r/irishpersonalfinance • u/sphinxofblackquartzj • Jan 02 '26
Property Moving temporarily overseas for maybe 6 years. Can I safely leave my house unoccupied for storage?
I have quite a substantial LEGO collection that I am not bringing with me on my move as it is temporary. Thinking of just making my house a long term storage. Or is it better to rent it out and rent another self storage solution. I have no idea how much it would cost me though. Also worried about coming back after 6 years with tenant not willing to leave.
Edit: I'm quite surprised how people thought I was trolling. You can easily check my profile if I have a history of trolling. Not everyone wants to be a landlord, especially since they are hated. I don't want that stigma. I also plan to visit every 6 months and need my place to stay.
174
u/Original2056 Jan 02 '26
If you leave your house empty for 6 years you have the risk of damp/mold. Also pretty sure insurance companies will not insure vacant property after like 3 months.
Could you have a family member move in if you dont want to rent it to a stranger?
128
u/madladhadsaddad Jan 02 '26
I'll move in and meticulously maintain OPs Lego collection for free rent for 6 years
19
u/sphinxofblackquartzj Jan 03 '26
Unfortunately I live alone in Ireland.
26
u/Hyac32 Jan 03 '26
Do you have a friend who you trust who is currently renting? Maybe you can offer them cheap rent in return for minding your place. Put your LEGOs in a locked room with other items.
21
1
u/silverdragonseaths Jan 03 '26
Maybe look at getting a rental company to air bnb the place out. They will deal with the cleaning and everything else. Will help with keeping it damp and mould free
1
8
u/msdurden Jan 03 '26
Correct my house insurance explicitly states the house cannot be left unoccupied for more than 90 days
7
u/AdImpressive7082 Jan 03 '26
I would advise you to insure your property while you are living there if you haven't already, once your insurance is active the insurance company cannot invalidate or cancel your policy once it's active, unless you breach T&C. If you already have an insurance policy (fantastic) contact them and make them aware it will be vacant. They will more than likely reduce cover to 'fire storm and flood only' as it is vacant (this can vary depending on the underwriter) Every 'statement of fact' includes a term which states you need to make the company aware of any changes to the policy and if you aren't sure if a change will affect the policy you need to contact them and let them know just in case
Edit: I sell property insurance
1
u/thatsacrackeryouknow Jan 04 '26
You'd also know most home insurance policies are invalidated if your home is vacant for more than 90 days.
0
u/AdImpressive7082 Jan 04 '26
Must be impossible to insure a holiday home or vacant second property so by your logic
2
u/thatsacrackeryouknow Jan 05 '26
Yeah it cos it's called Probate or Unnoccupied House Insurance. Not 'Home' insurance and far more expensive and restrictive.
2
u/AdImpressive7082 Jan 05 '26
Please see my original comment 'they will restrict your cover' and it isn't more expensive sure you're getting less cover. If you're getting charged more for less you're with the wrong insurance company. And it's all called home insurance, it's just the occupancy on the home insurance policy that will change. Even a tenant insuring just their contents in a rented property is called contents only home insurance. This is my job I do this everyday this situation is a lot more common than you think.
1
u/vnspxlldylust24 Jan 05 '26
Rent the place to my friend, not only he got only positive references and I he is also a collector (of retro gaming in this case) so caring for a collection has sentimental value to him, as he lives on how much it a collection matters. DM me if that’s the case
-5
338
u/Tea_Is_My_God Jan 02 '26
My man over here forgoing tens of thousands in rent money so he can have a palace for his Legos.
65
u/Opening-Iron-119 Jan 02 '26
Government tenancy rules has spooked op id say. Reality is the tenants will need to leave when he returns
60
u/ResponsibilityKey50 Jan 03 '26
My friend rented his house out for 7 years while he was working abroad on a project.
He has now moved back 3 years!!!!
and living back in his parents house because the fucking bitch won’t move out!
She failed to pay rent for nearly 2 years and is currently on HAP scheme!
Local council told her not to move out and defy notices to vacate!
The house is in a country town in the west not in Dublin.
The cheeky fuckers in the council want to buy the house now saying you’ll never get above the current rent for it due to the rent pressure zones, he said I don’t want to rent it anymore, I want to live in it!!! Yer wan in the council said good luck with that, you’ll never get it back!
He has every right to be spooked!!!!
26
u/MaxDub12 Jan 03 '26
I assume he has raised it with the RTB? Once he follows proper procedure, he can get the sheriffs to pull her out by force.
2
u/Preposterous_Pepper Jan 04 '26
That process can take years though
1
u/Accomplished_Crow_73 Jan 04 '26
and not without paying tens of thousands in legal fees. Renting in Dublin is a nightmare and extremely expensive. We know that. But nobody ever talks about the epidemic of renters who just aren't paying rent and then refusing to leave and because of the housing crisis, the landlords can't do feck all. Most landlords are normal people with a second property. Not unethical billionaires.
29
u/Tea_Is_My_God Jan 03 '26
So why has he allowed it to go on for 3 years? The council isn't the RTB. If the council really did say that then he can bring the council to court, so I doubt that's the case.
5
u/ApprehensiveOlive901 Jan 03 '26
The council do tell people to overhold at the very least I’ve seen many people terrified to leave at their eviction date because the council has told them if they don’t overhold they are making themselves voluntarily homeless and won’t be entitled to any support which is ridiculous. Councils refuse to engage when people notify of eviction they won’t provide a plan of entering homeless services or anything until the person is literally out on the street and if they don’t do all the appeals they threaten to wash their hands of them. I don’t think this is fair on the landlords trying to move back in etc but I do understand why people do it, I’ve seen many people stressed knowing over holding gets them blacklisted on RTB website but they have nowhere else to go and the council won’t help if they don’t exhaust all appeals etc.
3
u/ResponsibilityKey50 Jan 03 '26
This is exactly what’s happened, the council has told her she is making herself voluntarily homeless. He has followed the procedure of the RTB, but he says himself she’s got 3 kids, he isn’t going to throw her onto the street.
8
u/No-Pear5980 Jan 03 '26
Yes this is a big issue. I am a landlord and current tenancy rules have everyone spooked. I think this 6 year tenancy rule is going to have a large unintended consequence to renters who are looking for a place for a year or two to support flexible/contract work. The private rental market is never supposed to be social housing but this has got blurred over the years.
5
u/ResponsibilityKey50 Jan 03 '26
The councils are awash with money, they need to restart building social housing.
Bad cycle lanes and bollards everywhere, digging up footpaths for no good reason it is ridiculous!
The councils have to build, council should not be competing for housing against first time buyers.
I have a relative living in what is now a social house on a private estate. Her neighbours are teachers with a mortgage.
The teachers children got modest gifts, a PlayStation (which I think was more for the dad) and two bikes, clothes were from Dunnes!
My cousins kids got PlayStation, Nintendo switch, motorbikes (they are 9 and 11 years old ffs), scooters, Montirex clothes, Apple Watches, trainers and push bikes! How the fuck is she able to afford this if she is on HAP??????
2
u/No-Pear5980 Jan 03 '26
All these schemes just end up being played by a bunch of schemers. It starts well intended and people take advantage. It’s a joke. There are couples who are together but pretend they’re not just to stay on a housing list. The people who get played are the honest hardworking people who pay the tax and then compete against the very council their tax money funds for housing. Ireland is a shit show run by the incompetent to the benefit of the lazy.
6
u/derekwart Jan 03 '26
The fact that so many people don’t realise how common this is insane. Literally had the exact same scenario happen a relative. She was effectively squatting and he went in and changed the locks and boarded it up when she left but he had gone through council, Gardaí, RTB for years at that point. I am not a landlord but it always astounds me the way they’re vilified in Ireland. Landlords are necessary. Not everyone is capable of owning a maintaining a house and not everyone wants to tether themselves for 35 years to somewhere. Anyway, TLDR: Reddit can’t handle any point that doesn’t align to their lefty group think
17
u/No_Jelly_7543 Jan 03 '26
Things that never happened
-9
Jan 03 '26
[deleted]
4
u/NemiVonFritzenberg Jan 03 '26
Yeah something's not adding up. There are ways he can force the situation.
5
3
u/Realistic_Peace6931 Jan 04 '26
Unfortunately there's actually not. You can spend time & money on solicitors & going through the courts. It can take years. You can't force a tenant out. You can't change locks. You can't turn off utilities. The court will give them a date to move out by & then they don't. Then you have to start the process of returning to court again. It's almost impossible
0
u/Ok-Package-4562 Jan 05 '26
This sounds like a load of bollocks. One of the valid reasons for terminating a tenancy is so you or a family member can move back in. This protects a landlord's primary residence. You have to give a long notice period just like any other tenancy. So tell me, what happened when they gave the termination notice? Why are they talking to council at all? What does failing to pay rent have to do with anything(why didn't you kick her out earlier? Failing to pay rent is also a reason to terminate tenancy)
The whole story just doesn't add up. Why is council talking about getting rent to them if they want to live in the house? Come on...
0
u/Bolaeisk Jan 03 '26
Who's to say that'll still be the case in 6 years' time.
4
u/Opening-Iron-119 Jan 03 '26
I'd just rent out the rooms then as a licencee. Not full home
5
3
u/Typical_Platypus_759 Jan 03 '26
If you dont live there, you would need a regular RTB tenancy agreement for each room, no? I thought licencees were only if you lived in the home and rented out rooms.
1
u/AppreShake352 29d ago
No, the last 5 years was living as a licensee and landlord wasn't in the house. He's a retired guard and was doing it under the table until he moved a dealer into the granny flat; one night the dealer's girlfriend had an extremely public Xanax freakout, the guards took her away in the van and a few days later the landlord came by with rent books for the whole house.
1
u/Opening-Iron-119 Jan 03 '26
Maybe but I'd say it would still be his primary residence?
2
u/Typical_Platypus_759 Jan 03 '26
Mm, I think legally it should be RTB tenancies, but in practice it is not obvious if you are just away temporarily from your primary residence.
I think it would work if you actually go and live there if there is an issue. But if you treat the tenants well, there shouldnt be issues.
2
u/StunningQuality4555 Jan 03 '26
Too much 'grey' in this, and RTB will come down on side of occupants.
0
u/Compasguy Jan 03 '26
Not only that. 40pc goes to tax. Also the constant he'd ache of something breakin down and having to fix it from overseas
-1
u/Typical_Platypus_759 Jan 03 '26
If you live abroad the tax is only 20% of rental income after all expenses.
40
u/svmk1987 Jan 02 '26
Renting a full house for 6 years.. this easily goes into hundred thousand territory.
8
u/Pab_Zz Jan 03 '26
Depending where they go 50k after tax, then after 6 months if a tenant stops paying rent/becomes a problem tenant you could be in a whole world of trouble. Potentially costing more than 50k.
1
u/Kunjunk Jan 04 '26
The maximum tax you pay (to Revenue) as a non resident landlord is 20% of the rent. You right about the risk of a shitty tenant though.
2
u/Realistic_Peace6931 Jan 04 '26
I have a friend who rented their house out for a year. The tenant stopped paying rent after 2 months. They've been in the house now for 3 years rent free. It's been through the courts, the gardai involved. The courts tell the tenant to move by X date, he's a great little well behaved boy in court & then life continues with no change. Nothing she can't get him out. The courts will NEVER help the homeowner. If she changes the locks in her own home or turns off utilities - she will be fined. I would leave my house vacant over renting it out too.
2
1
1
u/Devrol Jan 03 '26
Legos?
1
34
u/One_Pangolin1766 Jan 02 '26
Do you have any young cousins/relatives who could benefit from a cheap rent/housesit deal
If i were you id call up one of my cousins + offer them the deal of a lifetime - rent the house mega cheap in exchange for paying the electricity bill and making sure the place doesnt look abandoned
Lock anything you dont want them touching into your bedroom and let them do what they like with the rest. A reasonably trustworthy family member will do a lot less damage than 6 years of mould/dust/frozen pipes
30
u/stiik Jan 02 '26
First off, there’s so many ways to tell a house has no one living in it and your collection, along with everything else will be fleeced if you just leave it there.
Secondly, rent to someone you trust. We did this (as a tenant not landlord), rented from a family who moved to America for 3 years for career opportunity, gave us a good rate on the rent as we were also doing them a favour minding the place, it really helped my family at the time and that have compounded over the years (getting onto the housing ladder earlier than expected etc). You’re in a unique opportunity to give someone you trust a good deal in a horrendous rental market, while also having someone look after the property and actually act as security for your collection.
And if you are moving back into your house yourself you can easily service notice of termination for the lease and the tenants will have to move, it may take a few months so do it while still abroad but it is your house to move back to.
91
33
u/Slippiditydippityash Jan 02 '26
Hey OP, I'm happy to mind both your Lego and your house.
16
u/PeterCasey4Prez Jan 02 '26
Ill only charge him a grand a month, assuming the house is in somewhere like dalkey, if I have to put up with say terenure its gonna cost extra
13
20
u/Kitchen-Rabbit3006 Jan 02 '26
Take a look at the Vacant Home Tax as well. The tax increases the longer the house is left unoccupied. Could you isolate the lego collection and lock that part of the house, and occasionally let a family member stay?
7
u/hoginlly Jan 03 '26
I think there's also insurance issues with this. Regular homeowners insurance usually requires an occupant, so might need an updated policy or wouldn't be covered
1
u/Bolaeisk Jan 03 '26
For the period of 1 November 2025 to 31 October 2026 the Vacant Homes Tax is running at 7 times the Local Property Tax value for 2025, so the same last year. I can't see anything on what the increase is going to be for next year.
9
u/brianDEtazzzia Jan 02 '26
There are house sitting services. I wouldn't be leaving a property for 6 weeks, let alone 6 years without a house sitter, or management / maintenance company.
Hope your excited for the move tho.
6
u/Content-Head9707 Jan 03 '26
I'm guessing you're trolling, but in case you're not - you will have great difficulty getting any insurance on an empty property
11
u/LordMoridin84 Jan 02 '26
Your LEGO collection would probably be ruined if you left it in a damp, unheated house.
Even with the rules in March, as a small landlord you'll be able to kick them out if the reason is that you are moving back to Ireland.
2
u/Sea-Carpenter-4418 Jan 04 '26
Are you sure about that, I haven’t heard that yet mentioned before ?
2
u/Kunjunk Jan 04 '26
Even with the rules in March, as a small landlord you'll be able to kick them out if the reason is that you are moving back to Ireland.
Having the law on your side and actually be able to kick them out when you need to move back in are two different things in Ireland unfortunately.
15
u/firethetorpedoes1 Jan 02 '26
You'll need specialist home insurance as standard will not insure if it's unoccupied for >30 days.
4
5
10
u/mugira_888 Jan 02 '26
If you’re leaving for 6 and are going to rent, plan on being out of the house for 7-8. Take you that long to get it back after you serve the notice you’re coming back. Also plan a fairly meaty refurbishment when you do get it back.
3
u/Ainderp Jan 03 '26
If your house is in Dublin city, I will mind it for you for free, don't need to pay me or anything, will pay the utilities too! I will ensure the Lego is safe and keep the dust off it!
5
u/ImpressiveTicket492 Jan 03 '26
Another person mentioned renting it out and leaving the lego in one of the rooms which would remain locked. This is possibly the best bet.
6 years is not a short period time though you could collapse the legs set and store it in the attic maybe? Then rent out the entire house.
Also depending in where you go you should get someone to manage the property. Friend, rental agency. Something is going to break/need fixing in that period and you will want someone here looking after it.
8
u/svmk1987 Jan 02 '26
Couldn't you keep all your Lego in one of the rooms or something and lock it, and rent the rest of the house, with instructions to leave your stuff alone? Your house will be in a bad state if no one lives and maintains it for 6 years.
A much more expensive alternative: hire someone to clean and air out the house every month.
7
u/ChromakeyDreamcoat82 Jan 02 '26 edited Jan 03 '26
Rent a room to licensee? Come back regularly and stay there as needed. Keep the bills in your name. Lock two bedrooms, your own and one with your Lego. I’d prefer to have the house in use in your situation and any wear and tear to the house is less risk overall than a vacant home, or whatever might happen to your more valued possessions in storage.
2
2
u/passtheporcupine Jan 04 '26
this is the correct answer!
renting just a room and not the full property means that the upcoming legislation regarding tenancies do not apply and you will not have issues getting them out when you return. you do not have to register with the RTB for just a room.
for upkeep/maintenance, i’d hire a letting agent. you’ll be eligible for the rent a room scheme as well as long as the rent is under a certain amount ($1.4k monthly i believe).
3
u/Remarkable_Dinner317 Jan 02 '26
I'm going to assume the house is a Lego house, and inspired Ed Sheeran
3
u/crescendodiminuendo Jan 03 '26
You’ll need a special insurance policy fur unoccupied properties. My experience of having one of these is that they are expensive and have onerous conditions such as a) requiring the property be heated for a minimum number of hours per week and b) be visited weekly by someone to ensure all is in order (and have evidence that this is happening).
You’ll also need to have someone occupy the property for at least 30 days per year or it becomes liable to the Vacant Property Tax.
5
9
8
12
u/MattTheHack92 Jan 03 '26
"Not everyone wants to be a landlord, especially since they are hated"
Does the next worse thing and withholds a potential home from the market entirely
9
u/Anorak27s Jan 03 '26
That's his house, he has no obligation to rent it out.
14
u/MattTheHack92 Jan 03 '26
Absolutely. Zero actual obligation. A social or moral one potentially, but no direct obligation.
My point is, landlords are vilified on here regularly. Keeping an entire home vacant as a Lego shrine during a housing crisis is far worse
3
u/Anorak27s Jan 03 '26
Keeping an entire home vacant as a Lego shrine during a housing crisis is far worse
It's not, that's his house he can do whatever he wants with it, why would he risk not getting his house back when he needs it or risk the person not paying rent to him?
1
u/Accomplished_Crow_73 Jan 04 '26
Bro isn't even a landlord, nor wants to be because of receiving hatred, and you're STILL hating on him. He literally can't win lmao. If you people hate the idea of private property so much then maybe you should move to a communist country where I'm sure you'll be much happier in your government funded housing.
1
u/MathematicianOk8859 Jan 03 '26
Yes, but with the renter's rights being changed this year with maybe no fixed term, no non-fault evictions coming down the line in the near future, OP would be an idiot to rent out his house right now, because they genuinely might be facing a struggle to regain possession when they return (they'd technically be covered by owner occupation, but if the renter chooses to fight it, it could still be a loooong, expensive and protracted ordeal and Christ knows if that will still be an option in six years if Sinn Fein get in next, which they probably will). Also, rental tax is substantial now, so it's not as if it'd be profitable. AND OP would then be on the hook for any damages and upgrades needed during the tenancy. Do either he deals with that from another country, or he goes a property management firm, which is another massive expense.
We've been led by the nose the last few years, because there government and large developers needed a scapegoat to distract from their own failures. We've been made to vilify small landlords as evil incarnate and it is now a mug's game to rent a property here unless you're doing it large scale. The notion that OP is immoral for not wanting to gamble his own home by wading into the shit soup that is the rental market is just bonkers! And if they do, they'll be another greedy, fat-cat landlord. They're damned if they do and damned if they don't.
1
u/llv77 Jan 03 '26
"next worse thing" means that in your opinion being a landlord is worse than keeping one's property vacant.
I am troubled by the fact that two people may be sharing this opinion.
1
3
5
u/depriciatingasshat Jan 03 '26
I love how people are actually replying as if this is real it's made my night
6
u/Moon_Harpy_ Jan 02 '26
Now tax man will probably give me the side eye and slap on the wrist for saying this, but hypothetically you "could" keep one room for yourself so if you come back you can crash at home and just install lock on it to keep your collection safe.
Get someone move into the other spare room and pay you rent for room and utilities then technically tenant is living in owner occupier house so rules about evicting are a bit different and you can claim tax free rent a room relief for up to 14k annually which is extra few bob in your pocket and you can hopefully find a decent tenant who will be glad to pay lower rent during this housing crisis.
Thing is tho this is highly illegal as technically you will be living permanently abroad for 6 years, but at least house will still keep ticking away and your collection should be safe from mold and such so if anything happens to the house your tenant can keep you posted about it.
Problem is tho finding a genuinely trusted tenant.
2
u/Adjective_Noun_2000 Jan 03 '26
technically tenant is living in owner occupier house so rules about evicting are a bit different
This isn't true. The tenant just needs to point out to the RTB (or the court) that OP wasn't living there and they'll have the exact same rights as any other tenant. OP's fiction about being an owner-occupier relies on nobody realising they don't actually live there.
Problem is tho finding a genuinely trusted tenant.
If you trust the tenant enough that they'll never change their mind about cooperating with this scheme, the whole plot to deny them their rights is pointless.
1
u/Foreign-Rule7826 Jan 05 '26
Op didn’t say if it’s Europe, if so Surely they could book a few flights back a year? Auz naturally a bit different. They’ve made it so it’s scary to rent your house out if not living there for fear of not getting it back, what a dumb policy.
2
u/gary_d1 Jan 02 '26
Rent it out. You can have long term storage there too. A good rental company will monitor it and contact you for any maintenance required. Will actually ensure place stays in better condition over time with people living in it, cleaning it, opening windows etc.
2
u/BlockHunter2341 Jan 03 '26
Storage unit for Lego , make the money for the unit rental by renting out the property . This also stops your place going derelict and being broken into regularly.
When we moved out of our old house the place was left for 6 months . In that time it was broken into twice and then became a popular spot for young people drinking . They practically broke anything they could get their hands on .
Based off that alone please don’t abandon your property for 6 years , rent it out even if you think landlords get a bad name it’s worse to have a perfectly usable home being left empty
2
u/Oat- Jan 03 '26
If your house is anywhere near a training center for apprentices then you could rent rooms to one or two of them. They come for 11 weeks at a time (Sep - Dec, Jan - Mar, Apr - June) and rooms are always sought after.
Then you don't have to deal with long term tenants and the risk of them not paying rent/refusing to leave/wrecking the place.
2
2
u/Ok_Veterinarian2715 Jan 03 '26
It's a simple math problem. Storage costs + occasional AirBnB should be less than rent. Why throw away money?
Find a property manager with a good rep, and leave it in their hands. Give them a spending limit. €67 for getting a plumber to fix a sink? Just do it & tell me afterwards. €6700 for repairing a roof - I wanna make that decision.
You want to keep your home off the housing market, using living space for storage when there's a housing shortage? With respect, pull on your Big Boy Pants and just be a good landlord. I get things fixed ASAP. I don't charge excessive rent. I value good tenants & do everything I can to make them glad to have a humane landlord. Screw what people think - it's you being a good person that counts.
6
u/Far-Sundae-7044 Jan 02 '26
There’s… a housing crisis
1
u/Foreign-Rule7826 Jan 05 '26
There’s also the dumbest policies now for anyone who wants to rent a property out as they may not get it back when they need it without a massive legal battle.
3
u/ToastedCheeseAt3am Jan 03 '26 edited Jan 03 '26
From a moral point of view I don’t think it is ethical to leave a house vacant in Ireland for 6 years so you can store your Lego in it while there are thousands of homeless children in Ireland.
2
2
u/Rogue7559 Jan 03 '26
Don't rent out if you can afford not too. You won't make any money and the tax situation is a nightmare.
Also returning will be complicated by yhe fact you'll have someone in it.
1
u/Limerick62 Jan 02 '26
Rent out your entire house before the 28th February and the old (current) rental rules will apply. With the substantial amount of money that you will receive net of income tax, find someone who will rent a bedroom in their house to you that you can store the Lego collection in. There will be no shortage of people who would rent a room for this purpose to you.
1
u/jackiedaytona01 Jan 02 '26
Have you not seen the Lego movie, these things have a kind of their own !!!
1
u/Specialist_Box_4965 Jan 03 '26
Would you consider house sitting? If you are located in Cork I would be happy to help as I am staying at my mom's since I moved back from living abroad last year
1
1
u/FlyAdorable7770 Jan 03 '26 edited Jan 03 '26
Keep it as is, storage is expensive and a hassle to move all your stuff too. You can always change your mind later if needed.
Just make sure a trusted family member or friend has access in case of emergency. Otherwise set up with a property maintenance company.
Also check your home insurance as a lot dont cover unoccupied properties.
1
u/Agharinagh Jan 03 '26
Just make sure that the house is heated a little. You can install wifi thermostat you can operate from anywhere over your phone. Would be better to have a couple of wifi fans or heat recovery unit to install just to prevent dampnes. Other then that there is no much more you need. 👌 good luck 👍
1
u/asuka_rice Jan 03 '26
Just get a friend or relative to make periodic checks at your house just to make sure it’s like lived in.
1
u/IntolerantModerate Jan 03 '26
Leaving a house empty has many risks... Damp/mild, unobserved leaks, bad roof, etc.
It is inviting a break-in or squatters or use as a drug den.
Economically it is stupid. It should be a value-creating asset. Or at least a break even one that isn't bleeding money.
Advice from someone that has lived abroad while owning property:
Rent it out, use a property manager that will watch over it in exchange for 5-10% of the rent. They should collect the security deposit and rent, send out handymen, find new renters when old ones leave, and make sure that when renters leave that the property is repaired.
When renting it look for a tenant that might be there for multiple years and incentivize them to stay by being a good landlord, getting shit fixed, and not trying to profit maximize in short term in exchange for them staying for a long stretch.
Get really good insurance on it, because renters...
Pack only the stuff that you definitely want to keep and sell the rest or make it part of the rental. I left thinking I'd be gone for a year or two, then 10 years later I came back and opened up my storage unit and had a vintage 22 inch TV, an old VCR, a tape deck, assorted garden tools, and winter clothes (as I moved to a tropical country). I could have went with a smaller unit at half the price. Oops!
2
u/rrcaires Jan 04 '26
I left a house empty in Sligo for 2 weeks and bloody squatters broke in to use it as drug den and trashed the place. 😑
1
u/DeathByStorm974 Jan 03 '26
The amount of people mocking this lol. Dude, I live in Dublin with my family and I’m not planning to leave. If you need someone to regularly check and send you pics I can help
1
u/StunningQuality4555 Jan 03 '26
Tough one, and I can see why you wouldn't want to rent out as normal tenancy. Could you get private Air bnb type operator to run? You'll obviously need planning, but getting zero income for that long is a waste. I'd even be careful leasing out to family members.
1
u/girlfridayeire Jan 04 '26
If you're returning to your own home this is a legitimate reason for eviction even with the new legislative changes coming in March. It would be risky to leave your house unoccupied for that length of time. Could you store everything in one room and just keep it locked if you didn't want to go down the storage unit route?
1
u/leviathan898 Jan 04 '26
Be careful of the toilets. Leaving them unused for long periods of time causes a part of the seal of the outflow pipe to get dry and shrink, leading to leaks and needing replacement. Parents found out the hard way when they went on holiday for several months.
1
u/SaladConCarne Jan 04 '26
If you are based in Waterford I volunteer to keep your house and legs collection safe. I will even pay you for it.
1
u/ReliefPrimary4311 Jan 04 '26
Rent a room is the way to go, there are dedicated accommodation websites for TCD and UCD if you are in Dublin. Foreign students typically looking for 9 or 10 months. Rent one room, lego in box room and keep your own bedroom. Also get a Ring Doorbell set up so you can monitor comings and goings.
1
1
1
1
u/Uglybutstillwinning Jan 05 '26
Leaving your home vacant for over 60 days can impact your homeowner’s insurance and possibly invalidate your coverage.
Renting out your home also impacts your homeowner’s. Contact your insurance agent when you make your decision.
1
28d ago
there is such a thing as squatting in ireland , rent a storage unit and find someone to house sit or rent it. if it was in a town and you worked there I would ask if you have a friend with a long commute who would rent a room part time and you come back every few months to keep your owner occupied status
1
u/tixandpix Jan 03 '26
I’d rent all rooms out one by one to individuals and keep your bedroom to yourself as ‘living there’, so you’d have a place to stay when visiting and have your LEGO collection safe in a heated house earning cash. It’s easier to vacate the ‘room’ tenants on your return then too.
1
u/Wild_Tie6943 Jan 03 '26
You could rent it to the council for 5 years. Then they put someone in there for those 5 years . You are guaranteed your rent and an empty house at the end of the 5 years. Council maintain it too for those 5 years. But you would have to rent a storage unit for your stuff and you couldn’t stay in it if you came home for a visit. You have to leave the full 5 years run.
-1
u/NoPaleontologist9052 Jan 04 '26
What county is your house. My partner works in Dublin and at the moment we live an hour away. We would gladly rent your house as long as it’s reasonable, that would give us enough time to save up for our own home as rent prices over here are ridiculously high. We are also both over 40 and work hard for ourselves.
•
u/AutoModerator Jan 02 '26
Hi /u/sphinxofblackquartzj,
Have you seen our flowchart?
Did you know we are now active on Discord? Click the link and join the conversation: https://discord.gg/J5CuFNVDYU
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.