First-time Dublin expat questions

markdrayton

Hi

I'm moving to Dublin from London. My new job starts in a month so I have to find a place pretty fast. Dundrum looks good to me -- convenient for mountains (lots of cycling!) and shops. I'll cycle to work (D2) so transport less of a concern, but LUAS will be handy. Hoping to find a one bed (or would prefer two bed for the storage space) apartment for €1000 or so.

How does viewing apartments usually work? Obviously without being there it's going to be tricky for me. If I come over for a day am I likely to be able to see a few places or are viewing windows set by the owners/agents?

What will I need to get a rent contract? My employment contract won't be ready until my first day. What about registering for taxation, etc? Will I need proof of that to get a rental contract?

Costs: besides rent, energy and cable/phone/TV license/etc, what else is there? Do you have council tax? In the UK this is paid based on property value.

Lastly, any bright ideas on reducing the cost of moving? Ferry is hugely expensive and van/fuel will be fairly costly.

I am researching all this, just thought I'd ask here too!

Thanks,

Mark

the_syco

Fly over, and get everything shipped by a van. One of te lads here, Cormie transports stuff, but don't know if he does trips outside Ireland.

As for a house, look at daft.ie For a €1000 you should get a 2 bed apartment in Dundrum easy enough.

Treehouse72

Dundrum IMO is a very overrated and not terribly well located suburb. That said, I am one of those people who prefer urban living, so maybe it's just that prejudice coming through but I would much prefer Ranelagh, Rathmines, Ballsbridge or Donnybrook. With a €1k budget you should be fine for those locations (Ranelagh in particular is an awesome location within walking distance - or short bike ride - to town).

On your other questions:

1. No, leaving 1 day for finding a place is probably too tight. You may need to find yourself something temporary and give it a week or, even better, two weeks. The quality of a lot of Dublin rental stock is shockingly bad so it can take some time to find something nice. That said, there is so much available apartment stock in Dundrum that you might get a deal done there quicker if that's where you want to live. But DO NOT PAY €1k for a 1-bed in Dundrum!!! There is so much available stock there you can do much better than that. Maybe for a 2-bed, but no a 1.

2 You might need a work reference for your lease alright, but really your new employer shouldn't have a problem just writing you a quick note saying you have a job with them. That would be enough for most landlords/agents. Don't worry about getting your tax sorted till you start work - your HR dept. will look after all that for you.

The money works out as: 1 month in advance + 1 month deposit, which is the same as in the UK iirc.

3. No council tax for tenants. Some landlords ask their tenant to pay bin charges which are about €10 a month. My landlord pays this himself though so I'd haggle on this point if you are up for it! €120 pa isn't a lot anyway. Other than that your heating, phone, internet, tv licence etc. should come to, I dunno, under €200 a month for a well insulated 1-bed? Something like that. My TV/internet is €45pm I think, and my electric (which does my heating, water etc) is between €50 and €150 pm and I think averages out somewhere in between. So really, under €200 I think should be a good budget target. I use the €200 figure as a rule of thumb but that includes my mobile and gym membership so is probably at the high end of domestic bill amounts. Groceries should cost you €50 - €100 pm depending on how frugally you live. But be warned, in general Dublin is an horrifically expensive city - all my UK friends who spend any time here cannot get over the cost of just about everything.


Best of luck with the move.

the_syco

2nd what Treehouse72 said.

Watch

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xm7K4VM_7Rg

And then remember your max is €900 - give yourself some room to haggle. Any one-bedroom places going for €1000 are usually for location only, and may still be sh|te inside. Have been in Ranelagh a few times (member of family used to live there), and find the village nice, and it's within walking distance of the city centre.

Dundrum has 45 properties to rent, 12 properties for rent under €1000, 1 of which is two bedroom

Rathmines has 168 properties to let, 121 properties for rent under €1000, 20 of which are two bedroom

=-=

Check for cheap flights, and see can you fly over Saturday morn, and back sometime Sunday. Stay in a cheap hostel on Saturday night. Ring a few places so that you can get a few in during the day, bring a notepad, and go from there?

RATM

Hey Mark, welcome to Boards and welcome to Ireland.

One resource I found helpful when looking for an apartment from abroad last year is the Tenant Database on Daft.ie. You fill in your requirements, location, etc and landlords then get in touch pimping their properties.

Then pick the ones you like and try to arrange viewings all over the course of one weekend. That way you can fly in and out and get it sorted pretty quick without the need for eating into your holidays.

I'd also advise to mass email estate/rental agents in the area you're keen on to let them know you're in the market and what you're after. Make sure each of them can see the others email addresses just so they know you're not easy pickings and they have to work for your business.