The struggle of finding accommodation in Dublin can at times be hard. Either the flat is too far away from school and work, or the room is way too expensive. But one of the easiest, and maybe the most inconvenient time of looking for accommodation, is getting scammed.
By only searching ‘Dublin’ on Facebook, heaps of groups regarding renting flats, apartments, and rooms, will appear. With over thousands of members in each group, the temptation of renting out illegally may be too tough to handle for some.
The easiness of getting scammed
A member of ‘Dublin – Rent, Let, House Hunting – Rooms, Houses, Flats, Apartments’ told The Circular about unpleasant experiences with a dishonest landlady. “She has been reported to the Revenue, PRTB, and South Dublin County Council, but she still keeps renting out her properties.” According to the member, the landlady has most likely not been persecuted or fined.
Some of the clues of figuring out if the landlord is a scam could be if they only take cash, or overprices the housing, puts way too many people in the apartment or does not register the tenant in any form for a contract.
The member of the group points out that PRTB, Revenue and County Councils should pay more attention to landlords being reported.
“If you have not seen the place, do not take it”
The Circular spoke with Ole Rittermann, a study abroad student from Germany. You can hear about his experience with finding a place to stay, as well as getting scammed in the video below.
