Having housemates or not that is the question...

drwho

I'm currently sharing a flat and thinking in upgrading to living on my own, to not take crap with housemates. Or they are untidy, or some think they are the house bosses, others anti-social, etc., and well I just want peace, because I don't have time to fight.

Sometimes I'm lucky and find wonderful housemates, but for example the landlord sold the house and the dream ended, forcing me to find another house and not being lucky this time.

So I would like advice: What are the advantages and disadvantages in changing from Sharing to Living On My Own and if it is really worth.

Thanks.

tricky D

Not Dublin City related, moved to Accommodation and Property.

padma

from what you've wrote it seems you may have a dislike for living with others, go get your own place. I lived on my own after a breakup for about 9 years, then in January to save money I moved in to a houseshare. Lads were sound, dirty as anything, a bit noisy at 3am on a Saturday morning when I was due to be in work at 7 etc etc etc..

Now I'm back on my own again in a house all to myself, delighted with my good fortune. Can bring pals back without being ashamed of the dirt. And if anything I can walk around bollick naked If i choose to.

_Kaiser_

I shared in my 20s and was pretty lucky really. I was living with a mate (his house), his brother and another fella and for the most part it was a bit of craic and no hassle. It wasn't a party house either which was a plus.

But yea, you do get tired of just having to deal with some of the stuff.. the mess, one of them having people over so the living room is a no-go area, going to make something to eat to find the sink full of dirty dishes etc. Plus I think after a certain point/age you just want your own space.

The downside is the cost really. You also might find yourself a bit lonely in the evenings/weekends if you're not doing other stuff. On the up side you can do what YOU want WHEN you want, keep the place how YOU like it, and it's easier for having lady/man friends over too of course :P

(But all that changes again when you settle down and move in with someone so enjoy it while you can!)

drwho

And in Dublin centre would be better to rent a 1 bedroom place directly with landlord, agency, or it doesn't matter?

Is it normal to do a contract for 6 months, 1 year?

_Kaiser_

drwho wrote: »

And in Dublin centre would be better to rent a 1 bedroom place directly with landlord, agency, or it doesn't matter?

Is it normal to do a contract for 6 months, 1 year?

Standard is a year and if you leave before that you will likely lose your deposit and could be pursued for the remaining rent - although generally this doesn't happen - unless you can find someone to take over the rest of the lease from you

Always try to deal directly with landlords where possible. Agencies (like recruiters) don't give a toss as long as they get their commission and are an unnecessary middle-man in the process. Unfortunately though, if you're looking at Dublin you may have no choice.

o1s1n

The last time I house shared, it was with a really passive aggressive lunatic. Notes stuck up complaining about stupid crap, sly comments made, antisocial using of amenities, thought he owned the place and had no regard for anyone else.

Almost came to blows one evening and he ended up moving out with his girlfriend.

At that point I swore I'd never live with housemates again. Best decision I've ever made.

We actually bought a house a few months ago and the missus suggested getting a renter in - not a chance!! :pac:

drwho

And what should I be aware of before, when and after viewing the house?

Bad things about the house that the landlord won't tell you, for example there's no hot water enough to take a bath and you only find that out when you're living there...

Or there are noisy neighbours every night on the top floor,

Or other bad things, because people always try to trick you specially in Dublin.

And after you sign the contract and you move in, you're f*****.

davesangel

Hi there OP.

I have lived on my own and with housemates, and will be living on my own again in a couple of months.

My own experiences: I prefer living alone. Sure it's more expensive, but in my time I've lived with housemates who eat your food/drink and don't replace it, housemates who make noise (which can be heard all over the house) at all hours of the day and night, and it's just not worth it. I also found that I didn't save much money living with people compared to living alone, because even though bills were split, I always used less electricity than anyone else in the house and the bills had to be split equally, meaning that if I lived alone I'd pay less than living with people.

Regarding what to look for, I would say pay attention to how the house is heated. A lot of properties will have 'storage heaters' which don't provide much heat and which eat up your electricity. There are some properties advertised online which say that heating is included, and this is maybe a good thing to go for. Also check that the windows are property insulated (I once lived in Rathmines, in a Georgian building, single glazed, it was *bitter* during the winter). Might sound odd but go around and tap/knock on the walls when you are viewing a property, that will give you a good indication of whether there is much sound insulation and even if you had noisy neighbours you might be ok in terms of not hearing what's going on. Also just make sure the appliances all work. In my last apartment, nothing worked as soon as I moved in and first tried to use them- and I mean, kettle, toaster, vacuum cleaner, fridge. Clearly the previous tenants had broken everything. The landlord would not buy new ones, I had to buy them and he paid me back but he refused to pay the delivery charge. And check with your landlord that if anything does break through no fault of your own that you will get replacements ASAP

Also check what the situation is with bins - if bin charges are not included then the costs of buying those new binbags can mount up.

drwho

davesangel wrote: »

Hi there OP.

I have lived on my own and with housemates, and will be living on my own again in a couple of months.

My own experiences: I prefer living alone. Sure it's more expensive, but in my time I've lived with housemates who eat your food/drink and don't replace it, housemates who make noise (which can be heard all over the house) at all hours of the day and night, and it's just not worth it. I also found that I didn't save much money living with people compared to living alone, because even though bills were split, I always used less electricity than anyone else in the house and the bills had to be split equally, meaning that if I lived alone I'd pay less than living with people.

Regarding what to look for, I would say pay attention to how the house is heated. A lot of properties will have 'storage heaters' which don't provide much heat and which eat up your electricity. There are some properties advertised online which say that heating is included, and this is maybe a good thing to go for. Also check that the windows are property insulated (I once lived in Rathmines, in a Georgian building, single glazed, it was *bitter* during the winter). Might sound odd but go around and tap/knock on the walls when you are viewing a property, that will give you a good indication of whether there is much sound insulation and even if you had noisy neighbours you might be ok in terms of not hearing what's going on. Also just make sure the appliances all work. In my last apartment, nothing worked as soon as I moved in and first tried to use them- and I mean, kettle, toaster, vacuum cleaner, fridge. Clearly the previous tenants had broken everything. The landlord would not buy new ones, I had to buy them and he paid me back but he refused to pay the delivery charge. And check with your landlord that if anything does break through no fault of your own that you will get replacements ASAP

Also check what the situation is with bins - if bin charges are not included then the costs of buying those new binbags can mount up.

So instead of storage heaters what should I look for?

davesangel

drwho wrote: »

So instead of storage heaters what should I look for?

Normal radiators, that's what's in my current property. Or alternatively, ask if a portable heater can be supplied. Storage heaters are ridiculous money-drainers.

Daemonic

Gas fired central heating is your best bet. Check the boiler looks reasonably modern and ask for recent service docs if possible.

drwho

So if in Dublin I have no option but agencies, it means that 90% adds in daft.ie to let are from agencies?

Diane Selwyn

If you get lucky and hit it off with your housemates sharing can offer the perfect scenario where you get a nice big house and garden but it does require a certain amount of tolerance and you need to have a clear understanding of what is expected and what is (and is not) acceptable. I have lost count but at a guess would say I've lived in houseshares with maybe 50 different people - had relatively few bad experiences and am still close friends with quite a few of them. It's obviously preferable to meet your prospective housemates before moving in rather than just making an agreement with the landlord.

It depends what stage you are at - I am happy living on my own for the past while and would find it difficult to go back sharing now but it suited me for a long time.

Mrs OBumble

davesangel wrote: »

Or alternatively, ask if a portable heater can be supplied. Storage heaters are ridiculous money-drainers.

Utter nonsense.

Storage heaters are cheaper than portable heaters if used correctly.




OP, to return to your question:

Plusses:
No risk of having lunatic housemates.

Your place, your free to behave as you want, leave clothes in the living room, wash dishes every three days, walk around naked (subject to neighbhours views!) - whatever rocks your boat.

Minuses:
Costs more. As well as rent, you have to pay 100% of the daily charge for electricity etc - in summer, the daily charge can be well more than the consumption charge. Ditto other fixed costs (eg TV license). You also pay all off the very rare expenses (light bulbs etc).
And you have to come up with 100% of the deposit, and if you have so-called "normal radiators" the full cost of a tank of oil.

You have to make every single decision, fix everything clean everything, cook every single meal, be there to let the plumber in every single time. No one to share any of the work, or to bounce ideas off.

Depending on your job and age and the work-profile of your friends, it can be lonely. Eg if you work an evening shift, but most of your friends work days, you can easily go a week without having much conversation with anyone.

Worse case - you get badly sick in the apartment - no one notices for weeks, by which time you're dead.


The latter two might not be an issue, if you have family around an in close contact. But more people that you imagine don't.

drwho

Hi,

The ones not living in housesharing, share with me what disapointments you had just after 1 day you moved in, 1 week, or even 6 months.

Thanks.

drwho

And what are the zones to live in Dublin that look modern and close to pubs and shopping malls?

Mapliner

The probably is the complete lack of affordable 1 bed apartments in the County of Dublin.

Unless you want to live in POS bedsit. I find this hard to understand, I've lived in various other countries and they all had quality 1 bed apartments, seems sharing is much more popular here.

drwho

The thread title doesn't reflect the next piece of advice I'm seeking. So can you admins close it?

The_Morrigan

drwho wrote: »

The thread title doesn't reflect the next piece of advice I'm seeking. So can you admins close it?

It doesn't have to..just ask the question on thread and stop creating multiple threads in the same vein.

drwho

Hi,

The ones not living in housesharing, share with me what disapointments you had just after 1 day you moved in, 1 week, or even 6 months.

And what are the zones to live in Dublin that look modern and close to pubs and shopping malls?

Thargor

What are you looking for again?

drwho

Thargor wrote: »

What are you looking for again?

I'm looking for a 1 bed room apartment to rent.

The ones renting an whole appartment, share with me what disapointments you had just after 1 day you moved in, 1 week, or even 6 months.

And what are the zones to live in Dublin that look modern and close to pubs and shopping malls?

nyarlothothep

Living alone: you get to preserve your sanity
Living with others: cheaper and you probably end up learning important life skills like negotiating, but honestly unless you have the great fortune to meet someone exactly on your wavelength and this does happen which is great, but very rarely, living alone is the best option, at least from my perspective. Living with others can be a bit of nightmare especially if you're not a people person.