HOUSING

In Ireland, the owner of a home is called the « landlord » and the person who pays the rent is the « tenant ». The terminology which refers to a contractual notion in France (propriétaire: owner / locataire: lodger) takes us back to an almost feudal relationship in English. And it still is somehow. Within the first 6 months the landlord can terminate the rental agreement for no reason whatsoever and the tenant has only a few weeks to leave. The landlord can then do the same after 5 years of rental, even though the tenant has been paying the rent the whole time. The rights of the Landlord have recently been limited but many one-sided clauses are still valid in Ireland.

In fact, the Irish, like the English, very quickly become owners, even if it means reselling before they pay back their credit entirely. There is only a very limited amount of rental properties, the radio announced a total of 3,200 rental units across the Republic as of May 1, 2019. The Irish love to keep accurate records like this. It’s like living in a village sometimes (a small country I’m telling you).

 

In addition, it is easier here to seek accommodation with children, even 4 or 5, than with a pet. In Germany it is the exact opposite. And in France, the only thing that matters to the owner is that the tenant is solvent. The irony (or hypocrisy) of this is that many, many Irish people have pets, especially dogs. Dogs are everywhere in every single park, street and beach of Dublin. However, grant your tenant the right that you grant yourself, no way! This idea that an animal would do more damage than a bunch of kids is pretty funny, I think. Except when you’re being refused rental accommodation on the ground that you have 2 cats. Neutered, moreover. So obviously, when we know that 2/3 of the floor coverings are carpet (soo unhygienic, but that’s my French opinion), we understand it better: an animal comes in with dirty paws , a cat pukes on the floor, and in general he does not choose the tiling or the wood floor (well yes the carpet is more comfortable see)

The bottom line is that we finally found a house to rent, but we had to pay an extra month’s deposit for our two felines. At this price, they will be able to change all their cheap carpet twice after our departure …

Rents are expensive in Dublin, very expensive. Pre-covid Dublin had become one of the most attractive cities in Europe, boosted by tourism and the looming Brexit. However, you should not expect French quality in Dublin accommodation: firstly, there is this carpet that Anglo-Saxons adore, a real breeding ground of mites in my opinion, and not necessarily of good quality. It’s comfortable, sure, but don’t think about what might be in it.

As for the sanitary facilities, very often the water pressure comes from a single tap, which implies putting a pump system upstairs; if the pump is not activated, there will be no water in the shower. Where is the issue you could ask? The issue lies in the decibels: this pump makes the noise of a lawn mower! No more discreet showers at 2 a.m. or at 8 a.m. on weekends when you come back from jogging, at least if you have a late riser teenager at home. Well, the washcloth is also good, eh, it helps to preserve family peace.

Last but not least, isolation: forget it. Most houses do not have  a basement (a basement is expensive) and they are designed for a mild climate, so as long as the outside temperature stays between 10 and 20 degrees celsius everything is fine, below 5 you’ll have to heat permanently, including small birds outside, and after 2 hours of rain, the walls of the patio doors start to drip. On the bright side, tap water is free in Dublin, this helps balance the heating costs!