice, you may lose your deposit or the property owner may seek to make discounts from or your deposit to cover expenses, such as re-advertising, re-leasing costs or losing the lease.
When you want to terminate the lease, you must send a written notification (the email or SMS is incorrect by law). The notice period depends on the time you spent on the lease.
Leave the house
Before leaving the house, Do the following
- Clean the house.
- Remove all of your stuff.
- Dispose garbage (if necessary).
- Take photos or videos of the rental unit before leaving.
- Take the meter reading and pay all the bills.
- Transfer service bills back to the owner’s name and cancel/move your Internet connection.
- Ensure that there is no damage other than normal wear.
- Do a final check with the owner/agent and get a written confirmation that they are satisfied.
- Return the keys.
- Leave a note of your future address or use the mail forwarding service.
Reference
The board of Ireland’s National Tenancy Register. It is also responsible for resolving disputes between Landlords, tenants, and third parties.
a registered charity whose aim is to secure a right to housing, particularly for households experiencing the problems of poverty and exclusion.
A website that supports the provision of information, advice, and advocacy on a broad range of public and social services.