Tenant Information Details
TENANTS SHOULD BE PREPARED AS FOLLOWS: - (The details)
- Photographic Identification: You should have original photographic identification with ample photocopies.
- PPSN: Details of your PPSN for tenancy registration and proof of current address for the new lease.
- Adequate Funds: You should arrange to have access to adequate funds from your own source, employer or oversees bank before attempting to reserve a property.
- Pay the booking Deposit: You should immediately pay the required holding deposit (usually in the region of the equivalent of one month's rent) to have the property reserved for you before this agency will prepare the necessary formalities for the letting to proceed, e.g. lease agreements, etc. (See important notice below.)
- Initial Rent: This may be any amount – usually it is the equivalent of one month’s rent, but can be up to three month’s rent. Some tenants pay yearly in advance - at their own suggestion. A tenant may prefer to pay a lump sum in advance to avoid difficulties with future payments coming in from overseas. It all depends on the requirements of either the tenant or landlord. A landlord may also have particular requirements about how rent is to be paid.
- Security Deposit: This can be any amount as agreed between the landlord and tenant. A lot will depend on the particular property and how it has been furnished or fitted out. It will also depend on who is paying the rent. For example, a bank, company or private individual and whether the house is to be lived in by one person or several people and whether or not there are pets etc. For larger houses the security deposit required may be higher than for a smaller property. It will be a deliberately abstract amount so as to divorce it from any notion of being an advance payment of rent for your final period in the property. For example, the last month, 6 weeks or quarter. The security deposit is separate to the obligation to pay rent for your final period in the property and, therefore, cannot be used as payment for the last month's rent etc. The deposit will be refunded by the landlord to the tenant (and not by Marshall Properties) within a specified period after the tenant has vacated the premises less certain deductions as may be applicable.
- Stamp duty: Stamp duty is paid by the tenant via Marshall Properties to the Irish tax authorities called the Revenue Commissioners. It is paid on the Original of the letting agreement (tenant copy) at the rate of 1% of the average annual rent + €12.50 for each Counterpart (landlord / office copy). This ad valorem (according to value) stamp duty is only payable where the annual rent exceeds €40,000 (i.e. €40,001) per annum.
- References: Should be clear and specific and NOT be vague.
- Employer Reference(s): This or these should be originals and on your employer's headed paper and should clearly state your name and your position in the company. How long you have worked and will continue to work for this company and the fact that it is your employer's opinion that you can afford the amount of rent you are proposing to pay for the house which you want to rent.
- Bank References: Financial Institution reference(s): These should state that you are of good financial standing and, where possible, state that you can afford to pay the amount of rent which you are proposing to pay for the house which you want to rent.
- Previous Landlord Reference: This may come from a previous or current landlord or an estate agent. This is perhaps the most important reference. This should clearly state in unambiguous terms that you were a good tenant and that you paid all your rent in a timely manner and that you adhered to all the terms of your lease. A name and contact number for this landlord / Estate Agent is essential.
- Credit Reference Agencies: You should be prepared to allow enquiries to be made about you to independent credit reference agencies.
- Self-employed: You may submit Letters of Introduction from independent persons of good standing in their own right who can, in turn, confirm your good standing. These may be solicitors, accountants or business people with whom you have been engaged in business. These references need to state clearly that you can pay the specific amount of rent applicable to the proposed lease and that you could continue to do so for the duration of the lease. You should set about opening a bank account for the payment of household utility bills such as for gas and electricity and your subsequent rental payments etc.
- Where children are involved, it is imperative that you ascertain that your chosen school will be able to accept your children. If not, you could find yourself living very far away from the most appropriate school for your children. Where children are involved, their schooling requirements will take precedence over all other factors or considerations; forget this at your peril.
CHILDREN, CHILDREN, CHILDREN:
While Marshall may be allergic to children, he understands, all too well, the necessity of taking care of them in their early years. Just as fizzy drinks should be avoided and the intake of milk to build strong bones encouraged, it will also be vital that you organise your schooling requirements before you decide on any house. Forget about high plaster ceilings, sash windows and flights of granite steps leading to Georgian hall doors! Forget about how long it will take you to commute to work each day. You (the parent) don't matter. If you try to rent a house in, say, Rathgar when you intend to send your children to a school in, say, Dalkey; 2 or 3 different bus rides away, your time in Dublin will NOT be a success. Full stop. After all, once you decided to have children you inherited the obligation to do your best for them for the next very happy 20 years or more. Your children come first. Of course they do. Only a half wit would suggest otherwise. And no doubt, one of your considerations in coming to Ireland, or returning to Ireland, may well have been influenced by the fact that Ireland offers excellent education, whether you pay for it privately or whether your child goes to a State funded school. Therefore, you must go and sort out the schooling for the children first of all. Then, and only then, can you begin to think about where you might try to put down roots and make a home for the next number of years. Marshall says he has seen failure after failure in this regard. He says, take a lesson from a bad tempered old grump who is allergic to children; sort out your schooling requirements first and only then search for a home close to that school, if you want your time in Dublin to be happy and productive.
AGENTS CAN BE HARD TO DEAL WITH:
Marshall freely admits that estate agents can sometimes be very intimidating to deal with. Hes says they seem to have notions about themselves and can be pompous or downright hostile when dealing with tenants. He sees no reason for this carry on. Whenever he steps into the shoes of the viewer of a property, he would sooner describe himself as an employee of a brothel rather than admitting to being an estate agent! He prefers to avoid all the auld guff and boasting that so many agents indulge in. He has, from time to time, found himself being reprimanded by other half-witted agents and he says nothing; he just makes a quick exit! Despite being involved in helping people move home, he freely admits, it's something that he simply could not cope with in his own personal life. He says it's often as hard to move across Dublin as it is to move half way 'round the world! If agents haven't the humanity to deal respectfully with those searching for a home, they should be avoided. Admittedly, not always easy to do.
IMPORTANT NOTICES:
ACCEPTANCE OF FUNDS BY MARSHALL PROPERTIES: -
Marshall Properties takes in funds from prospective tenants which are held in a separate Clients Bank Account and remain refundable in full up until the lease agreement has been signed, at which time the funds collected by this agency are handed over to the landlord. If you decide to rent a property through this agency, it will be imperative (once the broad outline of terms have been agreed as between the landlord and you) that you pay over funds to properly reserve the property. You should arrange payment immediately. The payment of funds is necessary to show good faith on your part and in turn, Marshall Properties or the landlord's solicitor will then set about preparing a lease for you to sign. Marshall Properties will only request funds and accept funds from a prospective tenant when the intention has been formed to actually rent the property to you. It is, therefore, imperative that you are certain that you want to rent the property in question because once it has been reserved for you, other prospective tenants lose the option of renting that particular property. This initial payment can be any amount but is usually the equivalent of about one month's rent. All funds are taken on a subject to contract basis and are fully refundable until the lease has been signed. HOWEVER, funds will not be refunded if it transpires that you have not been forthright in your dealings with this agency. Marshall Properties acts on behalf of the landlord and has a duty to help protect the landlord. If a letting does not proceed through no fault of the tenant, funds will be refunded. However, if Marshall Properties or the landlord should incur a loss due to any misrepresentation, omission, delay or lack of appropriate action on the part of the tenant, howsoever arising, then funds will be withheld without apology and the house will be withdrawn from you. In simple terms, you must be fair and you should not attempt to mislead the landlord in any way. You will be deemed to have accepted this fundamental condition if you proceed to deal with this agency for any property regardless of where you might first have seen the property advertised.
DEALING WITH THIS AGENCY: -
Once a Tenant has dealt with this agency in relation to a particular property, by making a telephone call or email enquiry from any website or directly or by actual viewing etc, that tenant is bound to deal only with this agency in relation to that property. To subsequently complete a transaction for that particular property with another Agent or the landlord directly will result in YOU, the tenant, being held liable for all fees and outlays of Marshall Properties which would, in all other circumstances, have been paid by the landlord.
USEFUL CONTACT INFORMATION: -
If you are to proceed to rent a property you will need to contact utility providers to set up new accounts to ensure continuity of service. You should contact whichever utility company you wish to use for the supply of electricity, gas, television, phone / internet etc, in order to ensure that these facilities will be in place for you when you take up residence in your new home. This is particularly imperative in relation to the supply of electricity and gas. This should be done as soon as you agree to take a property. Marshall Properties, and / or the landlord, is not responsible for ensuring that there is a current supply of any utility (gas, electricity, water etc) at the premises you propose to rent. This is something that the tenant must ensure for themselves.
Some contact details for utility providers are listed below: -
http://www.bordgaisenergy.ie/home/gas/join
This is the Gas Board – supplier of gas. The company now supplies electricity and gas and offers various package deals.
https://www.sseairtricity.com/ie/home/help-centre-ie/moving-house
This is a new electricity provider and offers various deals.
https://www.electricireland.ie/switchchange/howDoISwitch.htm?
This is the original company which supplied electricity which now also supplies gas.
This company provides cable tv and various internet packages etc.
This company was the original Irish state run telephone company. It now offers various packages for phone, internet & tv etc.