At the moment, the rental market in Ireland is extremely competitive. So, in order to stay ahead of the crowd and maximise your chances of securing a rental property, it’s important to understand the steps involved in the process of renting in Ireland.
In this first part of our guides on renting, we will cover what you should consider before beginning the rental process, where to look for houses for rent, the documents a landlord will ask for and some general tips for renting.
What should you consider before renting in Ireland?
Your budget
You should consider how much you can afford to invest in the renting process. The main things you need to consider when budgeting to rent in Ireland is your deposit, the monthly rent payments, your bills (electricity, gas, broadband and waste collection), and one-off costs like your contents insurance.
It’s important to really consider how much you can afford when renting as you don’t want to overstretch yourself and end up in a position where you can’t meet deadlines on your bills.
Where do you want to live?
Narrow down the locations that you would like to live in. When figuring out where you want to live, you could consider how long your commute to work would be from there, if it’s close to your childcare or your children’s school, if it’s close to your friends and family, and if there’s a town in the area with basic amenities such as a supermarket, post office etc.
Picking out a couple of locations where you’d like to live, and that suit your needs, will really help you to narrow down your search when you begin hunting for houses for rent.
The type of property you want to live in
When beginning the rental process you should consider if you would like to live in a shared house or if you want to rent somewhere by yourself or with a partner or friend. If you plan on renting a room in a shared house you should consider whether you want to share your bedroom or bathroom.
If you plan on renting a property by yourself, or with a partner or friend, you should consider how many bedrooms and bathrooms you need, whether you need an office or an area to work from home, and how much overall space you want, or need, to have.
Do you need parking?
If you have a car you will likely need a parking space with the property. Oftentimes in city centre locations it’s difficult to find a property with parking included, so this is definitely something to watch out for.
If the property doesn’t come with a parking spot, you should ask if there is parking nearby and/or if you can apply for a parking permit from the council for the nearby area. You may also be able to rent a car parking spot near your rental property.
Where to look for houses for rent?
Accommodation/ letting websites
Starting your search for houses for rent online will allow you to narrow down the types of properties that are available, within your budget, and in the areas where you want to live.
You can search for houses for rent on the following websites:
As soon as you see a new property listed that suits your requirements you should message or email the person renting the property. In a lot of cases, the person listing the property will receive hundreds of responses and it’s often only the first couple of people who respond to an ad that are invited to a viewing. So, to get ahead of the crowd, you need to act fast and respond to an ad as soon as possible.
Social Media groups
There are lots of groups on social media where you can find rooms to sublet from other renters. Some homeowners will also post about a spare room in their house that is available to rent. Subletting rooms and renting a room in someone’s house can often be cheaper than renting your own place, so social media groups are a good place to search for somewhere to rent if you have a low budget.
Please note that it’s important to be wary of scams in these social media groups as some people will try to take advantage of people looking for a place to rent and will scam money from them. So, never hand over or send a deposit to the landlord before going to view the property.
Letting agencies and estate agents
If you have no luck finding a place to rent online or through social media groups, you should contact letting agents in the areas that you wish to rent in. You can give them a list of the property features you wish to have and tell them what your budget is and then they will contact you whenever a suitable property comes on the market.
What should you look for when viewing a house?
When you’re going to view a house you should bring a checklist with the features you want to have in your rental property. This will help you stay focused as you can tick off what the property has so it’s easy to see what’s missing at the end of the viewing. You can then decide if it’s something you can compromise on.
There are a couple of things you should look out for when viewing a property, including black mould, broken lights, poor ventilation and signs of dampness in the bathroom. You should also check that the windows can open and that they are secure with locks.
Ensure that the property is registered with the Residential Tenancy Board (RTB) as it’s important that a property is registered with them to ensure you have rights when renting and that you can file for your rent tax credit. You can easily check if the property is registered on the RTB website.
When you’re at a viewing, if a property suits your requirements and ticks all of your boxes, you should be prepared to make an offer to the landlord or agent who is hosting the viewing. It’s important to act quickly in these situations to ensure you get in ahead of others who are viewing the property.
What documents do you need when renting a property?
The documents you will need when renting in Ireland are:
- a reference from a landlord
- an employer reference
- proof of your finances - 3 months of payslips usually works well for this
- your PPS number
- a photocopy of your ID
You will also need to have the first month’s rent and a security deposit of one month’s rent ready to go. A security deposit is held as security to cover rent arrears, bills owing and damage beyond normal wear and tear at the end of the tenancy.
You should have all of these documents ready to go when you start going to viewings. You could print the documents and put them in a folder so you can bring them to viewings as this will show the agent or landlord that you have everything prepared and you’re ready to make a move! In most cases, they will request that you send the documents over to them by email so that there’s a record of them, but it’s still worthwhile printing them off for viewings so you can make an offer there and then.
Tips for renting in Ireland
We’ve put together a couple of tips that you can keep in mind when going through the rental process in Ireland.
Follow-up with an email after a phone call
Firstly, if you have a phone call with the landlord or letting agent it’s good practice to follow it up with an email summarising everything that was discussed and any agreements/follow-up tasks to be completed. This will ensure that there’s a dated record of the conversation in case there are any debates or issues in the future.
Request a written inventory
Another tip is that once you have finalised your lease on a rental property and you are moving in, you should ask the landlord or the letting agent for a written inventory. You should check that the inventory is correct and that everything within it is in the property. If there’s something missing, you should alert your landlord and ask them to remove it from the inventory so you aren’t held liable for it at the end of your lease.
You should check all items and ensure they are in good condition. If anything is damaged you should take photos to prove that the item was like that when you moved in. You should also send the photos to your landlord in an email so they’re fully aware of the damage.
If there are outstanding repairs, you should ask your landlord to state in writing that they will be repaired.
Once you agree on the items that are supplied in the property and the condition they are in, you and the landlord should sign the inventory. This agreement will help to prevent any disputes during your stay or when your lease has ended.
Organisation is key
Finally, be organised! You should always be organised when you’re searching for a house to rent, as you will need to act fast both when you’re applying for a viewing and when making an offer on a property. So, the more organised you are, the better. You’ll be prepared to take the next step needed in the rental process and, as we stated earlier, the rental market is extremely competitive at the moment, so the more organised you are the easier it will be for you to get in ahead of the crowd!
Tenants' rights in Ireland when renting
Being aware of your tenants’ rights is important as once you know your rights you will be clear on what you are and are not entitled to.
In the next part of our renting guide, we will cover your rights when renting.