UCD Accomodation Thread - All Queries Here

elmyra

Hey pFd,

I was in your position last year (well, roughly, it was 5 girls). We found it really really difficult to find a place and it took us over a month. It took weeks of being on Daft constantly and scouring the Herald and all the papers for accom. Whenever a place came up we went to view immediately and had deposits with us incase we wanted to take it. We made sure to be well dressed for viewing and ask lots of questions to show that we weren't just a gang of waster students. We also had references available from our previous landlords.

If you are not willing to settle it will be difficult. We found a four bed house but as it was being done up at the time, the landlord agreed to turn the second living room into a bedroom for us, we were really lucky in that we got to deal with the landlord directly. We got a house in Dundrum in the end, so it is a twenty minute walk to ucd or five mins down to the bus, but it is a great location. True, we took a one year lease, but we're paying a really nice rent for where we are.

Get out a map and work out where is walkable and what's along bus routes and widen your search area. Be ready to view at a moment's notice. Have deposits ready. Consider taking a year lease.

Best of luck.

irlrobins

Maybe the problem is as you say you are looking for a four bedroom house. Prehaps you're being priced out of this market as professionals are able to pay the higher rents. If you split your group into couples would you be more likely to find a place?

pFd

elmyra wrote:

Hey pFd,

I was in your position last year (well, roughly, it was 5 girls). We found it really really difficult to find a place and it took us over a month. It took weeks of being on Daft constantly and scouring the Herald and all the papers for accom. Whenever a place came up we went to view immediately and had deposits with us incase we wanted to take it. We made sure to be well dressed for viewing and ask lots of questions to show that we weren't just a gang of waster students. We also had references available from our previous landlords.

If you are not willing to settle it will be difficult. We found a four bed house but as it was being done up at the time, the landlord agreed to turn the second living room into a bedroom for us, we were really lucky in that we got to deal with the landlord directly. We got a house in Dundrum in the end, so it is a twenty minute walk to ucd or five mins down to the bus, but it is a great location. True, we took a one year lease, but we're paying a really nice rent for where we are.

Get out a map and work out where is walkable and what's along bus routes and widen your search area. Be ready to view at a moment's notice. Have deposits ready. Consider taking a year lease.

Best of luck.

Thanks, that was very helpful. Thats exactly the kind of responce i wanted. yeah we dont mind having a lease for a year because we're just so desperate for somewhere. we weren't looking for houses in Dundrum, it was mainly stillorgan, clonskeagh, goatstown, mount merrion etc. so now Drundrum is on the list as well. i thought drundrum was a bit far away but a 20 minute walk is fine. Just a question though. what are the buses like from dundrum to ucd?

we've been searching relentlessly for 3 weeks now so hopefully we'll get somewhere next week!

its also very difficult in that 3 of us are working and the other one lives 14mikes north of Monagha town so its hard to get every1 together.
But we'll keep trying and hopefully we will come up with a result soon.
Thanks for you responce it was very helpful

James_sb

Right, so lectures are back the 11th right? So i take it the week before is filled with freshers events and free stuff. I had a mad laugh last year helping out in the SU freshers tent. Is it the same thing this year.

Other question: I've applied for Glenomena, but appartently they wont tell me if i've gotten it until september.. now that's a bit late as you can imagine, but does anyone know what week you'd move in on? Like i hope it's not on the 10th or something stupid like that. I figure that getting Glenomena is a sure enough thing, they were looking for people last year, and even though fourth years like myself can only apply to Glenomena, i think it'll still be easy enough to get in.

Cheers!
James

James_sb

Actually scratch that last one, it's the 5th of September you'd move in on.

Blush_01

Yup, september 5th is moving in date! Other than that, fresher's week is the week AFTER we start back, so it'll be the 18th or whatever the monday is, my brain is currently sleeping.

irlrobins

They'll try and fill Glen with as many PG's as possible before putting undergrads in. So that's prob the delay. Best way to find out is to ring them (716 1030).

Villaricos

there is stuff goin on the week before the start of term for freshers apparently because my manager in work is playing with his band in the student bar on the 7th. I put my foot in it by saying there'd be no one around that week and he got all worried! oops!

dajaffa

Week of the 4th is orientation week for freshers. Email Dep Pres at deputy.president@ucd.ie if you want to volunteer to help out, details at http://www.ucdsu.net/newswire.php?story_id=1165

tintinr35

i got offered glenomena on friday will be taking it as i cant be arsed looking for a house!!!

singingstranger

For the benefit of pFd: I was in a group of three last year and didn't locate a place until the Saturday before college started again, and had to commute for the first week until the refurb in the place was finished. Just hang in there, everything does tend to sort itself out eventually. Best of luck with it.

James_sb: Yup, SU marquee up during Orientation Week, 4-8th September. If you (or anyone else for that matter!) want to help out just drop Dave Curran a line at Deputy.President@ucd.ie, 017163122 or 0868122700 and let him know when you're free.

James_sb

Cool, cheers all. Sorry about posting first in my own thread... my bad...

pFd

Thank-you, we in dublin looking right now and of course tthers nothing. as usual.
"No students." :mad:

Kalashnikov_Kid

pFd wrote:

Thank-you, we in dublin looking right now and of course tthers nothing. as usual.
"No students." :mad:

Hang in there, it can be done, me and 3 of my mates got a 1year contract on an apartment on Pembroke Street yesterday. It has 2 double rooms and a single. Rent is a bit high but if we bring in another person it will come down to €100pw. But we will make savings from last year for we can walk in and out of town, need only 1 bus to UCD, no need for taxis etc. so it will even out in the end. Although we knew someone who lived there this year so we had an inside track which was obviosly an advantage.

Nonetheless, places you mention such as Clonskeagh and Mount Merrion are not as easy as they seem in terms of getting student accommodation, as these places have quite an old average population. For instance the street where my gran lives in Mt. Merrion, 5 mins walk from UCD, I'm not aware of any students renting there, just mainly old couples and families.

So I think you need to think out of the box in order to be successful, start looking for places in Ranelagh, Rathmines, Portobello, Leeson St./Baggot St. area where the rental market is much more stronger. These were the only places we were looking at. The location is fantastic, close to city centre and college (near to 10 and 46A routes) and alot of students stay there. As I said before, if rent is a bit higher it will even out on transport costs (unless you go to Bondi and the like)

Anyway Id imagine in some of the more fancy suburbs there wouldnt be any difference in rent, you might get somewhere relatively cheap in Dundrum/Rathfarnham but youll have to walk/cycle/rely on the highly unreliable 17 bus to go to college, pay 15quid for a taxi home from town, and if you are from outside of Dublin, it could be much more difficult reaching the outer southside suburbs. Youll just have to ask yourself whether the savings in rent (if any) will be worth all that hassle.

Best of luck anyway, let us know how you get on.

James_sb

I know there's some people moving out of seamount at the end of august. It's a set of appartment blocks beside the raddision. Accross from UCD. Find the letting agents for that place and they mught be able to help you. There's different appartments. The guys i know are moving out of a 2 bed place (1double, 1 single)

pFd

Hello every1, after six weeks of vigorous searching we finally got a house! we all have a room of our own and we decided to pay the rent based on the size of the rooms. i took the smallest room and am paying 390/month. It takes about 25 mins to get 2 college on the 46a, so its not too bad. Overall I'm extremely happy with the house. Its a real old fashioned but very very clean which is the main thing. It has a certain Austin Powers meets middle of the 80's feel to it. Groovy baby!!
Anyway, I just wanna say thanks to all those who were kind enough to offer words of advice. Hunting for a house in Dublin is no easy feat and includes weeks of aniexty and stress. But we got there in the end and to anyone who is still looking for a house, all I can say is hang in there and keep trying. It will all work out eventually. I know it feels like it won't but it will. The government really should do something about the lack of housing in Dublin for students, especially those going to UCD

If there are any first years out there who cant find anywhere safe and clean I recommend you apply to Griffith College on-campus acccommodation especially if there are two of you as all the rooms are twins. I stayed there last year and it certainly suits first year students. Its not perfect however, as its quite expesive and you have to get to buses to UCD (the 19/122 and the 10/46a etc...) Check out the link if your interested: www.gcd-accommodation.ie

Thanks again guys,
pFd out (for now!)

Kalashnikov_Kid

As someone who stayed at Griffith College campus last year, I would only recommend it to UCD students as a last resort if theyre running out of time and cant find anywhere else.

Not only is it expensive for what you get (much pricier than UCD campus), they will continue to screw you for every penny. I got a bill this week from them which included a sum for missing items. Many items were missing before we got there so I dunno what thats about, gonna try get a precise itemised list.

The 2 bathrooms in our place appeared to not have been cleaned once during the Summer, but the residential manager (who by the way is a total unmannerly and unprofessional cow) blamed us for the dirtiness, even though she could see herself that it hadnt been cleaned for months beforehand.

Also expect random calls from management performing 'spotchecks' who will barge into your bedroom regardless (even if you happen to be sleepin with your g/f at the time), random visits from builders sent around the blocks to check various things, fire drills at 9:30am where management expect EVERYONE to present themselves in the courtyards, pyjamas and all, and a nice opening information talk where you are lectured about the long list of things that youre not allowed do.

Of course there are usually ways around these types of rules and I had a good year there. The College itself is close-knit so if you get involved in some of the SU events and freshers Week you will def. get to know people around you. I could see the appeal for 1st yr students, its easy to get a place with friends and because youre on campus, theres a good vibe which makes it much easier to settle in.

Getting to UCD is very tricky indeed. You are lookin at a 20min walk to leeson st. for the 46A and then another 20 mins to UCD. The 19/122 buses will only save ya about 10mins walkin at most. Therefore, it was v. easy for myself to not bother goin to my mornin lectures, which I frequently did and led to much last-minute panic before the exams

Because it took so long to get there, I found it hard to follow on any societies I joined or with any of the evnts organised. I ended up doin my socialisin at Griffith College with people I knew there, which wasnt a bad thing I suppose. but the point is Ill be spendin another 2yrs at UCD not anywhere else, so in that respect I felt i had missed out on last year.

Sorry for the long post, I went there with high expectations, alot of which werent met. Certainly for anyone actually goin to Griffith, or DIT, Trinity, NCAD etc. its a great location. But for UCD it really is too far out and for 1st yrs, you might find that you will feel left out on gettin to know people and the social side of things at UCD.

p.s. congrats pFd, for that price looks like you got a good deal indeed.

pFd

Kalashnikov_Kid wrote:

As someone who stayed at Griffith College campus last year, I would only recommend it to UCD students as a last resort if theyre running out of time and cant find anywhere else.

Not only is it expensive for what you get (much pricier than UCD campus), they will continue to screw you for every penny. I got a bill this week from them which included a sum for missing items. Many items were missing before we got there so I dunno what thats about, gonna try get a precise itemised list.

The 2 bathrooms in our place appeared to not have been cleaned once during the Summer, but the residential manager (who by the way is a total unmannerly and unprofessional cow) blamed us for the dirtiness, even though she could see herself that it hadnt been cleaned for months beforehand.

Also expect random calls from management performing 'spotchecks' who will barge into your bedroom regardless (even if you happen to be sleepin with your g/f at the time), random visits from builders sent around the blocks to check various things, fire drills at 9:30am where management expect EVERYONE to present themselves in the courtyards, pyjamas and all, and a nice opening information talk where you are lectured about the long list of things that youre not allowed do.

Of course there are usually ways around these types of rules and I had a good year there. The College itself is close-knit so if you get involved in some of the SU events and freshers Week you will def. get to know people around you. I could see the appeal for 1st yr students, its easy to get a place with friends and because youre on campus, theres a good vibe which makes it much easier to settle in.

Getting to UCD is very tricky indeed. You are lookin at a 20min walk to leeson st. for the 46A and then another 20 mins to UCD. The 19/122 buses will only save ya about 10mins walkin at most. Therefore, it was v. easy for myself to not bother goin to my mornin lectures, which I frequently did and led to much last-minute panic before the exams

Because it took so long to get there, I found it hard to follow on any societies I joined or with any of the evnts organised. I ended up doin my socialisin at Griffith College with people I knew there, which wasnt a bad thing I suppose. but the point is Ill be spendin another 2yrs at UCD not anywhere else, so in that respect I felt i had missed out on last year.

Sorry for the long post, I went there with high expectations, alot of which werent met. Certainly for anyone actually goin to Griffith, or DIT, Trinity, NCAD etc. its a great location. But for UCD it really is too far out and for 1st yrs, you might find that you will feel left out on gettin to know people and the social side of things at UCD.

p.s. congrats pFd, for that price looks like you got a good deal indeed.

Your spot on, Griffith is a rip-off but for first year UCD students who cannot find anything else and dont know all the spots in dublin its a perfect.

What was that list about?? I got the same bill and was raging. Missing items that were never even in the apartment (eg:sugar bowl, what sugar bowl?) and missing items that were there when we left (eg: the frying pan). That list was absolute bollox. Our apartment was in even better condition when we left than when we arrived in September and yet we got a bill of €45 for damage. If I got my hands on that sour old witch Marrian Flynn I think I'd choke her. What a bitch.

They actually stole our money. Those bast*rds.

On second thoughts first year, dont go to Griffith, they steal from you.

Blush_01

James_sb wrote:

I know there's some people moving out of seamount at the end of august. It's a set of appartment blocks beside the raddision. Accross from UCD. Find the letting agents for that place and they mught be able to help you. There's different appartments. The guys i know are moving out of a 2 bed place (1double, 1 single)

Seamount is lovely, I lived there in first year. But beware, it's not the kind of place for mad student parties, the walls are thin and the neighbours are all pretty settled, either with kids, 9 -5 lives or middle-aged to old. They threatened to kick us out a number of times. If you're more into a few quiet drinks with friends and maybe some sly paddling in the fountain, you'll love it. Also, No. 44 has a really funky smell in the kitchen/living room that comes and goes without explanation and is apparently sourceless. Don't live there, it's like rotting vermin are trapped in the pipes when it's bad.

Pythia

I started this thread to complain about my boyfriend not getting on campus accommodation.
Good news! He was offered a place in Belgrove today.
He's a 2nd year, so it's a suprise.
I'm so happy!

hullaballoo

I just got Glenomena. Free* wireless internet access. Delira.

* Free means after you fork out €500 a month plus bills.

fruitmonster

Is Roebuck Castle rele that bad of a kip?

Umaro

Woah I didn't realise we had to apply so many months in advance.. I only did it there on Wednesday night when I was paying my Reg. Fees - I suppose it doesn't matter much really since I am going to do the Study Abroad thing in Commerce for the 2nd Semester and it would've been nigh on impossible to get a 12-week lease for the 1st Semester.

I agree that it is unfair that people from Dublin get on-campus over people in the countryside, but it's as much the Accomodation Office's fault as it is people who aren't in need of the places applying..

postgrad

HELP, please. I got into Glenomena but am so confused about one of the forms that is to be filled out and returned.

If someone has already filled out the LICENSE to RESIDE form, I'm interested how to fill the top portion out.

It looks like this:

...... ("UCD") SECOND PART

__________________________ of _________________________

__________________________ (The Occupier) THIRD PART

__________________________ of _________________________

__________________________ (The Guarantor) FOURTH PART



Also, at the bottom of the form there are three lines to be signed by myself, a parent, and WHO? Do I get a notery to sign the top line (duly authorised representative--FIRST PART), or do I leave this blank for someone at UCD to sign? Also, there are two places to the right under "offical stamp" for two witnesses to sign-- Is this where a notery comes in, or do I leave this blank as well?

If anyone can help me I will be so happy. I have sent an e-mail and I can't call to Dublin on my cell....so hopefully this post will work.

Thanks in advance.

irlrobins

ok the top Part should read:

Your name of Your Location
The Occupier (Third Part)

Guarantor's Name of Guarantor's Location
The Guarantor (Fourth Part)

i.e Joe Bloggs of Dublin, Ireland <--- you

Mary Bloggs of Dublin, Ireland <-- your guarantor

Bottom part should read

Signed by the Occupier
Your sig

Signed by the Guarantor
Guarantor's Sig

In the presence of
Just get any random person to sign as witness. Don't bother with a notary. A person off the street is fine.

The First part and second parts will be signed and stamped by UCD. SO leave blank.

Edit: If you're still clueless I'll take a pic of my old one and put it up for you.

postgrad

Thanks irlrobins. I think you've answered all my questions, though I just thought of another. Under "First Schedule" it reads:

Apartment Identification No. (Bedroom No.)___________________

I know to tick option 1 for the 50 week option, however, I did not notice a room number assignment yet. So do I leave this section blank? I assume I do...

Just trying to get everything straight because I have to send this from the US to Dublin today in order to get it there by the 25th... You're appreciated.

irlrobins

Yep leave blank. The admins will fill it in when you check in.

singingstranger

fruitmonster wrote:

Is Roebuck Castle rele that bad of a kip?

Roebuck Castle is the new set, isn't it? In which case, it's the furthest from a kip you can get in UCD. If it's the older ones (which I thought were 'Roebuck Hall') then they're a big on the rustic side, yes, but the group spirit is great and you make many more closer friends.

Stepherunie

Roebuck Hall is the new one.

Roebuck Castle is the older one.

hullaballoo

postgrad wrote:

I got into Glenomena but am so confused about one of the forms that is to be filled out and returned.

That had me fubarred for ages as well. I actually had to take the morning off work to go in and get it sorted.

They were quite good in the Glenomena admin though. The fact that the phones were ringing off the hook the whole time meant that once she answered my first question, follow-up questions were a major no-no.