What to expect when renting a house?

mayo pixiebell

Hi,

I am currently renting and have been long term so it's been a while since we we house hunting but due to relocation, I have to look. The house we are in at the min came with everything we needed and all matching. And it was clean.

When viewing property this week the houses were in severe need of a painting, had mis match furniture, even table and chairs weren't matching. Not enough wardrobes for the amount of people staying. No chest of drawers, bedside lockers even though they were advertised as furnished and just generally dirty.

The price for these properties were the very high end for a small town as rented accommodation is in short supply.

So basically I'm just wondering what can I expect from a house if I looking to rent it long term??

The_Conductor

Unfortunately- a lot of rental property out there is equipped with whatever cheap crap the landlord can get hold of. If you're lucky- it may have been furnished from Ikea- however, more likely than not, it'll be furnished with whatever the landlord has spare and no longer has a use for.

Unfortunately- this is the state of the market.

You got very lucky with the last property you were in- it sounds like it was lovely- unfortunately, its the exception, rather than the norm.

Vis-a-vis tidyness/cleanliness/painting etc- unfortunately- these fall by the wayside when landlords can afford to let without putting any major money into the property (or indeed, in many cases- regardless of rents being sky high- the major benificiary is the Revenue Commissioners- rather than the landlord).

If you are going to stay in the property long term- I'd suggest approaching the landlord and offering to paint it yourself- providing he/she gives you the cost of the materials from the rent.

Unfortunately, while it would be lovely if all rental properties were akin to the one you're now vacating- you got incredibly lucky with your last property- and the norm that you're now encountering- is what is available in many places.

mayo pixiebell

Thank you for your reply. Isn't it crazy though. If I get a good property I treat it like my own and you would think the LL would want that. We really are trapped in a horrible greedy bubble by some LL

The_Honeybadger

It's hit and miss but in my experience many landlords utterly resent spending anything on their property. You'd wonder why they get into the game in the first place.

Beds in rental places are a big pet hate of mine. They are usually the cheapest that the LL can get away with and are left there forever. If I was ever to rent long term again I would prefer to furnish the place myself tbh.

davo10

mayo pixiebell wrote: »

Thank you for your reply. Isn't it crazy though. If I get a good property I treat it like my own and you would think the LL would want that. We really are trapped in a horrible greedy bubble by some LL

Unfortunately for every good tenant like you there are 10 others who couldn't give a damn about the property.

mayo pixiebell

mickeyk wrote: »

It's hit and miss but in my experience many landlords utterly resent spending anything on their property. You'd wonder why they get into the game in the first place.

Beds in rental places are a big pet hate of mine. They are usually the cheapest that the LL can get away with and are left there forever. If I was ever to rent long term again I would prefer to furnish the place myself tbh.

I hoping to rent for a max 2 more years while we build. I'm holding of on buying furniture unless I really have to cos I want to save it for the new place.

The_Honeybadger

mayo pixiebell wrote: »

I hoping to rent for a max 2 more years while we build. I'm holding of on buying furniture unless I really have to cos I want to save it for the new place.

Yeah of course.

Last place we rented before we bought our house we ended up painting it ourselves and buying a load of stuff in ikea to make it habitable. Spent at least two months rent on this despite the place being 'furnished'. The landlord was completely hopeless but it was the only place we could get in the area. We handed the place back far better than we got it and didn't even get so much as a thank you. He even tried to hold part of our deposit for cleaning until I threatened to go to the prtb (he wasn't registered afaik)

On the other hand we once rented a place that was absolutely top notch and very reasonable. Luck plays a big part.

dennyk

Yep, there are good landlords out there. The place I'm renting had just been remodeled and is well-furnished with decent-quality stuff. I've bought a few items of my own, of course (a small computer desk, a TV stand, and some bookshelves), but all the main essentials were in place. My landlady has been great as well; I've only really needed to call her once, for a plumbing emergency when the immersion sprung a leak, but she was quick to get a plumber out immediately, so I was only without mains water for a short time. She was very understanding when I accidentally sent my first monthly rent payment to the estate agency instead of her personal account as well; luckily the agent was able to forward it on quickly. After reading folks' horror stories about ****ty landlords, I feel very lucky to have found this place.

Victor

mayo pixiebell wrote: »

dirty

If you end up renting one of these, take photos.

mayo pixiebell

Thank you for all the replies. Houses are going very quick and not being advertised so I hope something comes up soon