Nigerian media researcher Joseph Olusegun Adebayo relocated here last year. Having been put through the hoops himself, he offers advice on finding a home to others arriving from abroad
It is impossible to conceal a polished diamond. Somehow, it will sparkle. Right now, Northern Ireland is sparkling, and the world has taken note.
Once avoided due to being a hotbed of sectarian violence, it is today one of the most peaceful and welcoming countries in Europe.
With two world-class universities, Queen’s University and the University of Ulster, including burgeoning and thriving tourism and tech industries, she has become one of the most sought after beautiful brides of Europe.
Its exciting, positive growth trajectory has come with several (new) challenges. For example, housing prices have skyrocketed.
According to recent data, apartment prices have soared by 7.1% in the last 24 months.
The growth of digital nomad working, especially post-Covid, has led many people to consider quiet, peaceful and affordable countries and cities.
This place perfectly fits the bill.
Add the growing number of international students in the leading tertiary institutions, and the impact on housing is significant.
Getting a rental apartment is currently an extreme sport.
I know, because I lost so much weight traversing Belfast in search of an apartment to rent.
With that in mind, my goal is to provide some advice on how to get an apartment here, especially as an international visitor, digital nomad, student, etc…
Please note that this advice is from my personal experience of searching for an apartment as a newbie. I am pretty sure many people have similar or completely different experiences from mine.
Start early
If you have already decided to move here to work, live or study, do not wait until you arrive.
Granted, many landlords and agents will not let their apartments to people who have not physically viewed them.
It is understandable. Pictures can lie. I recall enquiring about several on PropertyPal while still planning my move from Cape Town.
All the landlords and agents who were kind enough to respond to my enquiries insisted that I must first view the apartment before I could even put in an application.
So, while getting an apartment from outside the country is near-impossible, early searches would provide insights into desirable neighbourhoods and likely costs. Visit sites like PropertyPal, SpareRoom, PropertyNews, Zoopla, Rentola, etc. PropertyPal is my favourite, but it does not hurt to check out others.
Deposit is king
When you eventually arrive and begin to apply for apartments, note that you would be required to provide assurances you can at least provide a deposit equivalent to a month’s rent.
In some cases, landlords and agents would need two months’ deposit.
It is a cautious step taken by property owners to ensure their rents are not at risk, especially if potential tenants are new and do not have UK-based guarantors.
A little secret: even in cases where the property owner does not indicate a double deposit, you might just state you are willing to provide double deposits. Shhhhh, don’t tell anyone, please, it’s our little secret.
Of course, your deposits are protected. Your landlord is expected to protect your deposit in a tenancy deposit scheme within 14 days of receiving it. So, you don’t have to worry.
Be realistic
I was slightly overconfident when I was preparing to move here.
I thought a few days after arriving here, I would get an apartment, view it, pay and move in. Boy, was I wrong! I paid for a 10-day stay at an Airbnb in south Belfast with the hope of moving out before the last day.
The short story is I ended up staying for eight months at the Airbnb. Yeah, I know, that was wild.
Okay, let me put things into perspective: you will implausibly stay up to eight months before you get a place. My case is slightly unique because I got tired of searching for a place after about six weeks.
I must admit I loved the Airbnb I stayed in, and my host was very wonderful and generous.
After almost six weeks of fruitless search for an apartment, I made a deal with my host for a long-term stay at a reduced cost. Thank God my host was kind enough to accept my proposal.
If you plan to search for rental apartments you might want to extend your Airbnb stay by a few days or weeks if you can afford it. The chances of you getting an apartment in a week are slim (not impossible). Longer stays at Airbnb provide pressure-free ample time to search for flats without getting restless and desperate.
Don’t take anything personal
Let me state unequivocally that, in your apartment search, don’t take anything personal. Don’t think you are not getting a place because of your accent, skin colour, sexuality, etc.
The truth is, there are hundreds of people like you searching for limited apartment spaces.
I once attended a viewing on Eglantine Avenue, where close to 40 people were listed to view a one-bedroom apartment.
Landlords and agents often choose the individual(s) who would guarantee regular rent payments and who have UK-based guarantors and steady incomes. It is usually nothing personal at all. I cannot overstate this point.
We live in a very touchy world where almost every word, action or inaction is interpreted to have a thousand meanings. It is exhausting.
There is more to this place than Belfast
Capital cities often have their attractions. They are a hive of activities, mostly more diverse than other parts of the country, and the presence of most corporations’ HQs mean jobs are often aplenty. Belfast is not an exception.
It is a thriving and vibrant European city that has become increasingly multicultural. However, there is more to Northern Ireland than Belfast.
You would be doing yourself a disservice if you limit yourself to Belfast.
For example, Bangor is a few minutes from Belfast city centre.
Well-run and efficient train and bus services connect Belfast to other parts of the country. In addition, there are other towns like Lisburn, Carrickfergus, Ballycastle, Helen’s Bay, Portstewart.
Some of these are farther away from Belfast, but if you are a digital nomad like me, it should not matter much.
Unless you have a job in the city centre and are required to be office-based or you are a student in one of the universities’ campuses around the city centre, you should consider spreading your search for an apartment outside of Belfast.
In most cases, the farther away you move from the centre, the cheaper the apartments and the better the options.
Wherever you decide to live, you will discover genuinely kind people, beautiful towns with slower paces and good quality of life, and a great sense of community.
