Where to rent in Dublin?

This question has been asked a bazillion times before, but I was wondering if anyone could let me know where would be good places to rent in Dublin? As someone who was usually a casual day-visitor more than anything else, I know little or nothing about the areas.

I'll be moving up late September/early October (before the 8th of October) and my budget for rent would go up to €350 a month. So far I've been looking in the likes of Dublin 2, 6, 6W and 8, just for no reason really, but have been finding it extremely hard to know where else to look.

What areas are good for renting in and, more importantly, what areas would need to be avoided? I'd know all the areas in Galway, but no clue about Dublin, so any help would be greatly greatly appreciated!

There seems to be a lot in Dublin 7 - what are the areas there like?

edellc

Dublin is a big place OP and there are really no good or bad areas as each area has good and bad estates in it. What are you in Dublin for OP work, if so where are you working, college, what college are you going to.

Its really best to try live somewhere that is near to where you need to be in Dublin as although we do have a great transport system we also have a lot of traffic that makes everyone give out about the public transport which is very unfair, too many cars clog up the system.

I dont think you are going to get alot of choice with a small budget of 350 in the areas you said unless your looking at a house share which tbh can be more of a worry than the area you choose.

Is Phibsboro a good area? There seems to be a few places available there. I've no problem with sharing a place.

edellc

its fine, north inner city is rougher than south but both have their issues, but its no different than any major city yes you will see drunks and maybe some people off their head but you will see this in all inner city areas late at night, even in Dublin 2,6,6W and 8 which are not without their problems. D2 would be quite noisy to live in but town is on your door step, D6 is studentville but nice distance from town, D6W mostly families and more quite than D6, D8 south innercity Dublin old properties. Phibsborough its within walking distance from town so cuts down on travel expensive's, most of the properties are Georgian houses converted so its about finding the right place to live.

If you dont go looking for trouble then most of the time it wont find you no matter where you live in life, and when living in any major city you always need to have your wits about you especially at night, but Dublin is not gang land LA and its a very welcoming and friendly place.

As I said OP it really depends what your here for in relation to where you live, but I wouldnt be letting an innocent 18yr old girl/guy live in the north inner city, I would put her in D6, whereas some one older with a bit more life experience then yeah go for it

Seanchai

Deleted User wrote: »

Is Phibsboro a good area? There seems to be a few places available there. I've no problem with sharing a place.

Phibsboro is fine, apart from the ugly name and horrible shopping centre which, along with Crumlin and Ballymun Shopping Centres, needs to be imploded asap. The entire place can be a bit tacky, shop fronts especially. A fair number of fly-by-night discount stores coming and going all the time, and the remains of a quite infamous insurance-seeking torch job by an erstwhile Dublin businessman back in the 1980s.

Having said that, however, Phibsboro is very good in terms of pubs. Porterhouse North and McGowans, both happening places, are there. You'll be able to meet the nurses from the Mater and DCU students and maybe even a few gardaí from Mountjoy. Smiths, too, looks quite classy. The Brian Boru/Hedigans has a great reputation, especially among the local Dubs. Kavanaghs/The Gravediggers, arguably Dublin's greatest pub, is ten minutes walk away next to Glasnevin cemetery. Speaking of which, the Botanic Gardens are in Glasnevin and are a nice place to escape to for a (free) walk. O'Connell Street is 10-15 minutes walk away. It's also only 10 minutes walk to Drumcondra and Croker, which makes for great atmosphere on big match days. The Canal from Phibsboro down to Drumcondra has been done really nicely by DCC, so it's a lovely walk and you can hear the water from the locks all the way down.

Dalymount Park is right behind the shopping centre, and was initially earmarked as the site for the new Phibsboro Shopping Centre. Then the property slump happened and accordingly there's still that awful eyesore of Phibsboro Shopping Centre. Bohemians is the main soccer team so the place tends to be plódaithe with gardaí on match nights. Naomh Fionnbarra in Cabra is the biggest of the local GAA clubs, although the massive Na Fianna is not too far away either. The Phoenix Park is 20 minutes walk away down the NCR/North Circular Road. The Cobblestone and Smithfield Market is 20 minutes away down the Phibsboro Road.

Deleted User

Deleted User wrote: »

This question has been asked a bazillion times before, but I was wondering if anyone could let me know where would be good places to rent in Dublin? As someone who was usually a casual day-visitor more than anything else, I know little or nothing about the areas.

I'll be moving up late September/early October (before the 8th of October) and my budget for rent would go up to €350 a month. So far I've been looking in the likes of Dublin 2, 6, 6W and 8, just for no reason really, but have been finding it extremely hard to know where else to look.

What areas are good for renting in and, more importantly, what areas would need to be avoided? I'd know all the areas in Galway, but no clue about Dublin, so any help would be greatly greatly appreciated!

There seems to be a lot in Dublin 7 - what are the areas there like?

Where will you be working/ going to college?

ronoc

ronoc wrote: »

Where will you be working/ going to college?

I'll be going to a place called the Digital Hub, which is run in conjunction with DIT and is in Dublin 8. Distance wise, I wouldn't mind being about an hour or so walk from there. Dublin 7/Phibsoboro seems like a good option, as it seems like a 30-ish minute walk according to Google maps.

Are there a fair few Lidl and/or Aldi around Dublin? This is where I plan on doing the majority of my shopping.

RADIUS

There are a good few Lidl/Aldi's around Dublin. In the City center there is Aldi on Parnell St. Just don't bother getting a taxi home with the shopping as the traffic is murder and will cost more than your shopping. Best buy a bit every 2 days or so on the way home from work.

RADIUS

Also as regards areas to avoid, I would personally steer clear of the inner city itself and live in one of the neighboring suburbs like Phibsboro, Drumcondra, Santry, Whitehall, Gracepark, Killester, Clontarf or Glasnevin on the Northside. These are all decent areas although room rentals in some of them are harder to find than in others.

I personally wouldn't recommend large parts of Dublin 1 or 2 as they are undeniably rough and are not ideal locations to study in peace. When it comes to the suburbs many of them are OK particularly on the dart rail line. If I was you I would look at the dart line suburbs as viable options as a student travel pass is cheap enough and the dart can get you to the city faster than a bus in most cases.

Distance in Dublin city can be deceiving. I know lads who live in Balbriggan (Near Drogheda) and work in Dublin city center that are home (via train) and fed after work before other lads who live in Dublin city suburbs have even made it to their front door using buses. It's all about the efficiency of the public transport between work and home.

Also be careful that the area your looking at renting is actually where the advert says it is!

I have seen apartments in some of the roughest parts of Ballymun advertised as Santry for example. Another example is East Wall apartments being advertised as IFSC.

I think I might focus on Phibsboro/Dublin 7 for now, just because it seems like the best places are there. Apart from Phibsboro, is Stoneybatter a good area? I'm completely clueless when it comes to these areas.

Gavin "shels"

Thomas St/Patrick St/Cork St/Inchicore would be handy for you, few Lidls, Tescos, etc... and is within 15-20 mins max of the Digital Hub.

cson

I think I'm right in saying that the 123 [one of the most frequent services in the City] goes through D8 so that'd open up Fairview and Marino to you which are nice areas and close enough to town too. You'll probably struggle to get a decent place [something similar to what you're used to in Galway] for €350 so tbh purely for that reason I'd take something in D8 if you can get it.

bobin fudge

anywhere in the city centre is as good or bad as the next, if the house is nice, immediate surrounding area seems fine etc then go for it, people will say such and such an area is dodgy but I think this applies to literally any area in a city. All comes down mostly to you keeping your wits about you and being sensible

Zillah

Deleted User wrote: »

I think I might focus on Phibsboro/Dublin 7 for now, just because it seems like the best places are there. Apart from Phibsboro, is Stoneybatter a good area? I'm completely clueless when it comes to these areas.

I'm gonna say something that is probably going to annoy a bunch of people but it is kind of the elephant in the room: As a rule, the north half of the city is rougher than the south. You'll find more junkies, more scumbags and more horrible accents. There are some very nice parts north of the liffey but they're much more rare. I know someone that ran a busness in Phibsboro, she hated it. If you can get a room you can afford in Rathmines/Harold's Cross sort of area you'd be much better off, especially considering the Digital Hub is Dublin 8.

bobin fudge

complete utter ****. Walk around rathmines past the swan shopping centre and there are plenty of junkies, dame street, pearce street, trinity area all have as much junkies as the inner north side.

Phibsboro does have mostly winos knocking about but they are harmless and mostly found on the main street, residential areas in phibsboro tend to be safe and tidy.

Hamiltonion

You won't get much for E350 a month in Dublin man unless you're happy to live somewhere quite rough like Ballyfermot or Clondalkin. I've seen a few round that range near Pheonix Park road in the past.

Best areas that are close to town on a tight budget are D1, D3, D7 and D8, however you really need to do your research eg Christchurch and Rialto would both be classed Dublin 8.

Bear in mind that transport costs will add up rapidly if you're commuting into the city every day, my rule of thumb is the place has to be E150 cheaper if it's on the outskirts as between buses, the odd taxi and lost time it adds up.

Living expenses also vary greatly, I lived in Smithfield last year (affordable, central area) and loved it. Cafes, bars, shops etc are cheaper than in say D4 or D2 and again this adds up.

In regards safety as a male you should be grand most places, I've never had any hassle in 4 years there. Smithfield, D1 etc have a bad name but I've never had any hassle.

If you want a list of places to avoid for your own safety
Sherriff St and surrounds
Crumlin
Drimnagh
Ballyfermot
Blanch
Finglas
Rialto

On Daft, it seems like the majority of shared accommodation in my price range is in the Dublin 7 area, with a lot in Phibsoboro. With regards to hobos, I don't mind them - there's a good amount in Galway and have come across even more (and a lot worse) while traveling through the likes of New York and California.

Hamiltonion

I'm in NYC at the moment man, and got robbed for the 1st time ever 3 days ago

D7 is grand, Stoneybatter, Smithfield and Phibsbouragh are all places I'd be happy to live due to price, distance and safety.

One thing to watch for though in the inner city is the condition of the buildings, most are quite old (not necessarily a bad thing) but do check for mould, rising damp etc, check the seals around the windows and try visit in the evening to get an idea of the insulation situation.

Had a lovely renovated apartment in smithfield last year on the quays but as the building was well over 100 years old you just couldn't heat it in winter. ESB was sky high October - March

Hamiltonion

Hamiltonion wrote: »

I'm in NYC at the moment man, and got robbed for the 1st time ever 3 days ago

D7 is grand, Stoneybatter, Smithfield and Phibsbouragh are all places I'd be happy to live due to price, distance and safety.

One thing to watch for though in the inner city is the condition of the buildings, most are quite old (not necessarily a bad thing) but do check for mould, rising damp etc, check the seals around the windows and try visit in the evening to get an idea of the insulation situation.

Had a lovely renovated apartment in smithfield last year on the quays but as the building was well over 100 years old you just couldn't heat it in winter. ESB was sky high October - March

It can happen everywhere, has happened to many people that I know in Galway, but I've been lucky. You just need to try and be "street smart", as it were, don't make yourself a target.

The main issues for me would be price and safety - distance isn't a massive problem, with bikes, public transport and even walking.

mikemac1

First thing OP, get a scooter
Cost very little in tax and fuel, haggle for your insurance and get your gear and you are set.
Absolutely fantastic for the city and no messing around with bus & luas fares.

As for area, well I like Marino, Killester and Artane and you may find somewhere for your price.

But they are on the other side of the city to the Digital Hub so I'm assuming you're going to get your scooter

If not, well Kilmainham is down the road but it's pricy and for 350, it won't be easy at all

bobin fudge wrote: »

Phibsboro does have mostly winos knocking about but they are harmless and mostly found on the main street, r

The OP is from Galway, has more experience of these then most Dubs

Zillah wrote: »

I'm gonna say something that is probably going to annoy a bunch of people but it is kind of the elephant in the room: As a rule, the north half of the city is rougher than the south. You'll find more junkies, more scumbags and more horrible accents. T.

Rubbish

mikemac1

mikemac1 wrote: »

The OP is from Galway, has more experience of these then most Dubs

That's true, there's a few hobos in Galway. But they're generally pretty easily going and keep to themselves mostly, maybe the odd time asking for some spare change, but that's about it.

mattjack

Hamiltonion wrote: »

You won't get much for E350 a month in Dublin man unless you're happy to live somewhere quite rough like Ballyfermot or Clondalkin. I've seen a few round that range near Pheonix Park road in the past.

Best areas that are close to town on a tight budget are D1, D3, D7 and D8, however you really need to do your research eg Christchurch and Rialto would both be classed Dublin 8.

Bear in mind that transport costs will add up rapidly if you're commuting into the city every day, my rule of thumb is the place has to be E150 cheaper if it's on the outskirts as between buses, the odd taxi and lost time it adds up.

Living expenses also vary greatly, I lived in Smithfield last year (affordable, central area) and loved it. Cafes, bars, shops etc are cheaper than in say D4 or D2 and again this adds up.

In regards safety as a male you should be grand most places, I've never had any hassle in 4 years there. Smithfield, D1 etc have a bad name but I've never had any hassle.

If you want a list of places to avoid for your own safety
Sherriff St and surrounds
Crumlin
Drimnagh
Ballyfermot
Blanch
Finglas
Rialto

I've lived and worked in all these areas bar Ballyfermot , nothing has ever happened to me.

Hamiltonion

I've friends who live there / dated girls from there and I've never had anything too bad happen to me in those places but they do have a nasty vibe you have to admit, and statistically they're crime and gang hotspots (not trying to **** on where anybody lives here, just giving my two cents to the OP) I've had friends robbed at knifepoint on Sherrif St, a mate got beaten to a pulp in the early hours about a year ago in Drimnagh and I've been chased by a gang of feral youths in Finglas on my way to a mate's party at like 9pm

That's the nice thing bout Dublin though, you're pretty much only going to be shot if you're involved in drugs etc - never really hear of innocent victims of gun crime. LA was an eye opener in that regard:eek:

The most reasonable rents that I can find seem to be in Cabra and North Circular Road. What are these areas like?

admiralofthefleet

Zillah wrote: »

I'm gonna say something that is probably going to annoy a bunch of people but it is kind of the elephant in the room: As a rule, the north half of the city is rougher than the south. You'll find more junkies, more scumbags and more horrible accents. There are some very nice parts north of the liffey but they're much more rare. I know someone that ran a busness in Phibsboro, she hated it. If you can get a room you can afford in Rathmines/Harold's Cross sort of area you'd be much better off, especially considering the Digital Hub is Dublin 8.

op, dont listen to the above poster. there is in fact more rougher areas south of the liffey, the story just goes that the north is rougher. there are good and bad areas all over dublin; more on the south. phibsboro is a grand area

snickerpuss

OP, feel free to avoid renting on the Northside cos it's so dangerous and I'll continue to enjoy paying cheaper rent for larger places near the coast and lots of amenities

Seriously though, Killester, Raheny, Artane, Donnycarney, Marino are all lovely with good transport links.

cson

snickerpuss wrote: »

OP, feel free to avoid renting on the Northside cos it's so dangerous and I'll continue to enjoy paying cheaper rent for larger places near the coast and lots of amenities

Seriously though, Killester, Raheny, Artane, Donnycarney, Marino are all lovely with good transport links.

Love the irrational fear of the Northside. I used to think it was only perpetuated by the Ross O'Carroll-Kelly piss take books until I moved up here and found that those types actually do exist. Along with a helpful dollop of just up from the country types who've been conned into thinking they need to live on the Southside to avoid being syringed.

Dublin ≠ Mogadishu

Meauldsegosha

Zillah wrote: »

...and more horrible accents...

I'm sorry that our horrible accents offend your sensitive ears. Maybe you should build a wall and keep us all on the northside to stop us polluting the air with our horrible accents. :rolleyes:

admiralofthefleet

Meauldsegosha wrote: »

I'm sorry that our horrible accents offend your sensitive ears. Maybe you should build a wall and keep us all on the northside to stop us polluting the air with our horrible accents. :rolleyes:

plenty more flat dublin accents south of the liffey than north

christ on a bike!

There are nice areas on the Northside, was in Mariono on Satruday and it was a lovely spot. The only problem is that the North inner city is a kip, the streets are irty, the buildings are falling apart and there is a lot of scumbags and junkies screaming across the streets.
And you can't get from these nice spots on the north side to the city centre without passing through these kips. Personally I like areas that are aesthetically pleasing and on my way to work (from the southside to the Northside) I like to pass through pleasent places with good looking people - I hate walking around on the Northside, it's just depressing. Most of course are sound but enough scumbags/no hopers to be visible at all times
Call me a d1ck but I would only live on the south side, most areas are nice and surrounded by nice areas, great places to eat and walk and the south innercity is lovely

snickerpuss

christ on a bike! wrote: »

And you can't get from these nice spots on the north side to the city centre without passing through these kips. Personally I like areas that are aesthetically pleasing and on my way to work (from the southside to the Northside) I like to pass through pleasent places with good looking people - I hate walking around on the Northside, it's just depressing. Most of course are sound but enough scumbags/no hopers to be visible at all times
Call me a d1ck but I would only live on the south side, most areas are nice and surrounded by nice areas, great places to eat and walk and the south innercity is lovely

You wouldn't live in any area in the Northside because of the five minute stretch between Marino and the Liffey? Weird. I don't avoid Wicklow because I have to pass through Jobstown to get there.

Like I say, I'm only delighted for the Northside to be unfashionable, cheaper rents for me, but there are a ton of nice areas, beautiful walks (
Boatanic Gardens, Howth Head, Portmarnock Strand, Malahide Demense, the entire coast from Clontarf to Howth etc etc...), cafes and places to eat etc...

Plus not everyone works in town. I never go through the inner city. Usually if I'm heading somewhere I go via the East Link which is dead handy. I couldn't deal with endless parking permits and pay and display EVERYWHERE on Southside.