Problem Housemates

mikemac

Been renting a room in Dublin 5 for the last 10 months. Share the house with the landlord and another tenant.
I like the area though the landlord is pretty dodgy. Rent is paid strictly cash in hand. He says most private landlords in Dublin are like this. Is this true?

Both the landlord and the other tenant are in their 30's.
Been driven mad with snoring for the last few months. It especially happens at weekends if one of they comes back drunk or are drinking cans in the living room.

I'm most easy going person in the world and hate confrontations but am starting to slowly go mad. I work full-time and attend college a few nights a week and on Saturdays. I now go into work exhausted on Mondays when I should be relaxed after the weekend.

I've tried asking them to find a solution but have been told that I'm imagining it and stop complaining.

Can these people ever stop snoring or would I better off looking for a new place?

Also, if I do move out I hope to claim for rent relief since I pay PAYE. Since I'm never going to get the landlord to sign any forms, could I report him to the Revenue?

SoulTravellin

Does the landlord at least give you any kind of receipt/acknowledgment of payment for the monthly rent?

swiss

Rent. Book.

Get one, and get him to sign it whenever you pay your rent. Other than that, I'm not sure what to say except invest in a pair of ear plugs.

Nevyn

Ear plugs to combat the snoring, and music playing not a whole lot you can do about it.
People who are renting out rooms in thier house are ment to declare it put it has to be over certain ammount before the renenue comes looking for anything off them.
It is up to you wether you report him after you move out.

mikemac

SoulTravellin wrote:

Does the landlord at least give you any kind of receipt/acknowledgment of payment for the monthly rent?

Absolutly not. When I first moved in I bought a rent book in Easons but the landlord wouldn't even look at it. I don't get receipts when I pay rent each month.

I refused to pay a deposit without a receipt so I never payed a deposit. Also, he dropped the rent when I complained about not being able to claim rent relief but not by much. I think I can claim anyway as the Revenue can process the claim with just a name and address.

Where would I pick up earplugs? I haven't a clue where

ferdi

eh, get out of there. sounds like a dodgy situation that will finish badly.

pcwares

yeah typical landlord issues. You probably didnt sign a lease either. He took a little of the rent when you were on about rent relief because he is obviously not declaring his income from rental property which is subject to tax over a certain threshold. I would suggest in all fairness to get the finger out. Move out and time it so its around the time you have to pay the next months rent. You didnt pay a deposit which is probably the only wise thing you did. Once moved out report him to the PRIVATE RESIDENTIAL TENANCIES BOARD(PRTB) for being an unregistered landlord.

I came across an article where someone thought about what a choice piece of salmon would smell like hidden under a carpet somewhere is a house after a few weeks...prospective tenants might think twice.

http://www.daft.ie/tenant_rights/index.php

TheVan

I'd defo move out because of the landlord situation.

The snoring and drinking of cans comes with renting accomodation however and you just have to accept it (obviously only to a certain degree!).

Good luck in finding new accomodation!

LegacyUser

micmclo wrote:

I refused to pay a deposit without a receipt so I never payed a deposit. Also, he dropped the rent when I complained about not being able to claim rent relief but not by much. I think I can claim anyway as the Revenue can process the claim with just a name and address.

so you agreed to pay cash in hand for a rent drop when you moved in, and now you're having some trouble with your landlord, rather than being a man and having a word, you're gonna go behind his back and fcuk him over. nasty.

you're entitled to €254 a year, you're there 10 months, so that makes just over €200, has the rent reduction, you agreed on come to this? if not sort out the ballance, and move out.

what comes around goes around dude.

cornbb

You can pick up cheap foam earplugs in any pharmacy for under a euro. They work a charm.

LegacyUser

pcwares wrote:

yeah typical landlord issues. You probably didnt sign a lease either. He took a little of the rent when you were on about rent relief because he is obviously not declaring his income from rental property which is subject to tax over a certain threshold. I would suggest in all fairness to get the finger out. Move out and time it so its around the time you have to pay the next months rent. You didnt pay a deposit which is probably the only wise thing you did. Once moved out report him to the PRIVATE RESIDENTIAL TENANCIES BOARD(PRTB) for being an unregistered landlord.

I came across an article where someone thought about what a choice piece of salmon would smell like hidden under a carpet somewhere is a house after a few weeks...prospective tenants might think twice.

http://www.daft.ie/tenant_rights/index.php

you sound pretty bitter there dude, sounds like the landlord is just renting out a couple of rooms in his private residence, if so he doesn't have to provide a rent book, or register with the PRTB.

yes, he should be declaring his rent earnigns, and paying tax on it if it's over €7,620, but alot of landlords renting a room or 2 in their gaf don't, they come to an agreement with their tennants to give em the relif.

and before you get on your "this if corruption" high horse, have you ever done a nixor, cash in hand, ever bought anything abroad and not declared it, i'd be more worried about the fat cat landlords, politicans with off shore bank accounts than you're adverage joe trying to cover a mortgage.

and as far as putting fish in the carpet, all i can say to that is, grow up.

mikemac

Thanks for your help guys, lots of good advice.

Stp, you've raised some fair points but you've a terrible attitude.
And your post in another forum sums you up perfectly.

stp wrote:

if you're sick at the weekend......
... do you think you should be owed a work day off?

i mean, that's your day off work down the toilet.

think i'm comming down with somthing

A freeloader who happy to screw your employer as well as let down your work collegues but not report a tax dodging landlord.
I don't pay PRSI for the likes of you to call in sick for the reason above so don't advise others to avoid tax.

pcwares

landlords overcharge in general for rental accomodation and are the first to 'know their rights' when a tenant is at fault. Tenants should know their rights and act upon them when a landlord operates outside the laws of this country. My views would defintely slant towards the tenant. You can infer what you like from my posts.

mikemac

Thanks pcwares.

I think I'll be following your advice. Except for the part about the salmon

LegacyUser

micmclo wrote:

Thanks for your help guys, lots of good advice.

Stp, you've raised some fair points but you've a terrible attitude.
And your post in another forum sums you up perfectly.


A freeloader who happy to screw your employer as well as let down your work collegues but not report a tax dodging landlord.
I don't pay PRSI for the likes of you to call in sick for the reason above so don't advise others to avoid tax.

the fact that you have to a background check on me, paste a completly unrelated post to try and invalidate my post, sums you up too.

my attitude is not terrible, i'm just not saying what you want to hear.

you knew the score when you moved in, you don't want to report him because he's breaking the law and it's you're civic duty, you want to report him cause you don't like him and would like 200 odd euro.

you're obviously not happy there, why didn't you just move out? it's a renters market after all.

LegacyUser

pcwares wrote:

landlords overcharge in general for rental accomodation and are the first to 'know their rights' when a tenant is at fault. Tenants should know their rights and act upon them when a landlord operates outside the laws of this country. My views would defintely slant towards the tenant. You can infer what you like from my posts.

landlords don't overcharge, the rent is determined by the market, rent has actually come down compared to a few years ago, i was renting (shared) in killester 2 years ago, the rent just before i moved in was €500 per month, and €450 when i moved in.

you're also a hypocrite, you say a tennant should know their rights and act upon them when a landlord operates outside the law, but you also suggest ripping the landlord off a months rent, and destroying his property.

UberNewb

micmclo wrote:

Thanks for your help guys, lots of good advice.

Stp, you've raised some fair points but you've a terrible attitude.
And your post in another forum sums you up perfectly.


A freeloader who happy to screw your employer as well as let down your work collegues but not report a tax dodging landlord.
I don't pay PRSI for the likes of you to call in sick for the reason above so don't advise others to avoid tax.

Ah ha ha! You got him there!

Anyway moving on another idea is to try the wax ear plugs you can get from the pharmacy. These cost 6 euro's for a box of 6 pairs. They are more expensive than the foam one's but I find them alot better.

Ruu_Old

get out of there fast, if you have no receipts then you are going to be in trouble in the long run. what if when you decide you want out, he'll probably tell you that you havent paid him a penny, or worse.

pcwares

listen pal - we rented out a house before so i have seen these types of issues first hand. I also have rented in dublin. Some landlords granted and decent, upfront and professional in their dealings with tenants. What you fail to grasp onto is that there are landlords who fk people over for the sake of keeping deposits etc. Since no contract was validly formed then he has the right to do what he feels best. Although there are oral contract which are on a par with written contracts in law once there is offer acceptence and consideration + legal intent. Difficult to prove if no third party or memorandum to back up the intent/acceptance.

In no way do i condone leaving a piece of salmon/fish under a carpet. It was an article i read somewhere on the net some time ago and it was worth noting that this was a course of action that somebody felt like that should do. I wouldn't think that justifiable in any situation due to economic consequences for a landlord and/or tenant. So to sum up your peception is skewed by your inability to have a level headed discussion about a sensitive issue.

Based on the average industrial wage it is unlikely that a mortgage can be secured in dublin for a property for the single person looking for their own home. This is a travesty and an ill of our times. Reprobate landlords that capitalise on students for instance is deplorable and well documented.

Gordon

OP do you want this thread moved to the Accomodation/Property forum, it's probably better off there.

Talliesin

micmclo wrote:

Rent is paid strictly cash in hand. He says most private landlords in Dublin are like this. Is this true?

I'd like to think that most landlords in Dublin weren't criminals, but I could be wrong.

micmclo wrote:

Also, if I do move out I hope to claim for rent relief since I pay PAYE. Since I'm never going to get the landlord to sign any forms, could I report him to the Revenue?

Yes, the revenue would likely be quite interested to hear about undisclosed income.