Renting a room safely

• The owner is abroad. They’ll post the keys or have an “agent” meet you once you’ve paid. There are no keys.
• Pay to hold the room. A deposit “so nobody else takes it” before you’ve seen it. Real posters can wait until after a viewing.
• Too good for the area. A cheap room in a popular area, with lots of people interested and pressure to decide today.
• Copies of your passport or bank card “to check you”. These are used for identity fraud. Show documents in person if you must; don’t send copies.
• Unusual payment methods: money transfer services, gift cards, crypto, or an account in a different name or country.
• A copied listing. Real photos taken from another site, with different contact details. If the person can’t show you the room, walk away.

• See the room in person, and meet the person you’re paying and the people you’d live with.
• Ask whether they own the home or rent it. If they rent it and are letting a room, ask to see the landlord’s written agreement.
• Get the rent, deposit, bills, notice and move-in date in writing, even in a message.
• Pay by bank transfer to an account in the name of the person you met, and keep a record.
• If you can’t view in person yet, wait or ask someone you trust to view it for you.

Your rights depend on who you rent from.

• A room in a home where the owner lives (you’re a lodger). The Residential Tenancies Acts don’t cover this, so the Residential Tenancies Board can’t settle disputes and the deposit limits below don’t apply. Agree the deposit, notice and house rules in writing before you move in.
• A room from a landlord who doesn’t live there. This is a tenancy, covered by the Residential Tenancies Acts. For tenancies that started on or after 9 August 2021, the landlord can’t ask for more than one month’s rent as a deposit, or more than one month’s rent in advance. The same limits apply in student accommodation, but there you can choose to pay more rent in advance if you pay rent and fees to the same college and the landlord agrees.
• A room from another tenant (they’re re-letting part of their home). This is common in Dublin. They need their landlord’s agreement. If they live there too, you’re usually a “licensee”, like a lodger: the Residential Tenancies Board usually can’t help with disputes, the deposit limits above may not apply, and if their tenancy ends you’ll probably have to leave too. Ask to see the landlord’s agreement, and agree the deposit and notice in writing.

The Residential Tenancies Board and Citizens Information explain the rules in full.

The Equal Status Acts make it illegal to refuse you a home because of your gender, civil status, family status, sexual orientation, religion, age, disability, race, skin colour, nationality or ethnic origin, or membership of the Traveller community, or because you get HAP or rent supplement. The exception is someone letting a room in their own home (not a separate, self-contained flat), who can choose who lives with them.

If you’re refused because of one of these, the steps and time limits matter. Keep copies of the advert and your messages, then:

• Within 2 months, write to the person who refused you. The Workplace Relations Commission’s ES1 form is the easiest way.
• If they don’t reply within a month, or you’re unhappy with the reply, complain to the Workplace Relations Commission within 6 months of being refused.

The Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission can help. Report the room here too.

• Threshold, the national housing charity: free advice on 1800 454 454, or 00 353 91 563080 if you’re calling from abroad.
• Residential Tenancies Board: disputes about tenancies, deposits and notice.
• Gardaí: if you’ve paid a scammer, report it at your local Garda station straight away and tell your bank.
• Roomline: use “Report this room” on any room that looks wrong, or email jyosanlabs@gmail.com.