It’s important that you know the basics. You are entitled by law to a rent book and lease. You can download a copy Letting Agreement or order a Rent Book if you don’t have them already. Make sure to know the details of the lease especially with respect to overnight guests, bin charges and any television license. If something goes wrong, which it easily can, this will make your position stronger. You can avoid most problems if you make an inventory list when you move in, noting any damage to the premises, and get the landlord to sign this. Don’t forget that your conduct in your residence is something which is covered by the University Code of Conduct.

You Must:

• pay the rent and any other specified charges including TV license!
• make sure no damage above normal wear and tear occurs to the accommodation;
• notify the landlord of any repair requirements
• allow access for repairs to be carried out and by appointment for routine inspections;
• keep the landlord informed of the identity of the occupants
• not engage in or allow anti-social behaviour
• not act, or allow visitors to act in a way that would invalidate the landlord’s insurance;
• not cause the landlord to be in breach of statutory obligations
• not alter, improve, assign, sub-let or change the use of the dwelling without written consent from the landlord
• NOT engage in any form of anti-social behaviour. You are responsible for all the guests in your home, so if they cause trouble, you’ll have to pay for it. Check with the landlord if there are any set conditions on noise and house parties (we cannot stress this enough).

Your Landlord’s Obligations:

• allow the tenant to enjoy peaceful and exclusive occupation i.e. not enter without permission. (If you rent a room, then s/he can access common areas of the house)
• carry out repairs, subject to tenant liability for damage beyond normal wear and tear
• insure the dwelling, subject to the insurance being available at a reasonable cost
• provide a point of contact
• promptly refund deposits unless rent is owing or there is damage beyond normal wear and tea
• reimburse tenants for expenditure on repairs that were appropriate to the landlord
• provide a rent book / written letting agreement or lease
• enforce tenant obligations
• not penalise tenants for making complaints or taking action to enforce their rights
• register the property for rent with the Private Residential Tenancies Board. They can be contacted on 01 6350600 or www.prtb.ie

These respective obligations must be adhered to whether or not there is a lease or written agreement – landlords and tenants cannot contract out of them. Additional obligations, however, can be included in a lease. If you encounter a problem with your rented accommodation you can also contact Threshold on 091 563080.

Without a Fixed-Term Lease

The landlord can terminate without specifying grounds during the first 6 months, but once a tenancy has lasted 6 months, the landlord will be able to terminate that tenancy only if any of the following apply:

• the tenant does not comply with the obligations of the tenancy
• the dwelling is no longer suited to the occupants accommodation needs (e.g. overcrowded)
• the landlord intends to sell the dwelling in the next 3 months
• the landlord requires the dwelling for own or family member occupation
• the landlord intends to refurbish the dwelling
• the landlord intends to change the business use of the dwelling

If a tenant wants to terminate a tenancy and move, the tenant must give the landlord notice in writing.
A phone call, text message, or even an email will not do. Even if the landlord is agreeable to a tenant’s oral notice to leave, it is recommended that the tenant follows up the oral notice with a formal written one. A tenant who does not serve the landlord with formal written notice endangers their deposit. If a written lease is in place, the tenant could also be held liable for the remainder of the rent owed for the rest of the lease period. The notice must be in writing and signed by the tenant. It should specify the date of service and the date the notice will expire. An example of a notice can be found here. Download Notice of termination of tenancy letter

The following is the time to be given for a notice to quit:

• Less than 6 months : 28 days
• 6 or more months but less than 1 year: 35 days
• 1 year or more but less than 2 years: 42 days

Fixed-Term Lease

Remember that if you agree to stay until the end of May or until another stipulated time, you cannot contract out of this. Be aware that if you leave before this date, you may be breaking your contract and are liable to lose your deposit at least. Remember a contract doesn’t necessarily have to be written down; a verbal agreement is legally binding! You also cannot use your deposit as the final months rent. Some landlords might let you but they don’t have to.

Digs

Your entitlements depend on the agreement you made with the landlord. You should, if possible, get a written agreement stating what exactly you will receive for your money. If the landlord tells you before you move in that there is a curfew and you agree to move in then you
have to stick to the rules set down. There are no laws as to whether you have to give your room to a son or daughter at weekends or holidays. You should try and set all the rules down at the beginning. There are guidelines available on the University Accommodation Office website https://www.uniofgalwaystudentpad.ie/Accommodation

Fire Safety Tips

• Get smoke alarms and test them regularly – €15 is a small price to pay to protect yourself. Put it somewhere it can be heard all over the house. Get a second one if you have to.
• Keep a fire extinguisher and fire blanket in your kitchen.
• Make sure that all electrical appliances, sockets and leads are in good working order. Don’t overload sockets.
• Never turn your back on a frier. Don’t use water on a chip pan fire.
• Check that your cooker is turned off and put out an open fire before you go to bed.
• With an open fire, always use a fireguard and make sure the room is ventilated.
• Plug out appliances, especially the television, before going to bed.
• Smokers, use proper ashtrays and don’t smoke in bed.
• Roll, don’t fold, an electric blanket if you’re storing it.
• Keep heaters away from furniture and curtains and don’t move them when they are on. Make sure there’s ventilation in rooms where you use them.
• Have an escape plan. Know how you and your housemates would get out if you had to.
• Don’t leave your phone charger in the socket when it’s not in use
• Carbon Monoxide is a colourless, odourless poisonous gas and is a common yet preventable cause of death from poisoning. Carbon Monoxide detectors can be bought for around €30 in a DIY store.

Burglary Prevention

Most day-time burglaries take place in unoccupied homes. Windows are the most common means of entry in domestic cases. When leaving the house, close any windows which can be climbed into. Make sure you don’t leave valuables where they can be seen through the window. Secure your windows, doors, sheds and garages and don’t cut more keys than you have to! If you have a spare, give it to someone you trust. Don’t leave obvious signs of a vacant apartment such as closed curtains during daylight hours. Just in case you are broken into, you should mark your property so it can be identified. Don’t leave loose cash at home and keep bank cards in a safe place. Consider insuring any valuables you have such as laptops, Playstations etc.
The Gardaí in Galway can be reached on 091 538000 or in an emergency ring 999 or 112.

You can order a Rent Book if you don’t already have it.

Don’t buy everything new. Trust us, you’ll find much better things to spend your money on before too long. The cheapest way to get by in college is to raid base camp. When you arrive, you probably will have brought the essentials. However, there are a few things that are sometimes forgotten. To combat this we compiled a list of them that you should ‘borrow’ next time you go home. Sme of them prove hard to forget – you’ll only run out of loo roll once! Other items might not come to mind so quickly, such as a needle and thread. They come in handy when you’re all dolled up for a night on the town and realise your top has a rip in it.

So next time you go home, bring this list with you and tick the following items as you ‘borrow’ them;

Kitchen

Bathroom

Bedroom

General

Radical Edward Square:
15 min walk from campus

To find out more about room rates please contact:

T 353 (0)91 470740

The Students’ Union offices are open from 10:00am to 5.00pm (Monday – Friday) during term time.

Our summer opening hours are 10:00am-12:30pm and 2:00pm-4.30pm Monday-Friday.

The officers can be reached outside of these hours using the contact numbers given in the Executive Committee section.