How savvy st u dent s can beat t he squeeze on accommodation
Thinking of moving into a house-share with friends for college? Catherine Devine and Denise Calnan look at what you can get for the average rent right around the country LETTERKENNY
IT IS a financial squeeze even in the best of times, and this year is no different. Rents have risen nationwide by almost 12pc in the year to June 2017.
Meanwhile, housing supply is at an all-time low for the 50,000 new students.
If you’re thinking of getting a house-share with friends, here’s what you can get for the average rent price in student towns around the country.
CARLOW:
The average monthly rent in Carlow is €794. This has risen 11.4pc in a year.
At that average, there are no available properties in Carlow town. However, landlords on property websites offer a roomby-room basis. Prices range from €425 per room in a fourbed house, to €200 a month for a box room.
CORK:
The average monthly rent for a property in Cork is now €1,122 – up 6.8pc in a year.
If you opt to live within walking distance of UCC, you can get a two-bed apartment on Hanover Street for €1,150. If shared by two people, the monthly cost would come to almost €600 each. Another clocks in at €1,100 for a two-bed apartment.
And it’s not great news for those going to CIT. Not one property search (on three different property websites) yielded a result for the average monthly rent for a house-share in the Bishopstown area. However, landlords are letting on a room-by-room basis: such as €430 a month for a sixbed house in Bishopstown, or €520 for a room in a five-bed apartment.
LETTERKENNY:
The average monthly rent in Donegal has risen 11.5pc in just one year. It now stands at €595. If you’re opting for Letterkenny to pursue your third-level education, the rent is very low in comparison to the capital. If you’re budget-savvy, a three-bedroom house in Letterkenny is on the market for a monthly rent of €600. DUBLIN: Dublin’s city centre rent average now stands at €1,741 for a property. It has gone up 15.7pc since last year.
If you’re looking to get a house-share in Dublin, you need to be on the ball and may need to split into smaller groups.
In Kimmage, there is a fourbed house on the rental market for €1,591.
It is unfurnished, so may require a trip to Ikea.
However, in Tallaght, there are two and three-bed houses and apartments up for rent for less than average.
TRALEE:
The average monthly rent in Kerry now stands at €704. It has risen 9.3pc since June of last year.
There are lots of options for students here, including a fourbed house for €700 in a “quiet residential area” on the main road to ITT north campus. MAYNOOTH: The average rent in Kildare now stands at €1,156, up 11.5pc since last year.
Not one house-share for the average rental price or below appears on any of three property websites. GALWAY: Galway, home to two of the west’s third-level education colleges, has seen its average monthly rent rise by 10pc in the past 14 months. The average monthly rent in the City of Tribes now stands at €1,026. One property website yielded just four results after a search of rental accommodation in Galway city and county between €1,000 and €1,050 a month.
They include two two-bed apartments, one with two double bedrooms (€1,040), and the other with one double and one single (€1,000). If you’re up for a 40-minute commute, Loughrea boasts a four-bed apartment for €1,000 a month. LIMERICK: Limerick has an average monthly rent of €722, up 8.7pc since June 2016. The city hosts three colleges. If you’re saying no to the on-campus option and would prefer to rent a place with friends, there aren’t many options at the average rent price. One property website yields just one result – a one-bed basement apartment in Limerick city for €750 a month. SLIGO: The average rent in Sligo is at €658, up 11.9pc since June 2016.
The good news? Sligo has a few more options than other third-level centres, with a twobed apartment for €650, and one-bed apartments for €525 or €550.
A few landlords in Sligo are appealing to the student by posting their accommodation online, with a weekly rental price.
One six-bed house, consisting of four double rooms and two twin rooms, will cost students €65 a week. WATERFORD: The average rent in Waterford is €746, rising to €772 in the city centre.
There are 22 houses in Waterford City available, for between €680 and €800 a month.
Options range from a stunning one-bed apartment for €680, to a four bedroom house for €800 a month. ATHLONE: The average rent price in Westmeath is €787 per month.
Students going to Athlone IT have a choice of seven houses to rent between €700 and €800 a month.