Rental Market in Belfast

[NewHorizons20]

Hi there,

My family and I are relocating to Belfast from London and we have been searching for a house to rent in Belfast but are having a bit of a nightmare with it so I thought I'd check in to see if anyone had any advice or if anyone experienced something similar in their search.

Viewings in person are tricky as they are generally open viewings arranged at short notice and as demand is high, viewings can sometimes get cancelled at short notice so we don't want to waste time flying back and forth for numerous viewings. We have a family member who has agreed to do viewings on our behalf but it is an hour journey each way to and from Belfast. Ideally we would like to be able to arrange a few viewings in the one day to avoid multiple trips for our family but this doesn't seem possible.

We have also asked if we can do virtual viewings but nobody seems to offer this and says they want to see applicants in person.

We have even tried applying based on the photos or videos already shown online and are willing to put down a few months rent upfront if it helps our case but we get told we have to view the property in person before we can apply. We applied for a house the other day and we ticked all the boxes and sent the application straight after the first viewing but the landlord went with another applicant instead. It is just so frustrating and feeling impossible at this stage and we don't know what to do as our daughter is due to start school in Belfast in September but she can't without a Northern Irish address.

Is it just a busy time of year or is it always like this? Any advice or insight would be most welcome.

Sorry to vent and thank you if you've read to the end!

@NewHorizons20 I can’t guarantee this will work, but when we first moved here we were also looking just for a 6mth rental - albeit it took us longer to find the right house than we had hoped and then covid hit right after we agreed a purchase and it ended up being 15mth in our rental, not the 6mth we had wanted. Anyway, while we signed a 1yr rental contract, we had a verbal agreement with the agency and landlord that we could move out sooner (after 6mth) as long as we agreed to pay the readvertising fees and any rent until they found a new tenant. The reality is (as you are very quickly becoming aware) that there is a real shortage of rental properties so they will very likely get someone else in quickly even if you did move out early. (When we did eventually move out they had a new family moved into our 4 bed rental house in a matter of days.) Might just be worth some conversations with amenable agents. (Without making it seem like you’re just going to walk away early - or take the punt on a 1yr contract and hope you can come to some kind of agreement further down the line if you need to.)

We found it difficult late last year and most places wouldn't entertain a 6 month contract as demand is so high.

We found ours via Airbnb & suitable properties I contacted directly to see if they would be interested in a longer term agreement. In the end we were in the Airbnb for 7 months. Landlord took it off Airbnb & gave a good deal. I'm sure he made more from us than Airbnb without all the fees and hassle of cleaning between.

Thanks for the tip. We don't actually want a short let and are happy to sign a contract for at least 12 months, even 24 if we find the right place. I was just thinking short term could be an option to give ourselves a bit more time to find the right place, however, I'm now discovering the rental market is busy at all times of the year (I thought in the run up to September it may be busier with students starting uni etc). I will definitely look into Airbnb though and see if we might be able to negotiate something with a landlord. Thanks for the tip! 😊

I agree that Chandler's is a good local EA; McCleary's is also a well-established one, and if you get in touch with them they should be able to keep an eye out for properties that would suit you.

I'd say don't just look in the Rosetta/Knockbreda areas - Cregagh and Ravenhill/Ormeau Roads should all be in walking distance (depending on which school it is). Also there's a bus to the Knockbreda area from the Castlereagh Road, which would be fine if you're looking at Knockbreda Primary or St Bernard's (not so much if it's Rosetta PS).

Thank you, I will check them out. Also great to know which other areas are within walking distance or a bus ride away, it will definitely help with the search 😊

If you are a Londoner you will find Belfast tiny. DDs Belfast born flatmate finds it odd when we happily say "it's only 40 minutes walk". You can get a long way in Belfast in 40 minutes. Really nice to be able to walk along the Lagen or towards the University or into the centre. Buses are not bad. Check journeys on Google maps.

That said areas can change from good to dodgy within a few streets. Dds bottom line was 'no flags'.

Yes the property market is quite mad. Is there a reason you're tied to those specific areas? They are great areas, but there are other great areas like ballyhackamore or stormont that might have similar feel to what you're looking for.

Hi OP - did you get sorted yet? South Belfast born and bred here - the rental market has gone crazy all over the city but in our area it is now considered the norm for rental properties to be snapped up within hours of first being advertised. It’s bonkers!

Thanks to a messy divorce I have also had the misfortune of having to look for a rental in these parts recently - my best advice is to check PropertyPal every few hours throughout the day and immediately contact the estate agent of any property that you may be interested in. It is quite literally a race! Be prepared to offer a higher deposit (I gave 6 months worth of rent up front). References from your employers can also be helpful when it comes to the landlord making his/her choice of tenant. Simon Brien are a fantastic estate agency, we sold our house with them and they were amazing, very easy to deal with. I’d recommend giving them a call, especially since they aren’t currently listing on PropertyPal due to the fee dispute mentioned upthread.

Would you consider living out of the city a bit or is it essential for you to be able to walk/get public transport to the kids school?

Thank you all so so much for your advice and support, it really has been invaluable. I am happy to say that we have finally found a house to live in!! We got EXTREMELY lucky in that the first house we viewed (which was then taken off the market) suddenly came back on the market so we raced in with our application and offered to start the contract earlier than our actual move in date which seemed to help our case along with our combined salaries. We wouldn't have been so on the ball if not for all your great insights so thank you all, very much appreciated xx ❤

Amazing news OP! Wishing you the best of luck with the move and every happiness in your new home. It’s such a great area - you’ll love it ❤️

Great news. Welcome to Belfast!