It is one of the first questions a property owner asks us: how much should I spend before I let it? The honest answer is that the figure should never start with a contractor's rough estimate. It should start with the property itself — its location, its present condition, the type of corporate guest it can attract, and the income that a stronger finish could support.
A dated property in a strong Dublin location can be caught in an expensive middle ground. It is too tired to compete for the best corporate stays, so it earns less than it should. But its owner hesitates to invest because they do not know whether the work will pay back. The result is often an underperforming let — or a property left empty while the decision is put off. As we have covered before, an empty Dublin property carries a real monthly cost, even when that cost does not arrive as a single bill.
The wrong question is: what does a refurbishment cost?
There is no useful average. Two apartments of the same size can need completely different investment. One may have a good kitchen, sound bathroom and excellent natural light, but need thoughtful furnishing, repainting and better flooring. Another may have the location corporate guests want but need a full reset: new kitchen, bathroom, layout decisions and every room furnished from scratch.
The more useful question is: what is stopping this property from achieving corporate-let standard, and what return will removing those obstacles create? That is the question we answer before suggesting a scope of work. It protects owners from two common mistakes: spending heavily on improvements that do not change the income potential, or doing too little and leaving the property unable to command the rates its location deserves.
There are usually three levels of investment
Every property is different, but the work generally falls into one of three categories. These are not off-the-shelf packages or a list for owners to manage themselves — they are the starting point for a conversation about what will make a particular property perform.
1. Styling and furnishing
Some properties are structurally sound and reasonably current, but feel incomplete, impersonal or poorly presented. In those cases, the right intervention may be a professional styling and furnishing scheme: durable furniture, proper beds and workspaces, lighting, window treatments, artwork and the practical items a multi-month guest expects. This is not simply about making a listing photograph well. It is about making an apartment comfortable enough for someone to live in for weeks or months.
2. Targeted upgrades
Often, one or two dated areas are holding the whole property back. A tired kitchen, an old bathroom, worn flooring or poor lighting can make an otherwise excellent apartment feel like a compromise. Targeted works can remove those weak points while preserving the elements that are already working. The decision should be based on the guest experience and the likely rate — not on whether a particular room happens to be the easiest one to renovate.
3. Full refurbishment
For a vacant, inherited or long-neglected property, a complete refurbishment may be the best route. It creates an opportunity to make the layout, finishes and furnishing work together from the outset, rather than layering improvements over problems that remain underneath. Our refurbishment service, delivered with our sister company Nua Spaces, takes on projects at this level and brings them directly into EirStay management at handover.
What corporate guests actually notice
Corporate guests do not choose an apartment because it follows a passing interiors trend. They choose it because it feels reliable, comfortable and ready for real life. A relocating professional wants a bedroom that supports good sleep, a kitchen they can use every evening, a bathroom that feels clean and current, and a workspace that is not an afterthought. A project team needs enough seating, storage and everyday durability for a longer stay. Embassy and executive guests expect a home that reflects the level of the location.
Those expectations make the details matter: how rooms flow, whether furniture is comfortable rather than merely decorative, whether finishes will hold up across stays, and whether the property feels consistent from its photographs to the front door. This is why works should be planned by the team that will eventually host the guests. We know where operational problems emerge, what photographs well without disappointing in person, and which decisions help a property earn repeatedly rather than only look good on completion day.
Location changes the calculation
Investment should always reflect the market around the property. In the south Dublin neighbourhoods where corporate demand is strongest — around Donnybrook, Ballsbridge, Ranelagh, Sandymount and the city centre — guests have good alternatives. A property in those areas can often justify a stronger finish because the location can support it, provided the standard matches what those guests expect.
That does not mean adding luxury for its own sake. It means avoiding the false economy of a half-finished result in a location where the market will reward a better one. Conversely, we will say when a full refurbishment is not the right move. The aim is not to maximise a works budget; it is to make a property commercially ready for the guests it is best placed to serve.
Why the refurbishment plan and letting plan need to be one plan
Traditionally, an owner hires a contractor, makes design decisions in isolation, gets the keys back and then starts looking for a letting agent. That sequence creates a gap at exactly the point it matters most. The property may be finished, but it is not yet photographed, furnished for the right guest, positioned in the market or ready to earn.
Our approach is different. Nua Spaces carries out the works and styling, while the EirStay team is involved from the first assessment. The property is designed for its eventual corporate market and transitions directly into our managed corporate letting service at handover. There is one team accountable for the finish, the presentation and the income that follows.
Morehampton Road in Donnybrook is a good example. The three-apartment project required a complete interior refurbishment, then styling and furnishing for corporate guests. Once the works were complete, it moved straight into EirStay management — no second search for an operator, and no void period between project completion and market launch. You can see the finished project on our refurbishment portfolio.
Start with an assessment, not a speculative budget
If your property feels dated, vacant or simply below the standard its location should command, the most useful next step is not to collect disconnected quotes. It is to understand what level of work would make a genuine commercial difference — and what the property could earn once it reaches that point.
We can assess the property, recommend whether styling, targeted upgrades or a full refurbishment is appropriate, and show how it would fit into an EirStay corporate-letting plan. Our yield calculator is a useful first view of the potential, but a property assessment is where the numbers become specific to your home. Request an assessment and we will give you a clear, practical view of the opportunity.