[ENG] 2025 Guide to Renting in Dublin: Areas, Tips, and Personal Experiences
Finding a Room in Dublin: My Real Experience & Essential Tips! 🇮🇪🏡
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| The view from my room in my new home… cozy and peaceful. I'm working hard on my blog! 😊 |
If you're planning to move to Dublin, one of the biggest challenges is finding a decent room—and trust me, it's not as easy as just picking a place on a website. Dublin’s rental market is super competitive, and you have to be fast, smart, and sometimes even a little lucky.
Let me share my personal journey of finding a room in Dublin, along with some essential tips so you can avoid the mistakes I made!
1️⃣ How to Find a Room in Dublin (2025 Guide) 🏠
📌 The Best Website for House Hunting: Daft.ie
Dublin's main rental website is Daft.ie. If you're looking for a shared house, this is where most listings are posted.
🔹 Tips for using Daft.ie effectively:
✔ Set up Instant Email Alerts to get notifications as soon as new listings appear.
✔ When emailing landlords, include a brief introduction about yourself (student/worker, personality, lifestyle).
✔ Contact landlords ASAP—popular listings can close within 1-2 hours!
✔ Never trust photos alone—always visit in person before committing.
✔ Beware of scams—if someone asks for a deposit before you view the place, it’s 100% a scam!
2️⃣ What to Check During a Viewing (Super Important!) 👀
One big difference in Dublin is that just because you view a room doesn't mean you'll get it. Many landlords and housemates actually interview potential tenants to see if you'd be a good fit.
🔹 Things to check when viewing a room:
✅ Housemates & Atmosphere – Is it a party house or a quiet place?
✅ Heating – Dublin winters are freezing, and some houses have bad insulation!
✅ Transport – If the bus only comes every 40 minutes, your life will be miserable.
✅ Bills Included? – Electricity, internet, and heating might be extra costs.
✅ Contract Details – Ask about deposit, minimum stay, and move-in date.
🔹 Key questions to ask during a viewing:
👉 "Is heating included in the rent?" (This can save you a lot of money!)
👉 "What are the other housemates like?" (You don’t want surprises later.)
👉 "Is there a minimum stay period?" (Some places require 6-12 months minimum.)
3️⃣ Dublin Areas & Rent Prices (2025 Update!) 📍💰
Dublin is divided into North (odd numbers) & South (even numbers). Generally, the South is safer but more expensive, while the North is cheaper but has some rough areas.
📍 Best places to live (city center & nearby):
✔ Dublin 2 – Trendy, full of cafés & bars (expensive)
✔ Dublin 4 – Fancy residential area (very safe)
✔ Dublin 6 – Popular with students & young professionals
🏠 Good residential areas:
✔ Dublin 7 – Stoneybatter, Smithfield (trendy & growing)
✔ Dublin 8 – Portobello, Crumlin (affordable but nice)
✔ Dublin 9 – Drumcondra, Glasnevin (students & families)
🚆 If you rely on public transport:
✔ Dublin 14 – Dundrum (Luas tram, great shopping)
✔ Dublin 15 – Blanchardstown (biggest shopping mall)
✔ Dublin 18 – Sandyford (tech companies, modern apartments)
⚠️ Areas to avoid (especially at night):
❌ Dublin 1, 3, 7 – Some parts have drug & safety issues
❌ Ballymun, Tallaght – Can be dangerous after dark
💰 Average rent prices (2025):
✔ €1000+ – City center & luxury areas
✔ €800-900 – Good areas close to the city
✔ €700-800 – Outer residential zones (I found my place in this range!)
4️⃣ My Dublin House-Hunting Experience (The Good, The Bad & The Crazy) 🎭
🏚️ First House: Dublin 12 (Instant NOPE)
I found a place with a young Irish couple + one student.
Expectation (from photos): A clean, modern house.
Reality: 😨
❌ No warmth or homey feeling—it felt cold & empty.
❌ The couple seemed like party lovers (I wanted a quiet place).
❌ The neighborhood felt sketchy & unsafe after dark.
🚨 Verdict: "No way, I’m out."
🏡 Second House: Dublin 16 (Too far, too cold)
This time, the landlord was a 50-60-year-old Irish man.
Housemates:
✔ A Japanese woman (probably neat!)
✔ A Taiwanese guy (seemed quiet)
Pros:
✔ The house was super clean & well-maintained.
✔ The landlord was friendly & calm.
Cons:
❌ My room was TINY—the desk was literally attached to the door! 😅
❌ Bus only came every 40 minutes.
❌ After the viewing, I waited in the freezing cold for a bus & thought, "Do I really want to live like this?"
🚨 Verdict: "Too far, too much hassle."
🏠 Third House: Dublin 5 (A Family Home?!)
This was a Chinese family home with two kids (7 & 5 years old).
Pros:
✔ The house felt warm & full of life (not an empty shell).
✔ My room was on the ground floor & spacious.
✔ Location was great—only 20 minutes by bus to the city.
Cons:
❌ The house had a strong Chinese spice smell (personal preference).
❌ My room needed a deep clean (previous tenant was messy).
Despite the downsides, I thought, "This is good enough," so I put down a deposit (€50) and got the keys.
💡 BUT THEN… SOMETHING AMAZING HAPPENED.
5️⃣ My Final (Perfect) Room: An Unexpected Twist of Fate! ✨🏡
That evening, I had one last scheduled viewing from before I paid my deposit.
Since I already put down money, I thought, "Should I even go?"
But I went just to check it out… and the moment I walked in, I knew.
💙 The room was small but beautifully cozy & well-decorated.
💙 The landlord couple was warm, kind, and welcoming.
💙 The house felt physically warm (most places in Dublin were freezing).
💙 I had a strong gut feeling that good things would happen here.
The person showing me the room said, "Everyone who sees this room takes it. You don’t need to think too hard."
The next day, I gave back the keys to the previous house and happily lost my €50 deposit—because I had found my perfect home.
6️⃣ Final Tips for Finding a Room in Dublin! 💡
✔ Use Daft.ie & be QUICK—rooms go fast!
✔ Prepare for viewings—you're being "interviewed" too!
✔ Check heating & transport—Dublin winters are no joke.
✔ NEVER send money before viewing—it's a scam.
✔ Trust your gut feeling—if a place doesn’t feel right, walk away.
Finding a place in Dublin can be stressful, but take your time and don’t settle for a bad place. The right home is out there waiting for you! 🏡💙
