Sticker Shock for New Arrivals

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Vanessa Flood

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As a recession-hits Ireland forces young people to immigrate to other countries, including the U.S., many are unaware of the high costs of setting up home in a new place, according to landlords and recent arrivals to New York.

Vincent Tarrant, business owner and landlord, spoke to the Irish Voice of the realities associated with moving to New York and how many young Irish don’t come without enough money to get started.

Tarrant, who rents out three apartments in Yonkers, looks for one month’s rent and one month’s deposit before he allows anyone to sign a lease.

“All of my apartments are over $1,000 a month, so when someone wants to rent from me I require, as do most landlords, at least $2,000, depending on which apartment they take, upfront,” explains Tarrant.

This, however, said the landlord, is getting harder and harder to come by, especially with new immigrants.

“I’d much prefer to rent to immigrants who have been here a few years because they’ve a life built for themselves and can afford the required upfront payment and bills,” he said.

However, Tarrant gets many calls from recently arrived immigrants, including many couples, who can only come up with one month of rent.

“They are not coming to New York with enough money in their pockets and end up either sleeping on strangers’ couches or spending the little bit of money they have on hotels or bed and breakfasts,” said Tarrant, a Co. Cork immigrant from the 1980s.

Donal O’Donovan, an immigrant from Co. Carlow, came to New York in January and said that although he “just about had enough money” to rent a one-bedroom apartment with his girlfriend, whom he has since split from, he was surprised that apartments in New York aren’t furnished.

Said O’Donovan, 28, “Me and the ex came with enough of money for a deposit and rent because we did some research into the cost of it before we came, but we didn’t know that the place would be empty when we rented.”

Tarrant explains, “It’s different in Ireland. Most homes that are for rent in Ireland are fully furnished, but here it’s not the landlord’s responsibility to furnish a place.”

Most new tenants are required to purchase all furniture, apart from appliances, in New York.

Not having enough money to furnish an entire one-bedroom apartment, O’Donovan said he bought a blow-up bed from a liquidation store. He found a discarded couch at the side of the road on garbage day, and after a few weeks got enough money together to purchase a television.

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