Renting a room in Dublin: a step-by-step guide
How to find, check and secure a room in Dublin: budget, areas, viewings, paperwork and paying safely.
- Residential Tenancies Board (RTB)
- Citizens Information – renting a home
- Threshold – advice for renters
1. Work out your budget
Decide the most you can pay each month, and ask whether bills (electricity, heating, broadband, bin charges) are included. A cheaper room with bills on top can cost more than a room with bills included.
Keep money aside for the deposit and the first month's rent, which are usually paid when you move in.
On StayLister, each ad shows how its rent compares with similar places nearby, and the rent guide shows typical rents by area.
2. Choose areas by your commute
A room further out on a Luas, DART or bus line can be quicker to your work or college than one closer in without good transport. Check the journey at the time you'd actually travel.
On StayLister you can search on a map, draw the area you want, and see public transport stops and travel times for each ad.
3. Search, and set up alerts
Good rooms in Dublin go quickly. Save your search so new matching rooms are emailed to you, and check every day while you're looking.
Message advertisers with a short introduction: who you are, your work or course, when you want to move in and how long you'd stay. Advertisers reply faster to people who tell them this up front.
4. View in person
Always view the room before you pay anything, and meet the person renting it. If you can't go yourself, send someone you trust.
Ask who else lives there, what's shared, the house rules, how bills are split and what notice you each give.
5. Know which kind of arrangement it is
In a house share where the owner doesn't live, you are usually a tenant with rights under the Residential Tenancies Acts, and the landlord must register the tenancy with the Residential Tenancies Board (RTB).
In the owner's own home (a lodger, or Monday–Friday digs), you are usually a licensee: tenancy law and RTB registration don't apply, so what you agree in writing matters most. Our guide "Licensee or tenant?" explains the difference.
6. Get it in writing and pay safely
Get a written agreement with the rent, deposit, what's included, notice and the move-in date.
Pay by bank transfer to an Irish account in the name of the person you met, never by cash courier, money-transfer apps, crypto or gift cards, and get a receipt for every payment.
Common questions
What do I pay up front when renting a room in Dublin?
The deposit and the first month's rent are usually paid when you move in, so keep money aside for both.
Am I a tenant or a licensee in a Dublin room?
In a house share where the owner doesn't live, you are usually a tenant and the landlord must register the tenancy with the RTB. In the owner's own home, including Monday–Friday digs, you are usually a licensee.
How should I pay for a room safely?
By bank transfer to an Irish account in the name of the person you met, with a receipt for every payment. Never pay by cash courier, money-transfer apps, crypto or gift cards.