Accommodation???? Bleuurggh...

InterStu55555

Hi! I'm going to be moving to lovely Maynooth this September and was wondering does anybody have any advice on accommodation. I definitely don't want to live on campus, so am hoping to get a house or apartment in the area. I've already got a copy of the housing list and rang a landlord for a place I seen on daft.ie but he said I should wait and there'll be loads of places in August?? Ideally I was looking for a place with myself, my mate and maybe one or two other people, is anybody living in a similiar arrangement who can give me an indication on prices?? How long the lease has to be?? What are the houses like?? What areas are the nicest?? Do they take rent allowance?? Should I just get a gun and end it all??? :)

Any help at all on this head melting process would be greatly appreciated!!!

Thanks....:)

meganj

There's a similar thread posted here but I presume you looked at it and I felt bad that no one had replied to you!

If you go for student housing (as opposed to private housing) I would't pay more then 350 for a double room to yourself. But then again I was lucky to get a single room at 300 but I'd be surprised to hear of someone paying over 400.

On the rent allowance thing I didn't think people were entitled to rent allowance if they were in full time education? But if you are good for you and they should except it but better to ask when you see the house.

There are a lot more houses and stuff up in September but you do need to move fast, you'll find a lot of the housing will be taken up with current students.. or people who wish they were still students (like me!!!). But you situation with moving in with your friends is pretty common and a great way to spend the first year partying and what not!!

Enjoy yourself!

InterStu55555

Ha, cheers for your pity!:) There are a few threads up but most of them seem concerned with living on campus!! 350 seems pretty reasonable for a double room compared to some of the prices I've seen. Yeah hopefully shouldn't be too difficult to rope in two other housemates or if they're randomers then hopefully they're not too uptight!! I'm a mature student so I think I can get rent allowance(they really spoil us), so hopefully they accept it. What are the landlords like that you've dealt with? I've dealt with some pricks in the past. Are there any ropey areas of Maynooth that I should avoid living in if I can?? Ideally I'd like to live in an estate mostly populated with students who won't complain about noise etc..:D

Rayven199

Hi,

I went to college in Maynooth and graduated in 06 so I can tell you where the nicest houses are to stay and which estates to stay away from!
Good:
Meadowbrook, Beaufield, newtown court, parklands, moyglare hall/abbey/village, silken vale, brookfield avenue (not the other brookfield), straffan wood, newtown hall, rail park, straffan way. Thats all I can think of at the mo, but any of those places are grand.College green and cluainn aoibheann aren't fantastic but not too bad if you cant get anything else.

Not good: Old Greenfield/greenfield, think thats the main one to avoid.

As the poster above said for a double room you would be looking at approx 350-450 depending on what estate it is in and if there is an en suite.
Single rooms would go for approx 200-320 again depending on the estate.

Hope that helps a bit and sure you can give me a shout if you want to know anything else, I've lived in Maynooth for 6 years now so know it well enough!

Good luck!

Ostrom

Old Greenfield and Kingsbry are to be avoided in my experience.

The most densely studented areas I would think are Beaufield, Moyglare, Kingsbry and Rail Park....?


Since the RA may be an issue - Maynooth home to a number of scumbag landlords (I have dealt with three now) who own a number of houses, keep them in very poor repair and will do nothing to assist in its upkeep, or to make life easy for you.

Get a receipt for your deposit, get their PPS number, demand to see their PRTB registration details, you will need this for any tax claims later on. You are entitled to these - refuse to deal with them if they do not comply. You wont be covered for theft, you wont be able to claim tax credits on rent paid, and you will have no record of your tenancy.

jane says

efla wrote: »

Maynooth home to a number of scumbag landlords (I have dealt with three now) who own a number of houses, keep them in very poor repair and will do nothing to assist in its upkeep, or to make life easy for you.

Be very careful. I had a total jerk who faffed about and wouldn't fix anything (including oil), was as slippery as an eel.

Of course when it came to clearing out he sent his wife, who was as hard as nails and tried to rip off everyone by screwing us for the deposits.

Rayven199

jane says wrote: »

Be very careful. I had a total jerk who faffed about and wouldn't fix anything (including oil), was as slippery as an eel.

Of course when it came to clearing out he sent his wife, who was as hard as nails and tried to rip off everyone by screwing us for the deposits.

That sounds very like a landlord we were warned about - he was taken off the college registry of landlords because of things like you mentioned above! And then they put the houses in the wife's name to trick people, we went to see one of their houses in Beaufield and when the tenant answered the door the first thing she said was - DO NOT TAKE THIS HOUSE!!

She was right, the place was a kip!

Beware of houses that have fixtures hanging off the wall or that look unfinished, I know that sounds like an obvious one but things like hanging wires etc can be an indication that the landlord doesnt look after the place.

Ostrom

From experience and conversation I have every reason to believe it is endemic in Maynooth. Just be aware, familiarise yourself with the residential tenancies act and what you are entitled to. Whatever the rate of rent, your landlord is profiting, and is bound to provide you with more than is typically offered without argument.

If something is in a poor state of repair, they are not doing you a favour by replacing it.

http://www.prtb.ie/act.htm

Know your rights regarding proof of payment, notice of termination etc.