My tenant CV stood outWhen I applied for an apartment, I included a link to my HomeHak tenant CV. The landlord loved it and I got an invite to a viewing invite that day. It was easy.
Your connections vouch for you.Living at home, I didn’t have landlord references. With HomeHak I could show references from my Coach, my Lecturer and Friends who were happy to vouch for me. Thanks to their help, I have my own place.
My personal data is safeI used to be nervous about sharing ID and other personal information. Now I just share a link to my HomeHak CV. The landlord or agent can check what they need, and I can see on my dashboard when they reviewed my info. It just feels safer.
A readymade householdMy two friends and I linked our HomeHak CV’s and applied jointly for the house. The landlord loved that they could see everything up front about the three of us. It was easier for her and much better for us than moving in separately with strangers.
Ready anytime I want to moveMy renting details and references were all over the place. Now I store everything safely on HomeHak and I can use them whenever I like in the future. Handy if I move to a new country.
Rent your home with less hassle, time and cost.
Property/Room/DIGS wanted
Rent a property
Rent a Room
Apply
or Advertise your property for free
Input your information and HomeHak will transform it into an impressive Tenant CV
Share your Tenant CV link safely on email, SMS, WhatsApp or on any social media channel.
Send your Tenant CV direct to Landlords or apply through Letting Agents websites. On Property websites, tell landlords and agents you have a pre-prepared Tenant CV on HomeHak. No more repetitive applications.
Everything stored safely in one place. No worries about losing references or sensitive documents.
The job of building a relationship with a tenant begins the first day you show them around. When a renter is choosing a new place to live, how they feel about a potential landlord can count for a lot. It counts for even more when it comes time for tenants to decide whether to stay or go. And if they’ve kept up their end of the bargain by being clean, quiet, and reliable with their payments, you’ll probably want to make sure to keep them around.
Establish a good relationship on move-in day
One of the best times to establish a good rapport with your tenants is on move-in day. Renters will remember the help you offered on that stressful day, and they know they can count on you in the event of a problem and for any questions they might have.
To come up with ways to welcome incoming tenants, put yourself in their shoes. It’s going to be an exhausting couple of days of unpacking boxes and arranging furniture. What will they need the most during that time that doesn’t involve too much time or effort? Here are a few options for a complete welcome package.
Make sure your tenant is set up for rent payments
This is something you should take care of before move-in day, just to make sure your tenants don’t have too many other arrangements to make. As soon as your tenant has been accepted and paid their deposit, reach out to them to organise if they need to connect their bank account, credit card, or debit card or if it will be cash for quick and easy payments. If they haven’t gotten set up by move-in day, include a friendly reminder in their welcome package outlining how future payments will be made.
Get them familiar with their new neighbourhood
After all, they haven’t just chosen your building – they’ve chosen your part of the city. Your tenant’s welcome package should include a list of nearby banks, grocery stores, post offices, doctor’s offices, pharmacies, haircutters, dry cleaners, petrol stations, childcare and pet care services – anything a tenant might need on a day-to-day basis. With your help, they’ll know where to go in a pinch without spending too much time Googling.
This list can go beyond basic services, too. Talk to some popular local restaurants, bars, shops and entertainment venues about supplying coupons to include in your tenant’s welcome package. This tells your tenant that they can come to you for suggestions about where to go when they have free time.
Make their first week easy with a few basic supplies
Try and stock your tenant’s kitchen and bathroom with basic necessities. For example: toilet paper, paper towels, all-purpose cleaner, batteries, and light bulbs. This will help your tenants accustom to their new place without having to make a run to the store. They’ll be grateful for your foresight. Check out this article for more information on helping your new tenants on move-in day.
Connect them with their new neighbors
If you rent a single-family home, make sure to tell new tenants a little bit about their new neighbors and even facilitate an introduction if you know them well. Show tenants that you’re not just operating a building – you’re building a community.
International Students Coming to Ireland: Everything you Need to Know
Where do they come from?
The biggest increase has been international students from other EU states, jumping from 1,934 in 2017 to 6,383 in 2022.
According to the Irish Times, the total number of full-time, non-EEA international students reached nearly 18,500 in 2018. The Irish Higher Education Authority (HEA) states that the main non-EEA sending countries for Ireland are the United States, China, Saudi Arabia, Malaysia and Canada. Asia sends the largest share of students (43% as of 2017/18), followed by North America (30%), and the EU (20%).
As reported by this report, applications from British students increased by 9 per cent this year. In 2021, Ireland was home to 25,000 international students. India is the second-biggest source of international students on the island.
One of the first things you should do is open a student bank account. Each university usually has a banking partner on campus.
Budgeting for international students
To enable you to enjoy your university experience to the fullest, you need to learn to manage your money correctly. One of the biggest ways to save money in university is through your grocery shopping. As an international student in Ireland, you can enjoy a range of great discounts and savings. These will make your finances easier to manage.
Shopping and discounts
Ireland has several student discount cards. They range from freebies to money off. Below, we list the cards we recommend adding to your student wallet.
– ISIC has been the mainstay discount card for international students for over 50 years. They offer exclusive discounts on a vast range of products and services in over 125 countries.
Affordable Supermarkets
Grocery shopping will eat up a large part of your student budget. It pays to shop around to find the cheapest supermarket in your local area. Here, we list the supermarkets that are the cheapest.
Full details of all Diplomatic Missions in Ireland or accredited to Ireland on a non-resident basis can be found in the link below. This has been issued by the Department of Foreign Affairs. It includes information on the index of missions and representations accredited to Ireland. Diplomatic List July 2022
Irish Banks
To open an Irish bank account as an international student, you will need:
Ireland has a reliable phone network. The country is covered by several major network providers. There are a number of options available to you, depending on your budget and requirements. These include a fixed-term contract, sim-only plan or pay-as-you-go tariff.
The INIS visa service offers information on the process of finding health insurance in Ireland. On average, health insurance for international students costs around €100 – €120 per annum.
Working in Ireland
Here are the conditions you need to be aware of:
EU Students
If you’re travelling from the EU, you can work in Ireland without registering for a GNIB card.
Non-EU Students
Non-EU students can seek casual work of up to 20 hours a week during term-time, provided they have a card. In June, July, August and September, non-EU students can work up to 40 hours per week.
You cannot work in Ireland if your course is under six months in length.
Start with the university careers portal. These list a range of term-time positions available on and off campus. Then, check job sites such as Monster, Jobs and Irish Jobs. Distribute your CV to local businesses, as not all positions are advertised online.
A tenant CV takes some frustration out of the rental application process.
It provides all valuable and essential information for the homeowner upfront. Check out our article on 6 Reasons to Use a Tenant CV.
Landlord References
A landlord recommendation letter (rental reference) is an crucial component of your rental application. In a competitive rental market, a good reference can make a huge difference. Check out our article Importance Of a Reference for Irish University Student Accommodation.
Journalists, lawyers, landlords. They are up there with some of the most automatically despised people in society. Yet, there are some incredible investigative journalists who help solve crimes. There are human rights lawyers who work for free. Yes, there are also wonderful homeowners that treat tenants like gold.
The funny thing is, these homeowners benefit from doing the right thing. Happy tenants stay longer, meaning less time, lost rent and hassle finding new people to move in. People who treat their rental like a true home also make sure everything is looked after too.
So, knowing that happy tenants are better tenants, here are the best ways on how to be a good landlord.
1. Be a personable landlord
Those who rent from you are people. You’re a person too. Show it. Here are some of the best ways to deal with your tenants.
Meet them face to face and show them around the property.
Say thanks by buying a bunch of flowers and a bottle of wine to celebrate moving in.
Be willing to chat through any concerns or questions your tenants have.
Simple courtesy has a great way of coming back to you when you give it out.
Respect your tenants and they’re more likely to respect you and your property in return.
Wait. Below market rates? In this economy? Hear us out. If you set rent at €10 per week below the going rate, you’ll be able to select the very best tenants from the available pool and rent things out sooner. More importantly, if your current tenants know they’ve got a reasonable deal, they’re more likely to be happy where they are and less likely to shop around for somewhere new. Given the average rent in Ireland is over €1,200 per month, that measly €10 discount is covered in just 2 weeks and a lot of hassle is averted. Thanks, maths.
3. Stay on top of maintenance
According to studies, around 50% of tenants experience poor communication or slow reaction to property issues from landlords. It’s the number one frustration for renters and something we’ve all experienced when dealing with poor customer service.
Here is another one of the best ways to act if you want to be a good landlord. If there’s ever an issue with the home you rent out, fix it right away. Be proactive with potential problems as well by patching them up regularly and making sure the tenants are happy with any adjustments.
If you want to be a good a good landlord and go the extra mile, ask the tenants if there are any niggling things they don’t like about the place. If they’re easy to fix, just do it. Again, someone that loves where they are is more likely to treat the home better and stay longer.
Feeling secure in your home is something that reduces anxiety and helps foster wellbeing. There’s nothing worse than having a lease expiration looming and waiting to see if the homeowner is willing to renew for another year. If you are that homeowner, get on the front foot and let your tenants know 2-3 months beforehand that you’re happy to keep the agreement going. If you’re both willing, even look at extended terms. Less paperwork and hassle for both of you. A sense of security is a must for everyone.
5. Find the right tenant in the first place
It might be easy just to take the first tenant you know will pay the rent each month. While getting paid on time is obviously important, it’s far from the only factor. Better to think long term and match up your home with someone you know will be truly happy there:
Look for someone who works nearby.
See if there are sports facilities, restaurants or other good things you think will be a draw for the tenant.
Speak with them about their needs.
If things match up and they are a good fit then ensure paying rent won’t be an issue.
It might sound like a bit of hard work, but really it comes back to being a person. A little thought, some listening and attentive questions, and you’ll find a great tenant who will treat your place like it’s their sanctuary.
To make finding the right tenant a little easier, HomeHak has set up a community of people looking for their dream home in Ireland. They’ve prepared comprehensive tenant CV’s and their details and references are available in advance. They have outlined the key things they’re looking for in a home, and are easily searchable “meaning you will never make a wrong decision again when it comes to finding a like-minded tenant that you know will stay for longer”.
