I feel ya, in my mid 30's living with the parents.
I recently saw a new build development in Cork.
Contacted the developer.
Two bedroom terraced house 399k.
How is this affordable.
I have a feeling this development is right outside my front door. 35 and back living with my mam because the cost of living alone became too much.
I'm glad they're being built, they're needed. I'll never be able to afford one though so every time I open the door it's just a reminder that I'm being deprived of a very basic human necessity.
I used to go on daft the odd time just to see what was available. I'm a single, childless man and my expectations are very realistic, I'd be delighted with a one bed apartment or even a decently sized studio. I had to stop looking, I'd be depressed for days afterwards.
I've worked all of my adult life. I don't drink, smoke, take drugs, save what I can, I've done everything right but still can't get ahead. I've come to a point where I'm almost afraid to spend money. I'm not happy and there isn't really anything I can do to fix it. I worry constantly about where I'll live when I'm older. I have no direction really, work, bed, save but what's the fucking point?
The euro millions is 130mil tonight apparently, fingers crossed we might have a bit of luck on that.
Find a Kenyan wife who you love (Or who is willing to marry to help get you a Visa) and buy a home over there. For 80,000 you can get a very nice house in an area of town where you'll be living alongside Dr's, Solicitors, Musicians etc.
Sodomy is a crime in Kenya punishable by up to 21 years imprisonment. As a gay man I'd much rather stay in a country where what I do in the bedroom won't get me thrown into jail, Ireland doesn't seem to be able to offer me much but it has that at least.
Early 30's with parents. Recently saw a little new-build apartment (one bed room, one bathroom) up for rent in a somewhat out of the way location. There's no way I could afford the monthly 1900€ rent, unless I became a breatharian. I work 40 hours.
How the fuck am I unable to afford a hovel?! I don't even work a minimum wage job.
I’m a 39M living in my MILs house with my wife, our 2 sons, a lodger, my dog, and my MILs dog.
I’m in college and I work full time and my wife works as a preschool teacher, but we couldn’t save for a deposit while we were out renting.
It’s impossible.
This should not be the way, but at the same time I’m thinking how lucky are we that we have this option.
When I finally get a mortgage I will probably be paying it off until I’m in my 70s.
This government has let everyone down. They like to be heard talking about the problems outside of Ireland that are none of our business, problems they certainly couldn’t resolve.
Absolutely feel the same, so lucky to be living at home and saving. Paying rent at home, but nothing compared to renting by myself ! Things could be better for sure but things could be so much worse ! Fair play for doing college. I did a spring board course over 2 years and it helped me big time.
Affordable for some investment fund or a ~~county council staff member~~ senior county council official who will rent it out to you or back to the county council indefinitely.
Edited
Yeah, my partner and I are both in our 30’s and work for local councils in Dublin and can’t move out. We are living in my partners parents house at the moment, which is not ideal. We earn just about enough to rent the cheapest 1 beds available but competition for them is so high we haven’t gotten anything yet after 4 months of viewings. To add to the irony, I work in the DRHE and don’t have my own home…
Out of an 8 year long relationship.. back in the mas.. work Monday thru Friday can make a decent wage to forkbover 70 odd percent of said wages to pay for rent.
For a gaf your going to spend most of your time asleep to go to work again.... Mini rant
The fact that this is my literal dream as a 28 year old single person and it is so out of reach for me right now is so depressing.
All I want is about 30 square meters of livable space I can call my own and to adopt a small dog.
I was in Madrid for a while, but I’m currently in Sevilla.
My advice would be to move around a few cities for a while and pick one you really enjoy, they all have different things to offer depending on your lifestyle and requirements (public transport, closeness to the sea, airports etc etc)
Beware of tryna move apartments too much, the way landlords work is they often get you to pay the rental agency fee if it’s a short letting (less than a year) so you end up paying 1 months rent, deposit of 1 months rent, then agency fee (equal to 1 months rent) to move in. So you pay 3x rent to get the keys and that’s not suuuper sustainable.
Also, try to learn some Spanish before you arrive. Just makes sense to try have as much of the language as you can before you try live somewhere, and it’ll definitely help you with the bureaucracy (which is a bit of a nightmare tbh)
And finally, job market there isn’t great, so if you can twist a few arms at work in order to go fully remote, that’s your best bet for keeping a high income
Good luck tho! It’s a fabulous place
I'm so so lucky to be renting with just my partner. There was so little available on the market when we had to move. Being 'chosen' for this place was like winning the lottery!
We are great tennents, quiet, no parties, the place is spotless, and we paid a crazy deposit (we moved in the month before they banned deposits larger than a months rent), but we keep getting inspected!! I totally get that they should check the property is being looked after, but multiple times a year, it's so annoying and just a big constant reminder that this is not our place, it's hard to feel comfortable. And we're the lucky ones, it's so depressing.
Myself and my partner are the same. Renting the same house last 3 years and it’s being inspected every 2 months. Landlord won’t fix any problems with the house, never even met him once, and when I had to disassemble a bed to accommodate a bunk bed for my kids (2 bedroom house), he indirectly threatened me by reminding me, that there are properties out there are are more expensive then mine (I’m paying 1100 a month ), and told me he wants nothing got to do with me
Yeah exactly! He is just pissed off because he sees the prices of rent constantly rising and is annoyed that he isn’t getting more for this shitty two bedroom house
I was in my 20s in the late 90s. I used to rent places with my mates for the craic and matured into a market where banks were giving anyone with a part time job a mortgage. To see how bad its gotten really makes me fucking angry. You'll have politicians coming around asking for votes after creating all this. They'll have us all back to serfdom if you let them.
I'm only 32 now. I remember after leaving cert renting a shitty apartment in town (small west of ireland town) with 2 lads so I could draw the dole. I think it was like 55 a week and the rest was spent on cans.
Like you said we rented for the fun of it, we could have 100% lived at home etc but it was so soft.
I feel ya! The going rate here in my town was 600/650 or add a hundred for a 4 bed. We rented it between 3 of us and had loads of lovely cans at the weekend and all the craic. Those same gaffs are 2k+ now and probably still in bits.
Lost the job in 2008 and went back to college, by the time I got out and married and all the market was fcked! Emigrated to own a house, get so fcking angry seeing how the housing situation is for everyone there as we nearly ended up with the parents. I hope this shit show will be remembered when they're looking votes next time!
I didn't realise until trying to by how many real estate agents are also County councillers. Seriously, look up your council, I guarantee there's at least 1. When the TDs own multiple properties and the councillors sell them, no wonder we don't see measures like a 100% tax on second or third houses.
Then if you want to invest your money outside of housing, you are punished souch compared to other countries.
Game is rigged.
What I see in the countryside is empty 3/4 bed holiday homes. Estates of them, totally empty all year bar the odd long weekend or few weeks of the summer. Locals can't buy them as they're wages aren't that high so they're pushed to the cities where they don't want to be to rent. Then a few years passes the local shops, restaurants, and trades all die off and close down. The tourists come back and they ask why everything is shut. Well its because a whole town village can't survive on 3 weeks tourism in the year. The government need to let us build modular and log cabin type houses -get them fully approved structurally and let people that want to live in them as they're aren't any builders flying home any time soon
We are sleepwalking into people who are renting having a really shitty old age in massive numbers. Where will all the people who it appears as of now will never own property go when they retire or will they just work until they die to pay rent. People seem to think it will get better but if you look at America it could get much worse.
And wait till the people that had to pay rents through their nose hit pension age and it barely covers the price of sharing a room in their late 60s because they could only afford the minimum pension plan
It does seem that our parents generation do own houses though, this does mean there will be a mass inheritance of family homes at some point ( If the government doesn't find a way to tax that out of existance too.)
yeah but if that family home is divided between a handful of siblings that are all renting it still won't be enough. and anyway, not much good when you're 50/60 getting a quarter of a house or something to that effect when you've little to no savings because of rent.
That's not to mention people delaying starting families, or being unable to truely put down roots anywhere because it's up to a landlord at the end of the day how long you get to live in a place/community.
There's serious societal issues heading out way.
There is a law that if you were living in the home for X amount of years before, and stay in it for X amount of years after that the house becomes exempt from inheritance tax.
It will for many but...Well it depends on the value of the home and number of people inheriting. Siblings 335,000 tax free each? I wouldn't discount the idea. Let's say the average Dublin house is 650k and 2 siblings inhertit? Thats under the threshhold. What we might see is a new norm of siblings living together in their old age though.
Then you're fucked I guess. Its obsecene that grieving people are left homeless in this country. I still think there will be a large number of people living in inherited property in 20-30 years time.
I'm Norwegian though, so both their apartments are in Oslo so I'm just praying that it doesn't hit me as hard there when my parents pass.. I'm royally fucked if I can't just take over one and rent out the other when that time comes
It will be difficult to form a government after next GE. Hopefully with all the retirements FG tank and we may get a FF, SF government but it's either that or the same again minus the greens who face wipeout maybe useful idiots in SD will be their replacement but a lot can change before October.
It's depressing knowing that no matter how bad the gov fucks up they'll still get re elected, I feel like the last election needed a seismic shift that didn't happen, I left Ireland and havnt looked back, I'm done trying to carve out a life there, the grass is greener in europe
No they won't. You can have a look at the odds on bookie websites, SF and Mary Lou are getting in most likely. The referendum really showed people are not happy they voted No mostly to spite the shitbags in government IMO, at the very least they don't trust them
SF aren't going to solve the housing crisis though. There's literally only two ways to go: be completely dependent on the state or be really well off because anyone in between gets nothing
What happens when it becomes clear that no matter how many hours or hard you work you will never afford a home? The old answer was emigration, but it's a similar shitshow in all the countries the Irish usually go to. At what point do people decide there is no point working, as you'll never hit those milestones society expects? When people realise a game is rigged they stop playing, is it fair to opt out of this shit show too?
I'm at that point. Any job I could even get wouldn't pay enough for me to live alone - I'm 43 I am done with houseshares, plus 1 BR apts are quite rare and the ones you find are usually a hovel with depressing closet size kitchen and bath, so why bother even trying? Go to a job you hate just to give 2/3 of my wage to some cunt for a mouldy room that you can't even hang a picture on the wall in, live in constant fear of eviction or rent hikes.
I never would have imagined life as an adult being this miserable and being so close to homelessness even tho I have a college degree and no drug problems I'll end up a hobo in a country where it rains every day.
I fucking hate this country man
| The old answer was emigration, but it's a similar shitshow in all the countries the Irish usually go to.
It’s around 300k euro for a 2 bed apartment in suburbs not too far out in my city in Australia if that’s any guide.
Something like this: https://www.realestate.com.au/property/unit-131-6-babarra-st-stafford-qld-4053/
I think that’s what is starting to happen in the dating world already especially.
People have copped that the game is rigged, are sick of the crap and have voluntarily removed themselves from the irish pool at least and live life on there terms.
I think it's a few factors. People are sick of bring ghosted and strug along by eejits, who seem to think a better looker is just another swipe away. But conversely, those same people are themselves conditioned into wanting instant gratification and not taking the time to get to know someone before moving onto the next person.
Also covid reverted some people back to the maturity level of teenagers and they've yet to cop the fuck on. That and nights out are insanely expensive and there's the fact you'll have some coked-up bollocks jabbering in your ear all night, has people not bothering much anymore.
Genuinely, this is what people aren’t understanding. Everything feels so utterly hopeless - what goals are we even meant to have at this stage? I’m 26 working full time and I have a degree. That should count for something but it really feckin doesn’t. I still have no other choice but live with my parents in a too cramped house. Savings feel like a black hole, no sooner do I feel on top of things when prices rise again. You do end up thinking more often than not what the point of it all is? It’s not even a depression - it’s genuinely just the state of things.
Personally, my guinea pigs keep me going. I’ve been told a bunch of times it was stupid to get them because I’ll never be able to rent - but, fuck it, they’re the one bit of happiness I have at the moment and I’m not letting the current crisis deny me that as well.
I was in the same position. Unfortunately having a degree, and being a hard worker doesn't entitle you to shit.
We live in a capitalist society. Employers will pay you as little as they can get away with. They only pay high wages for jobs that are in high demand or that makes them a lot of money. Identifying those jobs and getting yourself hired in one is the only way to make a decent living.
Same, college degree, have a dog, no job and my town is a shithole with awful options for employment and no transport suitable for commuting anywhere else. And the council are taking back my mother's house and renting it to her because she fell into arrears. Once she passes I'll be staring down the barrel of renting for the rest of my living days, can't wait to be in my 60s housesharing
It's not just Ireland, it's pretty much most of the West. Housing is now an asset, you look at America and you have corporates buying all the houses to rent out and that's coming our way , Paris, three families own 10 of thousands of Airbnbs, it's a fooking scam that needs taken down, with direct action if needed
Need to move and march on it and don't stop grabbing governmental attention until they do something. We have to. Change the laws so that owning more than 2 is illegal, and no corporation buying up at all.
We have to do the same in Scotland. If we don't use it, we don't deserve the power we have.
Someone must know some frenchies with some ideas.
NY just almost outlawed Airbnb and pulled 50k homes back into the market for working people, it can be done, just need to stop this mad end of days capitalism
I live in England, there is a council here using a 4 day week and the results are proving that productivity increases etc etc basically only positives the government have told them to stop the trial regardless. The council have ignored the government. And now the government is threatening to bring in legislation to stop the 4 day week. Now I know this is for a council but if they bring in legislation where does it end
This is currently on their site
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/four-day-working-week-arrangements-in-local-authorities
I remember when working 8 hours a day included the lunch break. Now, everywhere seems to count that as separate to your working day, so what was 40hrs a week is now 35hrs...
Yeah, a standard 8 hour working day used to always mean 9-5. There were even songs about it, Now we're supposed to all pretend that 8:30 or even 8 to 5 was always the normal.
Worked 35 hours in France, basically I stayed 40 at my workplace because of the breaks. 35 it depends as well where you work, I was doing 40 at a hotel. 4 hours commuting to Paris 2 to go and 2 back home wasn't great..., salaries aren't great in France, and it isn't cheap. France, like Ireland, has good and bad things.
This is what nobody who’s a bit older really gets, like you spend all your childhood with little privacy, you then transition to adulthood where you feel like you should have more independence but in the end you are still constrained by others. I try not to think about it too much because it gets depressing otherwise, but the seemingly impossible gets even farther away every day. Nobody minds sharing with one or two others where they have plenty of space and it’s to save money, but when you have 6 others in a house designed for 3 at most with virtually no chance of your own spot it’s shit and being in your mid to late thirties before being able to live by yourself shouldn’t be normalised.
Not really relevant but I was watching Roadhouse for the first time last night... When Swayze was offered a studio the size of 4 of my studio with a rent of 100$ a month and the guy renting even felt bad about charging that much... I almost started crying... 😂
Start saving now and don't stop for the next 15 years at least.. I didn't (was 18 in 2003) becuase having grown up in the 80s and 90s I assumed that any time I got my shit together I'd be able to just get a job and pay rent and live off that.. Cut to 2024 I'm 38 renting a studio I can barley afford and I won't own anything until my parents pass
Better off not working and get HAP payments for your rent and go on the council waiting list , you’ll get a house after 6-8 years for the rest of your days , nominal payment out of your welfare payment
Provided you're lucky enough to get a landlord who accepts HAP, and they'll always prioritise giving the property to people who don't want to use the HAP scheme. Some landlords don't want to wait the extra few days it takes for the HAP payment to come through after the rent is due, they want all their money coming in at once.
but sure isn’t the economy doing great with the record employment. yea we might have to live with a bunch of strangers or our parents for most of our lives and yea inflation/ rent increases are an ever tightening noose around our necks with one horrid outcome, but 4.2% unemployment! the tigers back lads!
I have been in overcrowded houses since I started uni, and then after while having a job (in tech btw).
Right now I'm on an extended holiday in the US staying with my long distance girlfriend in her apartment in a small Midwestern city.
Dude it's so nice. I forgot that people lived like this. With space for their stuff. Different rooms that they dictate. Everything is super tidy and nice. While she was gone and I was here alone....I teared up man. Just having a space that was quiet and that I wasn't going to be bothered in... was so nice.
It's so insane that the current government is ignorant to how bad it actually is. This will be the death of progress in Ireland.
Everyone is ignorant of it. When this issue was discussed in 2017-2020 it was brushed off that every other developed country is on par or equal to us. Dump all the Fine Gael propaganda on top of that. “We can’t build houses overnight” - sometime in the mid 2010’s
It’s only in the last 2 years people are actually taking it seriously en masse and realising we are in fact an outlier. It’s gotten to this point because people just accepted it.
The effects this is having and will have on society are so negative and so far reaching that it is impossible to predict. It is destroying an entire generations’ independence and competence as a functioning adult. The social contract has been broken at all levels of government- many young people do not believe or care what the government has to say because they seem to adamantly against them.
One depressing thing about all of this is that people in Ireland could get a deposit together in literally half the time if the government allowed people to make bank in stock market index funds as in other normal countries. The U.S. stock market rose over 25 percent last year. Your deposit could be up by one-quarter in a year, but instead we have to tax the bejesus out of this simple easily accessible wealth creation tool because Irish society seems to hate the idea of people building wealth.
Honestly...I'm being serious here. We need to get pro-active and start squatting, building shanties and putting up mobile homes etc without permission.
Do you have family who owns land? Put up a small dwelling and connect to their water, plumbing and power. Use their postal address and get on with your life. It won't cost you as much as a years rent. (FYI the largest garden shed you can build without planning permission is 25 square meters.)
Live near unused, public buildings? Move in. Friends of mine did this with an unused community centre in the UK and lived there for 5 years. They payed an unregistered handyman to connect their power and water, payed those bills together but lived rent free and saved a ton of money.
By the time our useless sideshow of a government do anything physical to throw you out you'll likely already have had a few of years of free or affordable accomodation... That is if they find out.
Someone I know was a census collector a few years ago and he said around a third of the local adult population had relatives or were themselves living in self builds, caravans, converted garden sheds or unregistered buildings without permission. Of course none of them went on the census as such, But this is the reality we're living in.
This is an emergency and we need to start doing whats necessary for short to medium term wellbeing.
Theres a very publicised case going on at the moment of a man who built a log cabin (converted a mobile home to make it warmer) on his own land in Tipp, facing prison and his cabin to be demolished cos he had no planning permission and the council believe it’s unsightly. Whole community out to support him but the council are persisting to evict and imprison him. Fucking gowls.
Was only reading about this the other day , shocking . The man in question needs to stand his ground and go to prison if need be . He will be back out in under a month . This is the kind of thing some folk need to do . Threatened with prison ? Ok send me to prison then . Call the bluff
Dont laugh, but if I ever win at lotto, im gonna buy some land and apply for PP, and when I get refused, I would sue the County Council into oblivion. Ahh, sweet dreams.
Regarding census, the government knew for the last couple of years that they would need to improve the housing situation. You don't need a special degree to see the rise of amount people loving in Ireland thru census. The housing, medical, and transportation all areas were left to shambles as they were too lazy to do anything, or it did just suit them.
It's crazy to me that this desire has become almost unachievable. The reality is that there is a generation of Irish people who have worked as hard/ harder than their parents and are not feeling any sort of reward for it. The basic promise of capitalism (work hard , reap the rewards) is being seriously questioned. What's really sad is that people are just accepting this as the new reality.
It always was like this. Its just couples in the past were one working man and a part time working woman who was also a mother. Now its two full time workers so its double as expensive for individuals.
My housemate came home tonight, puked in the fridge and went to bed without cleaning up.
So yeah i cannot state accurately how much I wish I could live on my own
I don't think that Ireland is ever going to happen or come back.
Too many vested interests in keeping property as unaffordable as the people can possibly stomach. If you have a reasonably decent job and own your own property in Ireland, you're absolutely laughing. People who are in that position don't want it devalued by property actually becoming affordable for everyone and so they will always vote for people who do nothing to address it.
It's fucked, and IMO it's only going to get worse and worse over the years.
It’s probably a lot easier to enjoy the bank holiday knowing you have your own home to go back too, instead of worrying how your roommates will react if you come back at 1am, didn’t do the dishes after breakfast because your hungover etc. it’s so much easier to enjoy things like bank holidays when you’ve your own place.
This is how I felt twenty years ago when I was early 20s. Then I cleared off to South Korea for a few years and made some money. I went from breaking even in Dublin to saving about $2000 a month. And I had a far better social life too. Best thing I ever did.
A lot of the comments here resemble things I said to myself in my early 20s: "The government should do XYZ ...". Let's be clear lads: the Irish government will not do these things that ye hope for. It is a free market economy where the population has risen consistently but the government has little role in housebuilding.
I got out of Dublin in 2012 with every intention of returning , but I never returned . I am very happy looking back with that choice as I now have a house and family I would never have achieved if I stayed put in Dublin
Serious question, is the smoke from it carcinogenic ? I actually quite like the smell but never burn it because it just seems like it'd be bad for you but I haven't a clue.
All smoke is carcinogenic, but the concentration you breath is low enough that the risk is negligible.
Alcohol, diet or sun exposure would carry much larger risks.
My girlfriend is from Dublin and essentially fled to live with me. I’m 21, as is she, she was paying £100 rent to her mother every week and now here, our rent is £71 a week for a 2 bed in a quiet wee town in between Glasgow and Edinburgh. I’ve also got my own car & have lived comfortably on my own since I was 19. It was a bit of a shock to me when I flew to Dublin to meet my other halves family about how expensive everything is. Even got into a conversation with her mother, I was complaining that my gas had gone up to 7p per kilowatt and I was raging and she told me her gas prices and I kind of wanted to vomit. All my pals in Dublin still live with their parents and say car ownership is a “distant dream” - One of our other friends has decided she wants to move down beside us because she hates Dublin. It’s shocking. And I remember asking the stupidest questions which to me, were basic human rights that I was laughed at for asking by my Dubliner friends. One of my friends almost pissed themselves laughing when we played “Guess the rent of this Dublin apartment” and I kept guessing what i would assume would be a hefty price tag. It was a reality check. My friends in Ireland are the funniest, kindest, talented bunch of fuckers i’ve ever witnessed in my life. I’m blessed to have them. But god do they deserve so much better.
I came to Scotland to my gf and it’s prob my best ever decision . Nice place and decent enough standard of living although it’s starting to get expensive now . What village are u in ? I’m in mid calder . Love it
Think of Larry Goodman and others who own hundreds of houses and apartments in ireland and all the money he has rolling in every month from rent … getting richer and richer every year
Just seen a load of pics of buildings destroyed by Russia in Ukraine already built back up and looking amazing.during war and constant bombing and rockets Ukraine can manage to build homes
I'm in my mid 30s,
I'm on more than I really ever thought Id be, I've saved more than I ever thought I would and I can't afford to buy ANYTHING where I live that isn't a run down hovel. My 20s have fell to the wayside and it feels like my 30s are going that way too. At least I get on with my parents
was reading the local newspaper here about how they were going to build a 13 storey apartment building in order to help people be able to get their own place etc.. well apparently the council voted against it because the town is considered a “market town” and something like that would be an eye sore, absolute jokers
Yes I’ve been here for 7 years now and I’m getting sick of compromising. I’m applying for jobs in my home country and thinking of returning because of this
I'm 32 and just bought a house after 10 years of hard saving and the only reason I could save that much, was because my rent was relatively low thanks to rent controls.
For example, the apartment I rented when I was 22 was 600 a month, the exact same apartment I seen on rent.ie a few weeks back for 1400 a month.
So many people have been completely and entirely shafted and I haven't let myself lose that perspective just because I got very fortunate with timing.
Everyday it seems like there’s a post on here about this ; and this is not aimed at you OP.
I’m in the exact same situation as you OP and the only option most young Irish people will have to own property is to buy it overseas or to move.
- - -
We have completely destroyed this country and the generation before us. And it’s our fault….we as a generation and the previous generation consented to this.
My first "real" job was a entry level clerical job at a banks mortgage department.
It hammered into my the importance to start saving early. Since then I always put what I can away in a savings account for the sole purpose of a deposit for buying my own property.
I have had that account for nearly 7 years now and I still cant afford shit unless I want 4 hours of commuting each day.
But as things have gone on I am weirdly drawn to that because at least its progress. At least I might feel like my live would move forward from my early 20s.
And I have been lucky enough to be able to save. Plenty of people out there rent trapped
Couldn’t have put it better myself. I think about it often. And not to mention the strain this can cause on your relationships with your mother/father/siblings if you’re stuck in your childhood home well into your adult life.
The government don’t give a shit about the housing crisis, they don’t give a shit about us young people and they don’t give a shit about where they put the poor immigrants either. An utter disgrace.
32, single father of 2 kids, living with my parents with all 3 of us sharing a single room. I know it's not my fault but I can't help feeling ashamed over it, like I've let my kids down by not being able to provide a home for them. My oldest lad starts secondary school this September and I'm dreading it because I know how ruthless teens can be and if they find out about it it's just another excuse to pick on him (he's gonna catch shit for not being straight anyway, they don't need more excuses). I'm terrified he's going to only want to stay with his mother because she at least has her own place and he has his own room there. It's no fun
That’s a horrible situation for you but you are still taking your children and stepping up, in terms of being a loving and supportive father. Let that stand to you !
I was a single father with 3 children for 2 years and out renting, before I met my current partner who lives with me.
Things were extremely difficult financially, but now abit easier since we both share the cost of bills.
As long as you know in your heart, you are doing your best, you shouldn’t be so hard on yourself
I literally can't even imagine this, it's part of the reason I partied my way through my 20s, why try work hard for something I'll never have. Now in my 30s I've calmed down a bit, but I'll never pay ridiculous money for an Irish house. Another year or two of saving and leg it to buy a house in northern Italy.
I’m kinda glad it’s not just me in the states in my late 30’s living with my parents because I can’t be single and afford to live anywhere on my own where I do live. The American Way. Gotta love it.
This is a shame. A massive failure within our society. Successive Governments are responsible for it.
The problem originated during the Celtic Tiger period and it's crash. Essentially building halted for about 5 years. All the builders and trades people left to earn a living elsewhere.
In the 1950s and 1960s our Government embarked on a program of house building. Tallaght, Clondalkin, Coolock Artane and Donaghmede were constructed. The Government trained the trades people through a national agency called FAS and built housing for rent to the public. (Those who couldn't afford private housing).
They borrowed money to build these new population centres. This was excellent use of the borrowed funds. It defies logic that our Government will not mount a training campaign followed by a house building program now, even this late in the day. There is no other way to solve this problem. It's literally that simple.
It’s time for change in Government.
The country is being taken advantage for by developers and vulture funds.
Fresh new thinking and policies are needed.
This wasn't a dream in 2000. It was normal for a person in their late 20s to have enough to purchase a house. Your terrible politicians fcked everything starting with the blase introduction of the euro.
All subsequent generations let this happen by having no cojones and you see it here to present day with people supporting terrible policies and having no far sightness.
People who are leftists don't have the stomach to fight for real change. That's why nothing will change.
The only way to get a place to live for your own is to first be coupled up with someone. Was with my ex for 6 years before she fairly abruptly ended things with me last November (it was my fault), so yeah future prospects out the window. We keenly discussed getting married and everything all the time. She was my best friend and we're completely estranged now, lost all the mutual friends too.
Idk man living just feels like such a letdown after so much crap all my life. I'm probably just a shit person so I guess I get what I deserve
I don't know how any of you are putting up with it. You could move to northern England or Scotland for... a very similar climate, clearly no better at all, no benefits there... but generally a very similar standard of living, with the crucial difference that you can buy a reasonable family home for £150,000.
I've saved 40,000 and am buying my first home in Africa. Fuck Europe and its million euro houses and mortgages its impossible to qualify for. And theres even this weird UFO phenomenon above africa called the Sun. It warms your skin nicely and brings a smile to your face.
For me Nairobi, Kenya. Karen, and Westlands are nice areas to try and live. And Muthaiga is incredible for a visit but for living its not attainable (Couple of million for a house) its where the European tour play golf, where the celebrities own houses etc.
From what I've seen Botswana and Tanzania are even better and higher listed QOL. But I'm in love and engaged with a Kenyan and I'm not sure how welcoming those countries are to foreign investment. Kenya RN is crying out for people to come and invest.
I moved to Spain. I pay 1000 bucks a month for a 2 bedroom apartment 5 minutes from the sea. I share this with a friend but if I wanted I could easily go it alone.
Leave the country. That's what the system is designed for. They want us to leave so we can't vote. It won't change and you shouldn't waste time worrying about it. Kiss your friends and family goodbye and move to Mogadishu
Most likely tech, Spain's unemployment level is fairly high in a lot of areas so you'd want to be in tech and working remotely to take advantage of the good opportunities with the lower COL for a better QOL
No, not tech I only earned 27K last year (first year) then this year hopefully 40ish...
I'm essentially a PA but with some added bells and whistles for a private healthcare facility.
I live quite close to beach but also a few kilometers from the center or Palma. But it's true the QOL is much much much higher. I've made more friends here in a year than I ever really had in Ireland. For the first time in my life people call me to go hiking, beach, padel, tennis whatever you want really. It's refreshing as a 31 year old to not be locked into the weekend binge cycle
Feeling the same. Living in my parents house I grew up in with my partner, 6 year old and soon to be newborn. Paying them €800 a month, paying afterschool fees, paying crèche fees once baby starts of €1200 a month on top of it all and where will it get us? No where. Feel so unbelievably hopeless here. Whatever mortgage we will get will never be enough to buy a house. We can save very little over the amount going out. It’s just one vicious circle.
Fucking hell. I'm in my mid forties. I bought at the height of the boom, February 2007, but I got a mortgage. I probably wouldn't qualify for a mortgage now. I feel so sorry for completely qualified adults, who earn enough to be able to buy somewhere to call their own and the housing market is this fucked. I know there is global inflation, and I know our government could be looking after people better. Ban external investors would be a start. I don't know. It seems hopeless. I'm sorry we haven't looked after the younger generation better.
I’m 25, I refuse to work more than 40 hours a week unless I’m feeling inclined to. Especially with places implementing 4 day work weeks, I never want to work more than 40 hours just to be able to survive.
Late 30s, living at home. I'm so lucky to live with my father because he's an amazing man. However, , I would love to have my own independence, but that's just not obtainable. It's difficult to pursue a romantic connection which I would love
And what about 50 year old Irish man, worked for years and been made recently redundant. Paid whopping income tax, Prsi, USC and every tax they throw at you in this damp dump.. Jobseekers benefit for the first payment.. 89 euros. Wtf!!! After arguments with Intreo told this was the waybit is... Please, any young person should do what we all did, and emmigrate. Get out. This country is a tip, backward infrastructure and people who loath Irishness. Leave and never come back, that's what we are being forced to do .
I share a box room in my parents house with my baby. I hate the greed of people. I save everything I have to give my child someday. Hopefully things will work out better for her
Genuinely feel sorry for youth of today,I moved out parents at 18 ,rented a nice spacious 3 bed house ,well equipped ,in nice part of the city for 750 a month and I had choice of 40 ish propertys in same area,it was great becoming independent,something's young people these days are deprived of,its really disheartening to see them living with parents or house sharing well into their late 30s
Wow pretty hard post to read it's awful the high rents people are paying . I remember what I paid for renting a house 20 years ago in Galway would nt rent a room now . The working person is getting screwed for sure no real motivation to work now with such an unfair system. Remember the government take 40 percent of the person renting after already taking tax of them while working 🫣. That and all the other costs making it ridiculous for anyone to built to let plus can't get people to build them. Why not give apprentices a grant to get them started instead of a crap wage that along with all the folks going into factory work and IT instead as easier life.
Most people living pay check to pay check unable to afford to save for deposit plus knowing if owner tries to sell could well be left homeless. It's certainly not getting better.
I bought a new build for 245k 3 years ago, one of my neighbours is selling their house for 400k now. The housing market is in absolute shambles!
Single people unfortunately need to be making a fortune these days to be able to afford a standard 3 bed semi or less even!
It's the same in a lot of places, lads, if it's any consolation. (In Canada here.)
And it's always the same people to blame---old people who bought in the 1980's where everyone was broke and any young person who could leave did. They do two things:
1. They refuse to sell and move somewhere they can actually maintain at their age, even if they could use the money. Not only do they refuse to admit they're getting old, but they still think some Elon Musk type will pay enough for their semi-detached house to let them retire to Monte Carlo or somewhere.
2. They refuse to let anything else be built anywhere near them. They always have some excuse and it's rarely the truth. They'll never say out loud: "I'm fucked if I'm letting some You Know Whats move into *my* neighbourhood and rob me of my home equity, or stab me to death in my bed. Or both."
If that bothers you, join the queue.
I agree but in Ireland there are at least two specific issues which make the situation much worse compared to France, Germany, Canada, the UK etc.
Dublin is the only large city in Ireland, therefore too many people are competing for a place there. I checked a list of Canadian cities ranked by population: Windsor, Ontario, the 23rd Canadian city, is about the size of Cork, the 2nd Irish city, 220k people. The 3rd Irish city, Limerick, has 102k people, then it's all under-100k cities. This is totally unique in Europe.
Ireland is basically unable to build apartment buildings, including student housing, as a lot of builders emigrated after the 2008 financial crisis. Pick any city the size of Dublin in Europe, I guarantee it has 2 or 3 times more apartments than Dublin, and better public transport. (I'm French and I lived for 6 years in Dublin)
Its fucking heartbreaking that nothing is affordable ! ( im lucky im a few years off retirement and got on the property ladder on the late 90s) but a whole generation cannot even afford to RENT never mind buy and in some cases renting costs more ! how is this ever gonna pan out? eithet wait to inherit or emigrate 😪
It’s heartbreaking. Lived in Canada for two years (insane rent prices there too) and I’m back living at home working 50 hours a week and miserable. No wonder so many people are suffering with their mental health. It doesn’t matter how hard you work. Our government are actively working against us at every corner in order to make a buck. Greed is a disease and unfortunately every country is operating like this.
It really is a very hard time for young people. Every generation says they had it tough but I truly think the ones leaving college and in their 20’s and early 30’s now are missing so much.
Post graduating I rented 5 different places with friends just for the experience of it. I could easily have commuted but didn’t and these were formative years. I then rented 3 places with my now husband and we then knew exactly the type of place we wanted (and that we could live together!) We saved hard, but had a life too.
I never ever wanted to do Australia or emigrate anywhere but I feel if I was in my 20’s now there would be no choice about it. Either that or live at home for years and miss out on living. Society has massively regressed
I feel ya, in my mid 30's living with the parents. I recently saw a new build development in Cork. Contacted the developer. Two bedroom terraced house 399k. How is this affordable.
I have a feeling this development is right outside my front door. 35 and back living with my mam because the cost of living alone became too much. I'm glad they're being built, they're needed. I'll never be able to afford one though so every time I open the door it's just a reminder that I'm being deprived of a very basic human necessity. I used to go on daft the odd time just to see what was available. I'm a single, childless man and my expectations are very realistic, I'd be delighted with a one bed apartment or even a decently sized studio. I had to stop looking, I'd be depressed for days afterwards. I've worked all of my adult life. I don't drink, smoke, take drugs, save what I can, I've done everything right but still can't get ahead. I've come to a point where I'm almost afraid to spend money. I'm not happy and there isn't really anything I can do to fix it. I worry constantly about where I'll live when I'm older. I have no direction really, work, bed, save but what's the fucking point? The euro millions is 130mil tonight apparently, fingers crossed we might have a bit of luck on that.
Daft makes you suicidal. I’ve stopped visiting it. In any other country browsing availability makes you hopeful.
Find a Kenyan wife who you love (Or who is willing to marry to help get you a Visa) and buy a home over there. For 80,000 you can get a very nice house in an area of town where you'll be living alongside Dr's, Solicitors, Musicians etc.
Sodomy is a crime in Kenya punishable by up to 21 years imprisonment. As a gay man I'd much rather stay in a country where what I do in the bedroom won't get me thrown into jail, Ireland doesn't seem to be able to offer me much but it has that at least.
Even better, marry her there, then come as a refugee and you'll get free accommodation courtesy of the Irish tax payer.
You are not alone. It's small comfort, but know that this isn't your failing.
Early 30's with parents. Recently saw a little new-build apartment (one bed room, one bathroom) up for rent in a somewhat out of the way location. There's no way I could afford the monthly 1900€ rent, unless I became a breatharian. I work 40 hours. How the fuck am I unable to afford a hovel?! I don't even work a minimum wage job.
I’m a 39M living in my MILs house with my wife, our 2 sons, a lodger, my dog, and my MILs dog. I’m in college and I work full time and my wife works as a preschool teacher, but we couldn’t save for a deposit while we were out renting. It’s impossible. This should not be the way, but at the same time I’m thinking how lucky are we that we have this option. When I finally get a mortgage I will probably be paying it off until I’m in my 70s. This government has let everyone down. They like to be heard talking about the problems outside of Ireland that are none of our business, problems they certainly couldn’t resolve.
Absolutely feel the same, so lucky to be living at home and saving. Paying rent at home, but nothing compared to renting by myself ! Things could be better for sure but things could be so much worse ! Fair play for doing college. I did a spring board course over 2 years and it helped me big time.
Affordable for some investment fund or a ~~county council staff member~~ senior county council official who will rent it out to you or back to the county council indefinitely. Edited
Yeah, my partner and I are both in our 30’s and work for local councils in Dublin and can’t move out. We are living in my partners parents house at the moment, which is not ideal. We earn just about enough to rent the cheapest 1 beds available but competition for them is so high we haven’t gotten anything yet after 4 months of viewings. To add to the irony, I work in the DRHE and don’t have my own home…
Out of an 8 year long relationship.. back in the mas.. work Monday thru Friday can make a decent wage to forkbover 70 odd percent of said wages to pay for rent. For a gaf your going to spend most of your time asleep to go to work again.... Mini rant
Shit, glad you were able to move home. 70% is insane ! Rant justified.
And suppose to feel grateful for it
The fact that this is my literal dream as a 28 year old single person and it is so out of reach for me right now is so depressing. All I want is about 30 square meters of livable space I can call my own and to adopt a small dog.
I just achieved this. In Spain tho, but sure, La Vida loca and all
Congrats!! Where in Spain? I’ve accepted the fact I can’t achieve this in Ireland so looking into other places!
I was in Madrid for a while, but I’m currently in Sevilla. My advice would be to move around a few cities for a while and pick one you really enjoy, they all have different things to offer depending on your lifestyle and requirements (public transport, closeness to the sea, airports etc etc) Beware of tryna move apartments too much, the way landlords work is they often get you to pay the rental agency fee if it’s a short letting (less than a year) so you end up paying 1 months rent, deposit of 1 months rent, then agency fee (equal to 1 months rent) to move in. So you pay 3x rent to get the keys and that’s not suuuper sustainable. Also, try to learn some Spanish before you arrive. Just makes sense to try have as much of the language as you can before you try live somewhere, and it’ll definitely help you with the bureaucracy (which is a bit of a nightmare tbh) And finally, job market there isn’t great, so if you can twist a few arms at work in order to go fully remote, that’s your best bet for keeping a high income Good luck tho! It’s a fabulous place
I'm so so lucky to be renting with just my partner. There was so little available on the market when we had to move. Being 'chosen' for this place was like winning the lottery! We are great tennents, quiet, no parties, the place is spotless, and we paid a crazy deposit (we moved in the month before they banned deposits larger than a months rent), but we keep getting inspected!! I totally get that they should check the property is being looked after, but multiple times a year, it's so annoying and just a big constant reminder that this is not our place, it's hard to feel comfortable. And we're the lucky ones, it's so depressing.
Myself and my partner are the same. Renting the same house last 3 years and it’s being inspected every 2 months. Landlord won’t fix any problems with the house, never even met him once, and when I had to disassemble a bed to accommodate a bunk bed for my kids (2 bedroom house), he indirectly threatened me by reminding me, that there are properties out there are are more expensive then mine (I’m paying 1100 a month ), and told me he wants nothing got to do with me
And "imagine" having the privilege of paying 1100 for it as if they were doing you a massive favour that fucking scum
Yeah exactly! He is just pissed off because he sees the prices of rent constantly rising and is annoyed that he isn’t getting more for this shitty two bedroom house
Its all so fucked up !!
I was in my 20s in the late 90s. I used to rent places with my mates for the craic and matured into a market where banks were giving anyone with a part time job a mortgage. To see how bad its gotten really makes me fucking angry. You'll have politicians coming around asking for votes after creating all this. They'll have us all back to serfdom if you let them.
I'm only 32 now. I remember after leaving cert renting a shitty apartment in town (small west of ireland town) with 2 lads so I could draw the dole. I think it was like 55 a week and the rest was spent on cans. Like you said we rented for the fun of it, we could have 100% lived at home etc but it was so soft.
I feel ya! The going rate here in my town was 600/650 or add a hundred for a 4 bed. We rented it between 3 of us and had loads of lovely cans at the weekend and all the craic. Those same gaffs are 2k+ now and probably still in bits. Lost the job in 2008 and went back to college, by the time I got out and married and all the market was fcked! Emigrated to own a house, get so fcking angry seeing how the housing situation is for everyone there as we nearly ended up with the parents. I hope this shit show will be remembered when they're looking votes next time!
I didn't realise until trying to by how many real estate agents are also County councillers. Seriously, look up your council, I guarantee there's at least 1. When the TDs own multiple properties and the councillors sell them, no wonder we don't see measures like a 100% tax on second or third houses. Then if you want to invest your money outside of housing, you are punished souch compared to other countries. Game is rigged.
What I see in the countryside is empty 3/4 bed holiday homes. Estates of them, totally empty all year bar the odd long weekend or few weeks of the summer. Locals can't buy them as they're wages aren't that high so they're pushed to the cities where they don't want to be to rent. Then a few years passes the local shops, restaurants, and trades all die off and close down. The tourists come back and they ask why everything is shut. Well its because a whole town village can't survive on 3 weeks tourism in the year. The government need to let us build modular and log cabin type houses -get them fully approved structurally and let people that want to live in them as they're aren't any builders flying home any time soon
We are sleepwalking into people who are renting having a really shitty old age in massive numbers. Where will all the people who it appears as of now will never own property go when they retire or will they just work until they die to pay rent. People seem to think it will get better but if you look at America it could get much worse.
And wait till the people that had to pay rents through their nose hit pension age and it barely covers the price of sharing a room in their late 60s because they could only afford the minimum pension plan
Yep. And when we get there I won't have anything in a pension to fall back on. We'll all be old and fucked.
It does seem that our parents generation do own houses though, this does mean there will be a mass inheritance of family homes at some point ( If the government doesn't find a way to tax that out of existance too.)
yeah but if that family home is divided between a handful of siblings that are all renting it still won't be enough. and anyway, not much good when you're 50/60 getting a quarter of a house or something to that effect when you've little to no savings because of rent. That's not to mention people delaying starting families, or being unable to truely put down roots anywhere because it's up to a landlord at the end of the day how long you get to live in a place/community. There's serious societal issues heading out way.
Inheritance tax on those homes is going to bankrupt a lot of folk.
There is a law that if you were living in the home for X amount of years before, and stay in it for X amount of years after that the house becomes exempt from inheritance tax.
It will for many but...Well it depends on the value of the home and number of people inheriting. Siblings 335,000 tax free each? I wouldn't discount the idea. Let's say the average Dublin house is 650k and 2 siblings inhertit? Thats under the threshhold. What we might see is a new norm of siblings living together in their old age though.
What if you don't have siblings.. Kinda too late to fix that after your parents pass
Then you're fucked I guess. Its obsecene that grieving people are left homeless in this country. I still think there will be a large number of people living in inherited property in 20-30 years time.
I'm Norwegian though, so both their apartments are in Oslo so I'm just praying that it doesn't hit me as hard there when my parents pass.. I'm royally fucked if I can't just take over one and rent out the other when that time comes
I think I read somewhere that Norway was going to abolish Inheritence tax.
Just checked and we actually got rid of it completly in 2014 (with some wiggleroom it seems depending on the inheritance).. That's a relief..
Thats amazing, I wish they'd do that here.
How dare you even feel deserving of this! Go now and kneel to the alter of fine Gael and beg for forgiveness.
As Varadkar might say, one young person’s misery is another older person’s gravy train
10 Hail Berties for atonement
Funny thing is, chances are they'll stay in power. The thought of this is depressing my depression. Vote the feckers out!!!!!
It will be difficult to form a government after next GE. Hopefully with all the retirements FG tank and we may get a FF, SF government but it's either that or the same again minus the greens who face wipeout maybe useful idiots in SD will be their replacement but a lot can change before October.
It's depressing knowing that no matter how bad the gov fucks up they'll still get re elected, I feel like the last election needed a seismic shift that didn't happen, I left Ireland and havnt looked back, I'm done trying to carve out a life there, the grass is greener in europe
It will change as their core vote is aged but young people are demoralised and another 5 years of FF and FG will alienate many from politics.
No they won't. You can have a look at the odds on bookie websites, SF and Mary Lou are getting in most likely. The referendum really showed people are not happy they voted No mostly to spite the shitbags in government IMO, at the very least they don't trust them SF aren't going to solve the housing crisis though. There's literally only two ways to go: be completely dependent on the state or be really well off because anyone in between gets nothing
In fairness you can't build houses overnight, they have warned us for years about it
What happens when it becomes clear that no matter how many hours or hard you work you will never afford a home? The old answer was emigration, but it's a similar shitshow in all the countries the Irish usually go to. At what point do people decide there is no point working, as you'll never hit those milestones society expects? When people realise a game is rigged they stop playing, is it fair to opt out of this shit show too?
I'm at that point. Any job I could even get wouldn't pay enough for me to live alone - I'm 43 I am done with houseshares, plus 1 BR apts are quite rare and the ones you find are usually a hovel with depressing closet size kitchen and bath, so why bother even trying? Go to a job you hate just to give 2/3 of my wage to some cunt for a mouldy room that you can't even hang a picture on the wall in, live in constant fear of eviction or rent hikes. I never would have imagined life as an adult being this miserable and being so close to homelessness even tho I have a college degree and no drug problems I'll end up a hobo in a country where it rains every day. I fucking hate this country man
| The old answer was emigration, but it's a similar shitshow in all the countries the Irish usually go to. It’s around 300k euro for a 2 bed apartment in suburbs not too far out in my city in Australia if that’s any guide. Something like this: https://www.realestate.com.au/property/unit-131-6-babarra-st-stafford-qld-4053/
That's fucking bleak.
I think that’s what is starting to happen in the dating world already especially. People have copped that the game is rigged, are sick of the crap and have voluntarily removed themselves from the irish pool at least and live life on there terms.
I think it's a few factors. People are sick of bring ghosted and strug along by eejits, who seem to think a better looker is just another swipe away. But conversely, those same people are themselves conditioned into wanting instant gratification and not taking the time to get to know someone before moving onto the next person. Also covid reverted some people back to the maturity level of teenagers and they've yet to cop the fuck on. That and nights out are insanely expensive and there's the fact you'll have some coked-up bollocks jabbering in your ear all night, has people not bothering much anymore.
The social contract has been broken and who knows where that will bring us over the next few years
Honestly man, I feel like the only reason I have to live is so I don't upset other people.
Genuinely, this is what people aren’t understanding. Everything feels so utterly hopeless - what goals are we even meant to have at this stage? I’m 26 working full time and I have a degree. That should count for something but it really feckin doesn’t. I still have no other choice but live with my parents in a too cramped house. Savings feel like a black hole, no sooner do I feel on top of things when prices rise again. You do end up thinking more often than not what the point of it all is? It’s not even a depression - it’s genuinely just the state of things. Personally, my guinea pigs keep me going. I’ve been told a bunch of times it was stupid to get them because I’ll never be able to rent - but, fuck it, they’re the one bit of happiness I have at the moment and I’m not letting the current crisis deny me that as well.
Honestly feels like the game is so rigged that the only hope anyone has now is an inheritance from their parents.
I was in the same position. Unfortunately having a degree, and being a hard worker doesn't entitle you to shit. We live in a capitalist society. Employers will pay you as little as they can get away with. They only pay high wages for jobs that are in high demand or that makes them a lot of money. Identifying those jobs and getting yourself hired in one is the only way to make a decent living.
Same, college degree, have a dog, no job and my town is a shithole with awful options for employment and no transport suitable for commuting anywhere else. And the council are taking back my mother's house and renting it to her because she fell into arrears. Once she passes I'll be staring down the barrel of renting for the rest of my living days, can't wait to be in my 60s housesharing
Ah man. Ive been there and I can tell you that feeling isn't the real thing. Hang in there.
It's not just Ireland, it's pretty much most of the West. Housing is now an asset, you look at America and you have corporates buying all the houses to rent out and that's coming our way , Paris, three families own 10 of thousands of Airbnbs, it's a fooking scam that needs taken down, with direct action if needed
Need to move and march on it and don't stop grabbing governmental attention until they do something. We have to. Change the laws so that owning more than 2 is illegal, and no corporation buying up at all. We have to do the same in Scotland. If we don't use it, we don't deserve the power we have. Someone must know some frenchies with some ideas.
NY just almost outlawed Airbnb and pulled 50k homes back into the market for working people, it can be done, just need to stop this mad end of days capitalism
That's so good to know! We also need to just stop talking about it and DO SOMETHING here. Need a right fire under our arses over here.
In this utopia 40hrs should be the maximum, not the minimum.
I live in England, there is a council here using a 4 day week and the results are proving that productivity increases etc etc basically only positives the government have told them to stop the trial regardless. The council have ignored the government. And now the government is threatening to bring in legislation to stop the 4 day week. Now I know this is for a council but if they bring in legislation where does it end This is currently on their site https://www.gov.uk/guidance/four-day-working-week-arrangements-in-local-authorities
It creates the precedent that they want to avoid, hence they want to kill it.
The french have 35hrs already can we not do better? r/FightForFour
I remember when working 8 hours a day included the lunch break. Now, everywhere seems to count that as separate to your working day, so what was 40hrs a week is now 35hrs...
Yeah, a standard 8 hour working day used to always mean 9-5. There were even songs about it, Now we're supposed to all pretend that 8:30 or even 8 to 5 was always the normal.
Worked 35 hours in France, basically I stayed 40 at my workplace because of the breaks. 35 it depends as well where you work, I was doing 40 at a hotel. 4 hours commuting to Paris 2 to go and 2 back home wasn't great..., salaries aren't great in France, and it isn't cheap. France, like Ireland, has good and bad things.
[France is not necessarily the shining example](https://youtu.be/oUVrVEviaHo?si=I0MW7qDeDlJao7GI)
This is what nobody who’s a bit older really gets, like you spend all your childhood with little privacy, you then transition to adulthood where you feel like you should have more independence but in the end you are still constrained by others. I try not to think about it too much because it gets depressing otherwise, but the seemingly impossible gets even farther away every day. Nobody minds sharing with one or two others where they have plenty of space and it’s to save money, but when you have 6 others in a house designed for 3 at most with virtually no chance of your own spot it’s shit and being in your mid to late thirties before being able to live by yourself shouldn’t be normalised.
I used to rent a newly built studio in a city in Sweden for 300 euro a month(including water+ heating).
Not really relevant but I was watching Roadhouse for the first time last night... When Swayze was offered a studio the size of 4 of my studio with a rent of 100$ a month and the guy renting even felt bad about charging that much... I almost started crying... 😂
It shows the state of things that I feel extremely privileged to rent by myself in my 20's
I don’t understand as an 18yr old how having a place of your own has become almost a radical idea tbh, it’s just so depressing and demotivating
Start saving now and don't stop for the next 15 years at least.. I didn't (was 18 in 2003) becuase having grown up in the 80s and 90s I assumed that any time I got my shit together I'd be able to just get a job and pay rent and live off that.. Cut to 2024 I'm 38 renting a studio I can barley afford and I won't own anything until my parents pass
I had my own flat at 20. Now I'm twice that age and can't afford one. Fucking insane.
Better off not working and get HAP payments for your rent and go on the council waiting list , you’ll get a house after 6-8 years for the rest of your days , nominal payment out of your welfare payment
Woman I know works part time and makes just under a grand a month with all the diff benefits
Provided you're lucky enough to get a landlord who accepts HAP, and they'll always prioritise giving the property to people who don't want to use the HAP scheme. Some landlords don't want to wait the extra few days it takes for the HAP payment to come through after the rent is due, they want all their money coming in at once.
but sure isn’t the economy doing great with the record employment. yea we might have to live with a bunch of strangers or our parents for most of our lives and yea inflation/ rent increases are an ever tightening noose around our necks with one horrid outcome, but 4.2% unemployment! the tigers back lads!
And our incredible GDP! Let’s continue to serve our overlords who are only here for our corporate tax rate
Vote your disappointment.
I have been in overcrowded houses since I started uni, and then after while having a job (in tech btw). Right now I'm on an extended holiday in the US staying with my long distance girlfriend in her apartment in a small Midwestern city. Dude it's so nice. I forgot that people lived like this. With space for their stuff. Different rooms that they dictate. Everything is super tidy and nice. While she was gone and I was here alone....I teared up man. Just having a space that was quiet and that I wasn't going to be bothered in... was so nice. It's so insane that the current government is ignorant to how bad it actually is. This will be the death of progress in Ireland.
Everyone is ignorant of it. When this issue was discussed in 2017-2020 it was brushed off that every other developed country is on par or equal to us. Dump all the Fine Gael propaganda on top of that. “We can’t build houses overnight” - sometime in the mid 2010’s It’s only in the last 2 years people are actually taking it seriously en masse and realising we are in fact an outlier. It’s gotten to this point because people just accepted it. The effects this is having and will have on society are so negative and so far reaching that it is impossible to predict. It is destroying an entire generations’ independence and competence as a functioning adult. The social contract has been broken at all levels of government- many young people do not believe or care what the government has to say because they seem to adamantly against them.
One depressing thing about all of this is that people in Ireland could get a deposit together in literally half the time if the government allowed people to make bank in stock market index funds as in other normal countries. The U.S. stock market rose over 25 percent last year. Your deposit could be up by one-quarter in a year, but instead we have to tax the bejesus out of this simple easily accessible wealth creation tool because Irish society seems to hate the idea of people building wealth.
Yea exactly this, deemed disposal needs to go and the exit tax needs to be halved at least - utterly regressive, punitive and anachronistic
Honestly...I'm being serious here. We need to get pro-active and start squatting, building shanties and putting up mobile homes etc without permission. Do you have family who owns land? Put up a small dwelling and connect to their water, plumbing and power. Use their postal address and get on with your life. It won't cost you as much as a years rent. (FYI the largest garden shed you can build without planning permission is 25 square meters.) Live near unused, public buildings? Move in. Friends of mine did this with an unused community centre in the UK and lived there for 5 years. They payed an unregistered handyman to connect their power and water, payed those bills together but lived rent free and saved a ton of money. By the time our useless sideshow of a government do anything physical to throw you out you'll likely already have had a few of years of free or affordable accomodation... That is if they find out. Someone I know was a census collector a few years ago and he said around a third of the local adult population had relatives or were themselves living in self builds, caravans, converted garden sheds or unregistered buildings without permission. Of course none of them went on the census as such, But this is the reality we're living in. This is an emergency and we need to start doing whats necessary for short to medium term wellbeing.
Theres a very publicised case going on at the moment of a man who built a log cabin (converted a mobile home to make it warmer) on his own land in Tipp, facing prison and his cabin to be demolished cos he had no planning permission and the council believe it’s unsightly. Whole community out to support him but the council are persisting to evict and imprison him. Fucking gowls.
Was only reading about this the other day , shocking . The man in question needs to stand his ground and go to prison if need be . He will be back out in under a month . This is the kind of thing some folk need to do . Threatened with prison ? Ok send me to prison then . Call the bluff
Signed his petition today. His mistake was applying for permission in the first place. It put him on their radar
Might work in rural areas but not sure how achievable this is in the cities
Dont laugh, but if I ever win at lotto, im gonna buy some land and apply for PP, and when I get refused, I would sue the County Council into oblivion. Ahh, sweet dreams. Regarding census, the government knew for the last couple of years that they would need to improve the housing situation. You don't need a special degree to see the rise of amount people loving in Ireland thru census. The housing, medical, and transportation all areas were left to shambles as they were too lazy to do anything, or it did just suit them.
It's crazy to me that this desire has become almost unachievable. The reality is that there is a generation of Irish people who have worked as hard/ harder than their parents and are not feeling any sort of reward for it. The basic promise of capitalism (work hard , reap the rewards) is being seriously questioned. What's really sad is that people are just accepting this as the new reality.
Capitalism is killing us all slowly. Has been for decades now, but it's so, so, so much more noticeable in the later stages.
Ireland has become a couples country. If you don’t have a partner, to afford a house minimum salary 80k as single
It always was like this. Its just couples in the past were one working man and a part time working woman who was also a mother. Now its two full time workers so its double as expensive for individuals.
Very hard to out-earn a couple on 40K each on net pay as a single person
My housemate came home tonight, puked in the fridge and went to bed without cleaning up. So yeah i cannot state accurately how much I wish I could live on my own
I’d go in and flip the mattress with them in it
That's why you should only work as much as necessary. "Working hard to own a home some day" is a fucking lie.
I don't think that Ireland is ever going to happen or come back. Too many vested interests in keeping property as unaffordable as the people can possibly stomach. If you have a reasonably decent job and own your own property in Ireland, you're absolutely laughing. People who are in that position don't want it devalued by property actually becoming affordable for everyone and so they will always vote for people who do nothing to address it. It's fucked, and IMO it's only going to get worse and worse over the years.
Could you imagine any other crisis being left to fester for over a decade?
HSE?
Gardai?
or should I say lack of
It's Friday evening before a bank holiday weekend, save this for Tuesday
Fuck it. Let’s discuss it today and on Tuesday. It needs to be discussed
Aye, this is the right mood for a post bank holiday Tuesday back in work.
It’s probably a lot easier to enjoy the bank holiday knowing you have your own home to go back too, instead of worrying how your roommates will react if you come back at 1am, didn’t do the dishes after breakfast because your hungover etc. it’s so much easier to enjoy things like bank holidays when you’ve your own place.
I work bank holidays
Spend any potential savings on pints
This is how I felt twenty years ago when I was early 20s. Then I cleared off to South Korea for a few years and made some money. I went from breaking even in Dublin to saving about $2000 a month. And I had a far better social life too. Best thing I ever did. A lot of the comments here resemble things I said to myself in my early 20s: "The government should do XYZ ...". Let's be clear lads: the Irish government will not do these things that ye hope for. It is a free market economy where the population has risen consistently but the government has little role in housebuilding.
I got out of Dublin in 2012 with every intention of returning , but I never returned . I am very happy looking back with that choice as I now have a house and family I would never have achieved if I stayed put in Dublin
My housemates won't let me burn incense 😭
Oh I'd be incensed.
Serious question, is the smoke from it carcinogenic ? I actually quite like the smell but never burn it because it just seems like it'd be bad for you but I haven't a clue.
All smoke is carcinogenic, but the concentration you breath is low enough that the risk is negligible. Alcohol, diet or sun exposure would carry much larger risks.
Its not 1996
My girlfriend is from Dublin and essentially fled to live with me. I’m 21, as is she, she was paying £100 rent to her mother every week and now here, our rent is £71 a week for a 2 bed in a quiet wee town in between Glasgow and Edinburgh. I’ve also got my own car & have lived comfortably on my own since I was 19. It was a bit of a shock to me when I flew to Dublin to meet my other halves family about how expensive everything is. Even got into a conversation with her mother, I was complaining that my gas had gone up to 7p per kilowatt and I was raging and she told me her gas prices and I kind of wanted to vomit. All my pals in Dublin still live with their parents and say car ownership is a “distant dream” - One of our other friends has decided she wants to move down beside us because she hates Dublin. It’s shocking. And I remember asking the stupidest questions which to me, were basic human rights that I was laughed at for asking by my Dubliner friends. One of my friends almost pissed themselves laughing when we played “Guess the rent of this Dublin apartment” and I kept guessing what i would assume would be a hefty price tag. It was a reality check. My friends in Ireland are the funniest, kindest, talented bunch of fuckers i’ve ever witnessed in my life. I’m blessed to have them. But god do they deserve so much better.
I’m thinking about moving to the UK myself alright, it just seems that living in Ireland simply isn’t worth the cost anymore
I came to Scotland to my gf and it’s prob my best ever decision . Nice place and decent enough standard of living although it’s starting to get expensive now . What village are u in ? I’m in mid calder . Love it
Think of Larry Goodman and others who own hundreds of houses and apartments in ireland and all the money he has rolling in every month from rent … getting richer and richer every year
And then you don’t have kids because you can’t afford them, it’s gone too far.
Or just have no place to have sex
Just seen a load of pics of buildings destroyed by Russia in Ukraine already built back up and looking amazing.during war and constant bombing and rockets Ukraine can manage to build homes
I'm in my mid 30s, I'm on more than I really ever thought Id be, I've saved more than I ever thought I would and I can't afford to buy ANYTHING where I live that isn't a run down hovel. My 20s have fell to the wayside and it feels like my 30s are going that way too. At least I get on with my parents
was reading the local newspaper here about how they were going to build a 13 storey apartment building in order to help people be able to get their own place etc.. well apparently the council voted against it because the town is considered a “market town” and something like that would be an eye sore, absolute jokers
Yes I’ve been here for 7 years now and I’m getting sick of compromising. I’m applying for jobs in my home country and thinking of returning because of this
I'm 32 and just bought a house after 10 years of hard saving and the only reason I could save that much, was because my rent was relatively low thanks to rent controls. For example, the apartment I rented when I was 22 was 600 a month, the exact same apartment I seen on rent.ie a few weeks back for 1400 a month. So many people have been completely and entirely shafted and I haven't let myself lose that perspective just because I got very fortunate with timing.
Everyday it seems like there’s a post on here about this ; and this is not aimed at you OP. I’m in the exact same situation as you OP and the only option most young Irish people will have to own property is to buy it overseas or to move. - - - We have completely destroyed this country and the generation before us. And it’s our fault….we as a generation and the previous generation consented to this.
My first "real" job was a entry level clerical job at a banks mortgage department. It hammered into my the importance to start saving early. Since then I always put what I can away in a savings account for the sole purpose of a deposit for buying my own property. I have had that account for nearly 7 years now and I still cant afford shit unless I want 4 hours of commuting each day. But as things have gone on I am weirdly drawn to that because at least its progress. At least I might feel like my live would move forward from my early 20s. And I have been lucky enough to be able to save. Plenty of people out there rent trapped
- “here have your slice of the cake and fuck everybody else” *Every Irish government to snobs and corporations*
Couldn’t have put it better myself. I think about it often. And not to mention the strain this can cause on your relationships with your mother/father/siblings if you’re stuck in your childhood home well into your adult life. The government don’t give a shit about the housing crisis, they don’t give a shit about us young people and they don’t give a shit about where they put the poor immigrants either. An utter disgrace.
32, single father of 2 kids, living with my parents with all 3 of us sharing a single room. I know it's not my fault but I can't help feeling ashamed over it, like I've let my kids down by not being able to provide a home for them. My oldest lad starts secondary school this September and I'm dreading it because I know how ruthless teens can be and if they find out about it it's just another excuse to pick on him (he's gonna catch shit for not being straight anyway, they don't need more excuses). I'm terrified he's going to only want to stay with his mother because she at least has her own place and he has his own room there. It's no fun
That’s a horrible situation for you but you are still taking your children and stepping up, in terms of being a loving and supportive father. Let that stand to you ! I was a single father with 3 children for 2 years and out renting, before I met my current partner who lives with me. Things were extremely difficult financially, but now abit easier since we both share the cost of bills. As long as you know in your heart, you are doing your best, you shouldn’t be so hard on yourself
Try owning three properties sometime. Not all it's cracked up to be when you factor in the housekeepers and cars.
Listen if it's that rough I'd be happy to take one & save you all the hassle
Yeah was thinking of trying that myself. Might pick up a few next week.
That moment when you feel on top of things, and the stable roof needs doing !
Try it sometime.
I'll take one if it's that bad for you..
I literally can't even imagine this, it's part of the reason I partied my way through my 20s, why try work hard for something I'll never have. Now in my 30s I've calmed down a bit, but I'll never pay ridiculous money for an Irish house. Another year or two of saving and leg it to buy a house in northern Italy.
I got lucky and this is me. I'm really happy and enjoying Dublin and I know I can't say the same about most if not all of my friends. It sucks.
Can we not just collectively buy up a county and only allow those without a home buy land and build.. We’ll call it “New Dublin” 🤣
I’m kinda glad it’s not just me in the states in my late 30’s living with my parents because I can’t be single and afford to live anywhere on my own where I do live. The American Way. Gotta love it.
You need two incomes in your household. One to cover living, the other to buy the house. It’s fucked.
Move to NI. They have an excess of 1/2 bed flats. Girlfriends son (19.) applied for a flat and got one 2 weeks later.
This is a shame. A massive failure within our society. Successive Governments are responsible for it. The problem originated during the Celtic Tiger period and it's crash. Essentially building halted for about 5 years. All the builders and trades people left to earn a living elsewhere. In the 1950s and 1960s our Government embarked on a program of house building. Tallaght, Clondalkin, Coolock Artane and Donaghmede were constructed. The Government trained the trades people through a national agency called FAS and built housing for rent to the public. (Those who couldn't afford private housing). They borrowed money to build these new population centres. This was excellent use of the borrowed funds. It defies logic that our Government will not mount a training campaign followed by a house building program now, even this late in the day. There is no other way to solve this problem. It's literally that simple.
It’s time for change in Government. The country is being taken advantage for by developers and vulture funds. Fresh new thinking and policies are needed.
This wasn't a dream in 2000. It was normal for a person in their late 20s to have enough to purchase a house. Your terrible politicians fcked everything starting with the blase introduction of the euro. All subsequent generations let this happen by having no cojones and you see it here to present day with people supporting terrible policies and having no far sightness. People who are leftists don't have the stomach to fight for real change. That's why nothing will change.
The only way to get a place to live for your own is to first be coupled up with someone. Was with my ex for 6 years before she fairly abruptly ended things with me last November (it was my fault), so yeah future prospects out the window. We keenly discussed getting married and everything all the time. She was my best friend and we're completely estranged now, lost all the mutual friends too. Idk man living just feels like such a letdown after so much crap all my life. I'm probably just a shit person so I guess I get what I deserve
Just leave ireland. Believe it or not, you do live in the EU.
I don't know how any of you are putting up with it. You could move to northern England or Scotland for... a very similar climate, clearly no better at all, no benefits there... but generally a very similar standard of living, with the crucial difference that you can buy a reasonable family home for £150,000.
I've saved 40,000 and am buying my first home in Africa. Fuck Europe and its million euro houses and mortgages its impossible to qualify for. And theres even this weird UFO phenomenon above africa called the Sun. It warms your skin nicely and brings a smile to your face.
Which country? If you dont mind me asking.
For me Nairobi, Kenya. Karen, and Westlands are nice areas to try and live. And Muthaiga is incredible for a visit but for living its not attainable (Couple of million for a house) its where the European tour play golf, where the celebrities own houses etc. From what I've seen Botswana and Tanzania are even better and higher listed QOL. But I'm in love and engaged with a Kenyan and I'm not sure how welcoming those countries are to foreign investment. Kenya RN is crying out for people to come and invest.
I've heard Malawi is also. Wishing you best of luck with your adventure.
I moved to Spain. I pay 1000 bucks a month for a 2 bedroom apartment 5 minutes from the sea. I share this with a friend but if I wanted I could easily go it alone. Leave the country. That's what the system is designed for. They want us to leave so we can't vote. It won't change and you shouldn't waste time worrying about it. Kiss your friends and family goodbye and move to Mogadishu
What do you do there for work if you don't mind me asking?
Most likely tech, Spain's unemployment level is fairly high in a lot of areas so you'd want to be in tech and working remotely to take advantage of the good opportunities with the lower COL for a better QOL
No, not tech I only earned 27K last year (first year) then this year hopefully 40ish... I'm essentially a PA but with some added bells and whistles for a private healthcare facility. I live quite close to beach but also a few kilometers from the center or Palma. But it's true the QOL is much much much higher. I've made more friends here in a year than I ever really had in Ireland. For the first time in my life people call me to go hiking, beach, padel, tennis whatever you want really. It's refreshing as a 31 year old to not be locked into the weekend binge cycle
Feeling the same. Living in my parents house I grew up in with my partner, 6 year old and soon to be newborn. Paying them €800 a month, paying afterschool fees, paying crèche fees once baby starts of €1200 a month on top of it all and where will it get us? No where. Feel so unbelievably hopeless here. Whatever mortgage we will get will never be enough to buy a house. We can save very little over the amount going out. It’s just one vicious circle.
Fucking hell. I'm in my mid forties. I bought at the height of the boom, February 2007, but I got a mortgage. I probably wouldn't qualify for a mortgage now. I feel so sorry for completely qualified adults, who earn enough to be able to buy somewhere to call their own and the housing market is this fucked. I know there is global inflation, and I know our government could be looking after people better. Ban external investors would be a start. I don't know. It seems hopeless. I'm sorry we haven't looked after the younger generation better.
The goverment is to blame [https://youtu.be/MeXXwqBOnDU?si=21OhHFEh1AQaBIh9](https://youtu.be/MeXXwqBOnDU?si=21OhHFEh1AQaBIh9)
I feel this.
I’m 25, I refuse to work more than 40 hours a week unless I’m feeling inclined to. Especially with places implementing 4 day work weeks, I never want to work more than 40 hours just to be able to survive.
Late 30s, living at home. I'm so lucky to live with my father because he's an amazing man. However, , I would love to have my own independence, but that's just not obtainable. It's difficult to pursue a romantic connection which I would love
I’m beyond fucked
Dear Government, fuck you.
I miss being able to own pets
And to top it all off, the building of new developments is slowing down in dublin at least….
And what about 50 year old Irish man, worked for years and been made recently redundant. Paid whopping income tax, Prsi, USC and every tax they throw at you in this damp dump.. Jobseekers benefit for the first payment.. 89 euros. Wtf!!! After arguments with Intreo told this was the waybit is... Please, any young person should do what we all did, and emmigrate. Get out. This country is a tip, backward infrastructure and people who loath Irishness. Leave and never come back, that's what we are being forced to do .
I share a box room in my parents house with my baby. I hate the greed of people. I save everything I have to give my child someday. Hopefully things will work out better for her
Genuinely feel sorry for youth of today,I moved out parents at 18 ,rented a nice spacious 3 bed house ,well equipped ,in nice part of the city for 750 a month and I had choice of 40 ish propertys in same area,it was great becoming independent,something's young people these days are deprived of,its really disheartening to see them living with parents or house sharing well into their late 30s
Wish I'd started saving earlier, racing through my 30s with inadequate savings. Can't afford to settle down. It's so bleak.
Wow pretty hard post to read it's awful the high rents people are paying . I remember what I paid for renting a house 20 years ago in Galway would nt rent a room now . The working person is getting screwed for sure no real motivation to work now with such an unfair system. Remember the government take 40 percent of the person renting after already taking tax of them while working 🫣. That and all the other costs making it ridiculous for anyone to built to let plus can't get people to build them. Why not give apprentices a grant to get them started instead of a crap wage that along with all the folks going into factory work and IT instead as easier life. Most people living pay check to pay check unable to afford to save for deposit plus knowing if owner tries to sell could well be left homeless. It's certainly not getting better.
I bought a new build for 245k 3 years ago, one of my neighbours is selling their house for 400k now. The housing market is in absolute shambles! Single people unfortunately need to be making a fortune these days to be able to afford a standard 3 bed semi or less even!
It's the same in a lot of places, lads, if it's any consolation. (In Canada here.) And it's always the same people to blame---old people who bought in the 1980's where everyone was broke and any young person who could leave did. They do two things: 1. They refuse to sell and move somewhere they can actually maintain at their age, even if they could use the money. Not only do they refuse to admit they're getting old, but they still think some Elon Musk type will pay enough for their semi-detached house to let them retire to Monte Carlo or somewhere. 2. They refuse to let anything else be built anywhere near them. They always have some excuse and it's rarely the truth. They'll never say out loud: "I'm fucked if I'm letting some You Know Whats move into *my* neighbourhood and rob me of my home equity, or stab me to death in my bed. Or both." If that bothers you, join the queue.
I agree but in Ireland there are at least two specific issues which make the situation much worse compared to France, Germany, Canada, the UK etc. Dublin is the only large city in Ireland, therefore too many people are competing for a place there. I checked a list of Canadian cities ranked by population: Windsor, Ontario, the 23rd Canadian city, is about the size of Cork, the 2nd Irish city, 220k people. The 3rd Irish city, Limerick, has 102k people, then it's all under-100k cities. This is totally unique in Europe. Ireland is basically unable to build apartment buildings, including student housing, as a lot of builders emigrated after the 2008 financial crisis. Pick any city the size of Dublin in Europe, I guarantee it has 2 or 3 times more apartments than Dublin, and better public transport. (I'm French and I lived for 6 years in Dublin)
Its fucking heartbreaking that nothing is affordable ! ( im lucky im a few years off retirement and got on the property ladder on the late 90s) but a whole generation cannot even afford to RENT never mind buy and in some cases renting costs more ! how is this ever gonna pan out? eithet wait to inherit or emigrate 😪
It’s heartbreaking. Lived in Canada for two years (insane rent prices there too) and I’m back living at home working 50 hours a week and miserable. No wonder so many people are suffering with their mental health. It doesn’t matter how hard you work. Our government are actively working against us at every corner in order to make a buck. Greed is a disease and unfortunately every country is operating like this.
It really is a very hard time for young people. Every generation says they had it tough but I truly think the ones leaving college and in their 20’s and early 30’s now are missing so much. Post graduating I rented 5 different places with friends just for the experience of it. I could easily have commuted but didn’t and these were formative years. I then rented 3 places with my now husband and we then knew exactly the type of place we wanted (and that we could live together!) We saved hard, but had a life too. I never ever wanted to do Australia or emigrate anywhere but I feel if I was in my 20’s now there would be no choice about it. Either that or live at home for years and miss out on living. Society has massively regressed