Barnacle

Hello everyone,

I was just wondering how everyone here managed their move to Ireland in terms of accommodation. The only thing holding us back from a move there is how to make it work from a practical perspective. Given the housing crisis, how did you go about securing accommodation in Ireland when you arrived?

Did you visit the country first and make offers on properties, then see out the legal process from the UK. Or did you find a short-term rental property while looking for something longer term? Is it possible to find such properties from afar?

Thanks in advance for any help.

OrangeMango

I'd suggest AirBnB as a start, like for one month or two. You can then familiarize yourself with the city, the areas, the neighbourhoods and start your search from there.

Regarding buying you're unlikely to get a mortgage approved if you're new to the country. Ever since the financial crisis Irish banks are very careful. I don't know how tight the mortgage market is at the moment, but am aware that one Belgium based bank has withdrawn recently from the Irish market.

I was in Ireland in 2017 and found the housing crisis massive and any longer term choices sadly impossible. Viewing a rental property with 50 or 60 other punters was the norm and it was similar for listings on sale. Finding rental accommodation at halfway payable prices from a normal salary seemed impossible. Even with a slightly above average salary and a reference letter from a well known IT company I was unable to find a one bedroom apartment in Dublin back in 2017 and subsequently my boss at work noticed my problems and fired me.

Exorbitant rental prices and lack of supply are the main issue, but also there are high construction costs in Ireland together with nepotism and friends doing old friends favours in zoning, planning permission and construction. Things might have changed during the Corona crisis, but I think the overall problem of the housing crisis still persists in Ireland and will most likely for at least another 5 to 7 years.

If you have your own finances and no need for a mortgage, I'd suggest buy right away if possible. The market seems more solid as back in 2008 and is not likely to crash again. Ireland is a lovely country in many aspects, and the Brexit in the UK makes Ireland even more an interest for Brits to settle in, as there are no issues with citizenship and taking up residence there. However bear in mind, housing, housing and again housing is your main challenge there, not the job. You may get lucky, things might have changed during or after the Corona crisis, but I wouldn't rely on that.

Barnacle

Thanks for your reply, OrangeMango. As you said, the situation with the rental market has pretty much put us off that route. It seems impossible to find anywhere suitable for a price we are willing to pay, and most places want you to commit to at least 12 months, which is way too long for us. So Airbnb for a month with a view to buy somewhere ASAP seems the only way to do it. But then there's the issue of committing to purchase property and moving one's family to a new country based on a few weeks' experience. I guess I have a lot to think about...

Thanks again.

OrangeMango

I don't know if you're already in possession of an employment contract or not. Some companies offer relocation assistance, not in form of funds, but in form of the service finding a place to live. I also think that certain apartments in the Dublin area are sort of reserved for certain company's employees on some kind of a first refusal system. However that's only rumor and hearsay and seems to apply only for jobs in the financial industry.

The rental market is the real issue, especially in Dublin but also in the commuter towns. It's tougher than London or Paris as it's an endless bidding war between punters, - at least 2017 it was. Back the it wasn't even a question about the monthly rent and how high it was or what you were prepared to pay, but if you were actually considered by the landlord, as one out of 50 or 60 others. Success is only down to sheer luck and a pure gamble. The prices to buy are actually not that high. I mean, yes they could be lower, but they are not higher than in cities of similar sizes, and certainly lower than London or Paris.

A 12 month tenancy contract is not unusual, in many countries that is actually the norm, and would give you time to look around, or wait for your own property to be completed, if it's a newly built.
With newly built properties, there are usually fewer bidding wars going on, thus your chances are a bit better there, if you got your own finances and are willing to wait and rent until it's ready it's a good idea. It's probably the only feasible option in Ireland at the moment if one wants to stay there permanently.

In that particular IT company I worked briefly they also sacked a couple of others for not finding accommodation. It's the game some IT companies in Dublin are playing, not wanting to make hiring management look bad, dream up some excuse for sacking of those whose issues of finding accommodation are being noticed, give a "do not re-hire" to their personnel file and find a couple of unsuspecting others whose pain to finding work is higher.

Most people end up just renting a room, if they are lucky, and these are sourced either via AirBnB or some Facebook group or other sites. With a family that's naturally impossible and which single person wants to share a house or apartment whom they never lived with in the ongoing Corona crisis?

Barnacle

I'm self-employed and able to work remotely, which has its benefits and drawbacks. With the rental market looking so bad, I'm tempted to spend a few weeks looking about while Airbnb-ing and then make offers on properties if the area feels right. At this point, it just seems more appealing to take a gamble on Ireland than jumping through hoops and paying legal fees just to be able to return to the UK. Even once we're there, it's not exactly like the UK is a great prospect right now or in the future.

Thanks again for your thoughts.

OrangeMango

What I do not know is how the situation would be today in the housing and rental market. My description was based on the experiences of 2017, not 2021. Since 2017 I haven't been back to Ireland, so things could theoretically have bettered, however I doubt that.

Back in 2017 I was shocked as the situation in Dublin was way worse than in London or Paris both in terms of prices and demand. If there was a viewing of a rental property there were long queues outside, and inside of the property I think it was around 50 or so others who were viewing. Estate agents were totally overwhelmed in their work, and seemed hardly capable to cope. Various US-American IT companies in Dublin have vast hiring targets for taking on new employees and reward their managers for achieving these targets, what they don't tell successful job applicants is how the prospect of finding a place to live is really like as many of them are from overseas and don't really know the rental market.

I would guess and judging from afar that prices are still very high, but bidding and demand for one property is probably a bit less extreme than it was in 2017, mainly due to the Covid 19 crisis? But that's more an informed guess.

bitmanev

I can from my own experience echo what OrangeMango wrote

Back in 2019 I was hired by an IT company to come and work in Leixlip, West Dublin but was unable to find a place to rent. Even a make over garage box would cost me €850 / month with a 1 year contract. After living in B&B for a month eating all my monies I thank them (no thanks) and left Ireland
So the situation in 2019 was the same as in 2017 I'm afraid it might be better now in 2020 but who knows

OrangeMango

€850 / month with a 1 year is actually a very very good deal. Back in 2017 I was looking for one bedroom apartments in Dublin, and there was nothing under 1500 / month, however with 50 other punters interested there was no chance I'd even gotten this one, unless I would have offered considerably more. I'd say, 1700 / month would be realistic these days in Dublin. Commuting to the countryside wasn't a choice either as supply was limited there as well and there were also more than enough people looking for a place to live.

The problem is that the housing issue in Ireland is a very serious and grave one, but interestingly even in the politically-left wing or liberal-leaning media in the UK and Europe this subject receives absolutely no attention, no coverage, at all. In the end, I came to the conclusion that I'd rather prefer "Brexit-UK" with all it's shortcomings and issues than "No-Housing-Ireland".

Also, Irish employers, especially US IT companies, are acutely aware of this housing issue but never mention it in the application process when hiring from overseas. Employees who stay only for a few weeks and leave employment are sadly often blacklisted internally for any possible future employment even if leaving is only due to lack of finding housing.

Even though the country is very nice and people can be very friendly, Ireland is under these housing issues just not worth it as a credible and workable alternative to Brexit-UK.

Moses2013

850€ for a garage box was actually a good deal and we were paying close to 1000£ for a tiny studio apartment in Britain back in 2008. The housing situation hasn't got better but I recently visited friends in Munich and while you might have 100 people looking at a viewing in Dublin, it's now more like 150 there. Buying was always easier and one of the reasons why we moved was because we didn't want to rent anymore but that was then and am not in Dublin either. Lack of supply is one issue but I feel that a lot of people here jut can't be bothered playing landlord although they have the space. It doesn't help the OP or other people who want to rent, though I'd say building more and more like the UK is no help either and the quality of life just drops when all you have is concrete. Although we still have space, I sometimes get annoyed when the beach road that was once empty is now blocked by cars. Even outside of Galway they are building more and more houses and apartments, so situation might improve for renters.

OrangeMango

The prices to buy property in Ireland are still very much more affordable than say the UK or Canada. At least one gets bigger sizes for the same amount compared to the UK. However own funds and no mortgages are the requirement to buy right away.

I would not be certain, if the prices are going to remain where they are in Ireland, especially in the countryside. If supply should go up, than prices would stall or fall. In Dublin, I'd say, Dublin 2 and Dublin 4 are very safe choices no matter what happens.

Moses2013

It's always hard to predict but even if supply goes up, I don't see things changing anytime soon in the countryside. I'd say prices will remain pretty stable and while we might see the occasional drop, long term it will only increase further the way things are going. Ireland is only a small country and outside Dublin still relatively undeveloped but people are always looking for space and a safe environment. The world isn't getting smaller either, add global warming to that and millions of people are fleeing their countries already. If you look at the population, Ireland has produced a lot of babies in recent years too and an event like Brexit can push up prices really quickly if only a few thousand move. A lot of land is private land and lifestyles are changing as well. 50 years ago fishing was for the poor and locations like Lough Derg were unknown and Irish weren't bothered about views. Now these places are popular.

OrangeMango

I'd agree with your description on this. However prices are always a supply and demand issue no matter what the product is. Also, I don't know if KBC Bank withdrew from the Irish market, same as Ulster Bank and fewer mortgages might be available, or the mortgage market and lending gets tighter and having an impact in the housing market. Also during some parts of the Covid 19 crisis Irish construction was halted, thus producing less.

A city like Dublin or Cork or Galway might always be a safe bet, however looking at the North County Dublin, I don't know how much they would eventually build there. Automatically it begs the question why one would buy your house, while you can get a totally newly built in the same area..... There is still a lot of space there meaning supply can only theoretically increase there, whilst Dublin 2 or Dublin 4, are built up already. Or Sandyford for that matter. Lot's of IT companies in Sandyford, but newly built properties are limited there due to lack of space, thus prices are where they are and bound to remain that way.

Also Dublin is set to remain a low rise city as well. Every time when a high rise project comes up, it's never built, like the "Hanging Gardens" by Johnny Ronan, or the Tara Street Tower.