Aga Nowak is sitting in her rented accommodation surrounded by packed boxes. “I’m sorry,” she said, bursting into tears. “It’s such a difficult time.”
Originally from Poland and now living in Dublin 18, the mother of two received a notice from her landlord in November to vacate the property to make way for a sale.
After a six-month search, she and her husband are now one of 20,000 people chasing fewer than 1,000 homes in Ireland.
“When our landlady let us know, I asked if we could stay until June, when the children finish school, but she didn’t give us time.
“She needs to sell and she has the right to do so – it’s her house – but it’s been very stressful.
“I tried about 45 properties and only four came back to me,” Nowak said.
“I started working at An Post last May and was waiting for the six-month probation period to get a mortgage, but with the price of the property it was impossible to find a place for five people as my mother lives. with us too.
“We have around 2,300 euros to rent per month. I would still like to save up for a mortgage, but when I look at the prices it scares me because there is absolutely no chance of renting and saving.
“It’s really hard because kids can see me packing and say, ‘Mom, where are we going next week?’ It’s only a week away and I have to tell them, ‘I don’t know’.
“Yesterday when I got a message from another agency to tell us that we didn’t get the house, I lost all hope. And today another call made me so angry.
“A landlord asked me how old my children are and what schools they attend. How is this relevant if I can afford it?
“I don’t tell them my mother is living with us because I know they don’t rent us a twin bed, and that’s the only one I can afford because even that costs around €2,300 to €2,500. I can’t dream of renting a three-bed.
“This morning I could see my daughter packing boxes and she told me she is fine but she is very quiet.
“I know I’ll have a better chance of getting a council house if I go into emergency accommodation, but I don’t want that and it’s not worth it for the impact it will have on my children.
“I don’t want anything for free, I want to pay it my way, but there’s so little out there.”