The housing crisis in Ireland was highlighted during a recent conversation on radio with a woman who has recently returned after living abroad.
Racheal Tobin was a guest on Joe Duffy’s LiveLine radio show and discussed the problems she has faced in finding a suitable place to live since she got home.
Most people in Ireland know that both buying or renting a house is extremely expensive in Ireland right now.
However, the exact details of what you get for how much money was spelled out during the live radio discussion.
Racheal explained that she has recently returned from working in South Korea and was aware that she was coming home to a difficult rental market.
She was not prepared for the extreme struggles she would face though, in trying to find a nice place to live for a reasonable amount of rent.
The pair scrolled through various advertisements offering rooms to rent in Ireland and could not believe what they found.
One advert from property agents Daft.ie was read out by Racheal on air. It said: “Would suit a quiet person who is out a lot, just looking for two nights per week maximum, a place to sleep, store belongings and do laundry, no shared kitchen facilities.
“It goes on, microwave, fridge, and kettle in own boxroom, shared bathroom and laundry facilities, references required, be sure to state the days of the week that you will be in the house, those that don’t won’t receive a reply.
“The house is shared with three other people and is owner-occupied, with the owner also renting out the driveway for use.”
Racheal posed the question: “Why put your place up for rent if you don’t want a tenant?”
Duffy agreed and sympathised with her struggle. The veteran broadcaster added that he had seen a similar advert for a ‘shared, box room for €480 plus bills with only a corner with a microwave and sink’.
Racheal, who is 26, added that the cost of travel is another factor that is causing people to struggle financially. She pointed out that she could get a flight to London for not much more than the €22 each way bus she takes to Kells each day.
She also said that she had shown the adverts to friends she had in famously densely populated cities like New York and they were stunned at the extent of the problem, saying “they weren’t even having to do that”.
