Rental Accomodations

Online Rental Sites

I list the best Irish housing and rental sites on the buying a house page.

Rentals in Ireland are labelled "Lettings". So "Letting Agents" are the people who specialize in this area. Most property agents and web sites have a generous listing of rentals/lettings.

Viewing apartments while visiting Ireland

If you're planning to visit Ireland on a short vacation and hope to view a variety of rental accommodations, spur of the moment viewings cannot always be arranged. The landlord might have to pass on a key, or finish up the new room, or toss out the deadbeats currently cluttering the premises. All the agents I contacted advised contacting them about a week before your Irish trip. That way they can arrange a suitable array of properties to view. Sure, they'll be able to show you one or three properties spur of the moment, but if you want a real choice, you'll have to let them know.

Irish property agents can be found in the golden pages under two headings: Auctioneers and the headline of more immediate importance, Flats & Apartments.

Furnished vs. Unfurnished

99% of the apartments and houses for rent come furnished. If you want to put your own furniture in the apartment, you'll need to find someplace to store it. I cover this in the full site on the moving checklist page.

Larger landlords might be able to accommodate you and store their own rental furnishings away, but the vast majority of landlords in the country own only one or a few places, and they have no place for your stuff.

Short Term Lettings

Short term lettings of apartments and homes usually cost double the per month price. Because many people in this end of the market get the bulk of their business during the summer vacation months, expect to pay a premium in July and August. On the other hand, prices may come down substantially in off-season periods. The corporate sector is the biggest user of short term lettings in the Dublin area. They use rented accommodations to house staff for a few weeks or during the first months of their move to Ireland.

House Sizes

Most city houses throughout Ireland are 3 to 4 bedroom, semi-detached, with total areas of 1200 or so square feet. By American standards certainly, they're small. So be prepared for a shock if you've grown used to 800 square foot bathrooms with built in jacuzzi and gym equipment. By semi-detached I mean two homes are connected by a central wall, and the other 3 walls of each house face the outdoors. A bit of garden is standard. Closer in to city centres expect row houses, each with its small bit of garden front and back.

Avoid late August, September and October

Students flood into the larger cities and towns in early Autumn and they're all chasing the same apartments as you. On the other hand, the summer tourists are out of the picture and tourist accommodations come onto the market during these busiest months of the rental year. Nonetheless, agents advise those with a choice in the matter to avoid looking for apartments during these months.

Leases and Rights

By law, a tenant is entitled to a rent book or a written tenancy agreement. A lease may also be offered. Don't forget that if you sign a lease, you're committing yourself to renting for a specified period of time - usually a year. So, it's worth checking the terms and conditions carefully.

Certain minimum standards apply to all rented accommodations (hot and cold water, appliances in working order, structural repairs, and so on). You can find out more about these standards by contacting Threshold, 19 Mary's Abbey, Dublin 7. Tel: (within Ireland) 01-8726311.

For more information and links, order the Full Site.