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How do low wage workers manage to live here?

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  • 20-02-2020 10:26am
    #1
    Registered Users Posts: 16,354 ✭✭✭✭


    Cleaners, cooks, chefs, waiters, baristas?
    Esp in Dublin.

    If people on decent wages, even doctors struggle with accom, I can't understand how they get by?


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Comments

  • Closed Accounts Posts: 738 ✭✭✭at9qu5vp0wcix7


    HAP and social housing would sort out a decent amount - anywhere from 1/3 to 1/2 of those on the social housing list in the last 10 years have been from abroad. The majority probably put up with house shares or even room shares and work their arses off to pay rent.


  • Registered Users Posts: 27,164 ✭✭✭✭GreeBo


    They take the jobs that the unemployed Irish are too good to take.
    They dont try to live in expensive, highly desirable areas.
    They dont have new cars, fancy mobile phones, go on the piss every weekend and take sun holidays.


  • Registered Users Posts: 25,351 ✭✭✭✭zell12


    9628


  • Registered Users Posts: 18,591 ✭✭✭✭_Brian


    They live in houses where landlords stack 8-10 adults to a room in bunks.


  • Registered Users Posts: 4,731 ✭✭✭jam_mac_jam


    HAP and social housing would sort out a decent amount - anywhere from 1/3 to 1/2 of those on the social housing list in the last 10 years have been from abroad. The majority probably put up with house shares or even room shares and work their arses off to pay rent.

    You don't get HAP if you are working full time. The social housing list is very long.

    Likelyhood is they live in low standard rental accommodation.


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  • Registered Users Posts: 5,245 ✭✭✭myshirt


    _Brian wrote: »
    They live in houses where landlords stack 8-10 adults to a room in bunks.

    You lack ambition. You could easily squeeze another few in there if you stack them head to toe.


  • Registered Users Posts: 12,504 ✭✭✭✭mariaalice


    In the house i use to live in, the 3-bed semi next to me was rented to some eastern Europeans they had granny and grandad in one room daughter and her husband in another and their son in his twenties in the other room. They all had jobs so five incomes. The daughter has two job cleaning and working in a chipper.

    Thats how they do it.


  • Registered Users Posts: 965 ✭✭✭CucaFace


    These jobs are in the most part done by English language students who live here for a couple of years and are more willing to put up with the tough living issues (ie 3/4 to a bedroom).


  • Registered Users Posts: 2,600 ✭✭✭BanditLuke


    _Brian wrote: »
    They live in houses where landlords stack 8-10 adults to a room in bunks.

    Actually i know of one house that had 38 people living there in the Dundrum area. Landlord was making over 7k rent per month and this was only a 5 bedroom house. One of the neighbours reported it and it turned out he was only declaring 8 living there.

    Some fierce greedy feckers out there.


  • Registered Users Posts: 3,687 ✭✭✭Beta Ray Bill


    Cleaners, cooks, chefs, waiters, baristas?
    Esp in Dublin.

    If people on decent wages, even doctors struggle with accom, I can't understand how they get by?

    This is an interesting question, and has even more interesting answers.

    So as already mentioned these people live in the accommodation types:

    1: With Parents
    2: Shared accommodation
    3: HAP
    4: Living with spouse who makes significantly more money
    5: Council housing

    I don't know what the proportions are.

    Regardless it's interesting as some fast food and coffee places in Dublin City Centre are (or were) making colossal sums of money. This is not reflected in what they pay their staff.

    So long as there is no outside interference, it should be simple case of supply/demand.
    Companies need to pay more to get staff in the City centre, it's that simple.

    Where water gets muddy is when you have 5:council housing and people on 3: HAP, these people have very low rents despite living in Dublin and as such are prepared to work for a low amount of money as it's irrelevant to them, as the Lions share of their total income is the fact that they, on average pay only a fraction of the Rent everyone else is paying.
    So post Tax/Rent they usually end up with the same amount of disposable income as everyone else.

    This means companies can get away with paying them very little.
    This then has a knock on affect which effects people in situation 1,2 and 4.

    It's very complicated, once you fall into that hole, it's a nasty circle that goes round and round and is very hard to get out of.

    HAP and Council housing are basically charity, and there are cases where when you give charity to a person, you end up keeping them down.


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  • Registered Users Posts: 415 ✭✭milhous


    You don't get HAP if you are working full time. The social housing list is very long.

    Likelyhood is they live in low standard rental accommodation.

    Not true. There's caps on income. Ie. In dublin you can get HAPs up to a treshold of 35k for a single person and 42k for a family.


  • Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 3,315 ✭✭✭nthclare


    Cleaners, cooks, chefs, waiters, baristas?
    Esp in Dublin.

    If people on decent wages, even doctors struggle with accom, I can't understand how they get by?

    They accept their responsibilities and are able to manage their lives accordingly.

    I left the urban sprawl myself in 2005 bought a house from inheritance in the Burren and live a simple enough life.
    Working as a gardener/tree surgeon used to work as a statistical analyst in a big company in the City.

    Had an accident in 1997 which nearly paralysed me, fell off a tree.
    Only 3 years graduated from Horticulture at the time.
    Told by the orthopedic Surgeon Maha Lingham in Cork id never be able to do heavy manual work unless I really work hard and build my self up like an athlete and sustain it.

    Went to college and re-educated myself and went into the financial world.
    Hated it got athletic and took the chance, seen an opportunity and said which is it stressed out in the City or a peaceful rural life.

    I suppose lucky for me to get inheritance money from a relative, set myself up.

    I had luck on my side and had a dream too and fulfilled it.
    Away from the noise and chaos of the city.

    A lot of people can do what I did its a gamble but if you really want it, go for it.

    There's no shortage of single people and couples from the cities living on the western fringes of Clare making it work for them.


  • Registered Users Posts: 14,312 ✭✭✭✭Thelonious Monk


    Where there's a will there's a way. I have lived on next to nothing in various places, you can always do it if you are determined enough.


  • Registered Users Posts: 9,381 ✭✭✭Yurt2


    GreeBo wrote: »
    They take the jobs that the unemployed Irish are too good to take.
    They dont try to live in expensive, highly desirable areas.
    They dont have new cars, fancy mobile phones, go on the piss every weekend and take sun holidays.

    That's Tory guff.

    There seems to be a severe problem in a certain section of society where they harbour a massive and unhealthy hatred for swathes of the Irish populace. They rank themselves very highly but are most likely raging mediocrities in life.


  • Registered Users Posts: 12,504 ✭✭✭✭mariaalice


    Yurt! wrote: »
    That's Tory guff.

    There seems to be a severe problem in a certain section of society where they harbour a massive and unhealthy hatred for swathes of the Irish populace. They rank themselves very highly but are most likely raging mediocrities in life.

    It also can be creepy reames of posts about people they know nothing about but obesses about the sort of live they suppose live, one posters evidence was a TV program he watched a few years ago where he could see a skybox in the background.

    The eastern European who lived next door to me did have very trifty lifestyles but I would say that was because they were saving to buy back where they come from.


  • Registered Users Posts: 84 ✭✭Dude89


    GreeBo wrote: »
    They take the jobs that the unemployed Irish are too good to take.
    They dont try to live in expensive, highly desirable areas.
    They dont have new cars, fancy mobile phones, go on the piss every weekend and take sun holidays.

    So what's in for them if they're living so miserable?


  • Registered Users Posts: 32,634 ✭✭✭✭Graces7




    HAP and Council housing are basically charity, and there are cases where when you give charity to a person, you end up keeping them down.

    Not and not true. Rights as citizens.


  • Registered Users Posts: 12,504 ✭✭✭✭mariaalice


    Graces7 wrote: »
    Not and not true. Rights as citizens.

    In places like Dublin, it acts as a subsidy to employers so they do not have to pay massive salaries and we don't have to pay 5 euro fo a coffee. its a form of social support.


  • Registered Users Posts: 3,687 ✭✭✭Beta Ray Bill


    Graces7 wrote: »
    Not and not true. Rights as citizens.

    We'll have to agree to disagree.

    In my mind, if you give somebody something because they aren't as well off as everyone else, that's charity.

    I believe in social policies, we should absolutely be providing housing for people that cannot work at all or cannot work a 39 hour week, for whatever reason.

    I do not for one second believe we should be providing said housing in Dublin when the cost of housing and land is the highest in the country.

    It creates an unusual dynamic due to government interference in the free/open market.
    These companies are well about to pay more, they just don't because they done have to.


  • Registered Users Posts: 3,687 ✭✭✭Beta Ray Bill


    mariaalice wrote: »
    In places like Dublin, it acts as a subsidy to employers so they do not have to pay massive salaries and we don't have to pay 5 euro fo a coffee. its a form of social support.

    I paid €8.50 for a 2 double espressos and pastry this morning... still not cheap.
    There is huge markup on Coffee.


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  • Registered Users Posts: 2,436 ✭✭✭dartboardio


    Really? Are you even here long?

    They're absolutely sorted, with very low council rent, one parent family payments, child benefit, the works!!

    Yes a single person with no kids having to pay rent may be struggling.

    But if you're on a low income and have children you're sorted. Mad


    Please don't pity people on low income, most of them if they have kids are on double their wage, once all the SW payments kick in.


  • Registered Users Posts: 16,354 ✭✭✭✭whisky_galore


    Really? Are you even here long?

    They're absolutely sorted, with very low council rent, one parent family payments, child benefit, the works!!

    Yes a single person with no kids having to pay rent may be struggling.

    But if you're on a low income and have children you're sorted. Mad


    Please don't pity people on low income, most of them if they have kids are on double their wage, once all the SW payments kick in.

    Why aren't you doing it, seeing as it's such a cushy number?


  • Registered Users Posts: 2,436 ✭✭✭dartboardio


    Why aren't you doing it, seeing as it's such a cushy number?

    I dont have children, and wouldn't want any for quite a few years.

    That seems to be how it goes, have a few babies and you're sorted (if on a low income or SW)

    Why would I want that life? All I'm saying is the low income workers don't have it too bad if you take into the account the social wekfare benefits from having children


  • Registered Users Posts: 2,600 ✭✭✭BanditLuke


    This is an interesting question, and has even more interesting answers.

    So as already mentioned these people live in the accommodation types:

    1: With Parents
    2: Shared accommodation
    3: HAP
    4: Living with spouse who makes significantly more money
    5: Council housing

    I don't know what the proportions are.

    Regardless it's interesting as some fast food and coffee places in Dublin City Centre are (or were) making colossal sums of money. This is not reflected in what they pay their staff.

    So long as there is no outside interference, it should be simple case of supply/demand.
    Companies need to pay more to get staff in the City centre, it's that simple.

    Where water gets muddy is when you have 5:council housing and people on 3: HAP, these people have very low rents despite living in Dublin and as such are prepared to work for a low amount of money as it's irrelevant to them, as the Lions share of their total income is the fact that they, on average pay only a fraction of the Rent everyone else is paying.
    So post Tax/Rent they usually end up with the same amount of disposable income as everyone else.

    This means companies can get away with paying them very little.
    This then has a knock on affect which effects people in situation 1,2 and 4.

    It's very complicated, once you fall into that hole, it's a nasty circle that goes round and round and is very hard to get out of.

    HAP and Council housing are basically charity, and there are cases where when you give charity to a person, you end up keeping them down.

    Excuse me my family and i live in a council house. We pay a percentage of our combined income on rent. It's most certainly not charity thanks very much.


  • Registered Users Posts: 883 ✭✭✭anto9


    You can save a small fortune by never buying Coffee in a Coffee shop and beer in a Pub. Applies to Ireland mostly and Dublin in particular............................Don't feed the extortion .


  • Registered Users Posts: 415 ✭✭milhous


    BanditLuke wrote: »
    Actually i know of one house that had 38 people living there in the Dundrum area. Landlord was making over 7k rent per month and this was only a 5 bedroom house. One of the neighbours reported it and it turned out he was only declaring 8 living there.

    Some fierce greedy feckers out there.

    Tbf if they're in the higher rate after tax its more than likely sub €3500 per month, plus the ware and tear that 38 ppl would have on a gaff, the collections of moneys.. Not exactly attractive. Never mind wanting to evict anyone, almost impossible.


  • Registered Users Posts: 2,600 ✭✭✭BanditLuke


    milhous wrote: »
    Tbf if they're in the higher rate after tax its more than likely sub €3500 per month, plus the ware and tear that 38 ppl would have on a gaff, the collections of moneys.. Not exactly attractive. Never mind wanting to evict anyone, almost impossible.

    As i said he was declaring 8 living there think it was 2k a month to revenue and the rest was cash into the palm. Anyway he got caught and the house was sold some time later and is now a building site. He's one of many though unfortunately. Scum.


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,799 ✭✭✭Diceicle


    mariaalice wrote: »
    In the house i use to live in, the 3-bed semi next to me was rented to some eastern Europeans they had granny and grandad in one room daughter and her husband in another and their son in his twenties in the other room. They all had jobs so five incomes. The daughter has two job cleaning and working in a chipper.

    Thats how they do it.

    And fair play to them.
    My understanding of the above scenario is that they do it for a number of years as a means to an end. The end-goal for the coupld of years living close quarters is that it provides them the ability to get a ball of money together that enables them to set up a business and or buy a home in their native country - for a sum that would not touch the sides of such a venture here.


  • Registered Users Posts: 9,381 ✭✭✭Yurt2


    Someday there will be a fire in one of those slumlord houses and there will be hell to pay. It's a tragedy waiting to happen.


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  • Registered Users Posts: 11,789 ✭✭✭✭BattleCorp


    Cleaners, cooks, chefs, waiters, baristas?
    Esp in Dublin.

    If people on decent wages, even doctors struggle with accom, I can't understand how they get by?

    Ha ha ha.

    Chefs are very much in demand and most earn quite a good wage. I know chefs on over €80k.


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