# Huge drop in rental properties available in Swords...why??



## landlord (21 Jul 2010)

As Someone who lets out several properties in Swords I am always checking on daft the quantity of properties available to rent in Swords. In recent months this number has dropped dramatically. A couple of years ago this number was well over 200. As of a few weeks ago it dropped to under 100 and today its 86. I am trying to figure out why this is. There does not seem to be any increase or decrease in rents in the last few months, so I guess supply is meeting demand which suggests a large drop in the number of people seeking rental accomodation. 
My question is why is there such a massive drop in rental properties in Swords......Perhaps ......
1. Landlords are selling their properties instead of letting them out. 
2. Moving back into their properties and turning them into their principal private residents. 
3. Using other websites/means to advertise their properties.

Any other suggestions?

Anybody else keep track of the number of rental properties on Daft in their area. Just wandering if this drop is a common trend throughout Ireland?


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## Knuttell (21 Jul 2010)

landlord said:


> Anybody else keep track of the number of rental properties on Daft in their area. Just wandering if this drop is a common trend throughout Ireland?



http://daftwatch.thepropertypin.com/

You may find this a useful tool for tracking rentals and sales throughout Ireland.


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## landlord (22 Jul 2010)

Thanks Knuttell....that website shows an increase in the number of properties for rent on Daft in the last few months which does not seem to reflect the case for Swords.


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## Knuttell (22 Jul 2010)

Seasonal and expected,students giving up flats,apts,rooms etc,there was a significant dip a few months back.

Obviously you are a Landlord,have you looked at this site at all?

http://www.irishlandlord.com/


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## G7979 (22 Jul 2010)

I used to work as an agent in the area, during the summer months a huge number of cabin crew and pilots would be brought in from abroad for the package holiday flights etc, usually they would arrive in may and generally are gone home by Halloween, might explain some of it, though I would think the volumes would be affected by the downturn, not as many people taking holidays as in previous years


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## landlord (23 Jul 2010)

Knuttell said:


> Seasonal and expected,students giving up flats,apts,rooms etc,there was a significant dip a few months back.
> 
> Obviously you are a Landlord,have you looked at this site at all?
> 
> http://www.irishlandlord.com/


 
I would have thought that as students move back for the summer and vacate their rental properties this would lead to an increase in the supply of rental properties during the summer months...not a decrease ??


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## Knuttell (23 Jul 2010)

landlord said:


> *that website shows an increase in the number* of properties for rent on Daft in the last few months which does not seem to reflect the case for Swords.


 
Hi Landlord I was replying to this comment,I was trying to explain the rise in properties in Dublin generally.


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## minion (27 Jul 2010)

I asked around. 
Daft are doing a clearout and working by area.  Swords is obviously the area this week.
It seems that Daft is full of landlords rolling over the advertising on their property even when its not to let anymore, just to save themselves the price of putting a new ad up when it comes vacant again.  And also costing Daft revenue it would normally take.  Some are doing this for years.

This really skews the numbers of properties to let as most of them arent to let at all.  I tried calling a few of the one bed apartments for a test and one or two numbers arent even connecting, so they arent finished the clearout yet.

Fair play to Daft for doing something about it.


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## landlord (28 Jul 2010)

minion said:


> I asked around.
> Daft are doing a clearout and working by area. Swords is obviously the area this week.
> It seems that Daft is full of landlords rolling over the advertising on their property even when its not to let anymore, just to save themselves the price of putting a new ad up when it comes vacant again. And also costing Daft revenue it would normally take. Some are doing this for years.
> 
> ...


 
Excellent.....thanks....that explains it then. 
Makes perfect sense, because landlords with multiple properties can constantly renew one advert and avoid paying again and again. Great to see Daft tackling the problem.


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## Butter (4 Aug 2010)

minion said:


> I asked around.
> Daft are doing a clearout and working by area.  Swords is obviously the area this week.
> It seems that Daft is full of landlords rolling over the advertising on their property even when its not to let anymore, just to save themselves the price of putting a new ad up when it comes vacant again.  And also costing Daft revenue it would normally take.  Some are doing this for years.
> 
> ...



That's very interesting.  It also means that the info that Daft publishes on number of vacant properties, rents etc etc is pretty much useless.


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## Knuttell (5 Aug 2010)

So there are a lot *less properties *to let than we were led to believe by successive Daft rental reports,I always knew those reports were suspect,this just proves it.
They should get their own house in order (no pun) instead of faffing about with obviously dodgy data.
DAFT seems like a good name for a business that relies on skewered numbers to cobble together a flawed report on the rental market.


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## bugler (6 Aug 2010)

Have Daft changed their policy? It seems odd that an ad would be allowed run open-endedly over a matter of years, as one poster suggests above. I would have thought there'd be a time limit to the ads. 

Having looked on Daft, it seems there is: 

"A standard rental ad gives you up to 10 photos and an interactive map  showing the property location. You can keep the ad on the site for 90  days."

So 90 days after placement the ad, if it still exists, is removed. Was this not the case previously?


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## minion (8 Aug 2010)

Ads can be on Daft for years.  the landlord just clicks renew once a week.
I had some for up to 2 years myself when I had rental properties.  Why bother to keep advertising if you own multiple properties of the same type in the same area then as they become vacant the same ad will do for them all if you keep renewing it. A friend who worked for Daft tipped me off to doing that.  Saved me a fortune.
The DAFT reports are definitely not accurate, but they are the best we have.


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## minion (20 Aug 2010)

I take that back about Daft being the best we have.
Even though I know they have discussed it they have not admitted all of their previous reports were skewed by faulty data.
They wheeled out someone on Newstalk the other day and blatantly lied about the stock of empties going down.  They did not mention the little point that they have gone down mostly because Daft have been fixing their website to get rid of those rolling over rentals.

Surely if we are to believe their reports they have to admit when they used faulty data previously.


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