Landlord lets himself into our house

eth0_

There's four of us sharing a house here in the city centre. The rent is cheap but the landlord is AWFUL.

The bath upstairs was leaking for six months before he got someone in to fix it (and had to put in a new bathroom because the water damage was so bad due to his laziness in fixing it).

He also lets himself into the house whenever he likes. On several occasions he has been in the house with the plumber, replacing radiators etc, and has unlocked our bedroom doors.

He never gives ANY notice he is going to be in the house.

Yesterday he arrived unannounced with a joiner to put in a new floor in my housemates room (because there was damp, which he again hadn't bothered fixing until it got really bad). He walked in before 9am and she was still in bed!

He never apologised. He said the joiner would be back on FRIDAY to complete the work, but this was a total lie as the two of them showed up this morning again.

We have contacted Threshold and they are useless.

Me and the girl I mentioned are both planning on moving out next month but would like to get the b*stard.

mad m

Longfield wrote:

To clarify, he arrives with tradesmen to fix problems that you have complained about ? - the bástard!!, how unreasonable!!

Ohh also..its not your house..its HIS..

Thats not very helpful,what if the girl was doing something private in her room when landlord walked in.

Landlord afaik must give notice and someone has to be there while he is there etc.

jhegarty

don't listen to what Longfield said... as long as you are paying rent its your house....

some info on your rights : http://www.oasis.gov.ie/housing/renting_a_flat_or_house/landlords_rights_and_obligations.html

eth0_

It's ok, I know longfield is a fscking idiot.

The point is, it's taken him over 6 months to bother his ass to get someone in to fix the major problems in the house, and he never gave any notice he was going to come in. He's unlocked my door walked in on me when i've been off work and in bed sick!

We know what our rights are but don't know who can help us, as Threshold have been useless. Should we just contact a solicitor?

jhegarty

eth0_ wrote:

It's ok, I know longfield is a fscking idiot.

The point is, it's taken him over 6 months to bother his ass to get someone in to fix the major problems in the house, and he never gave any notice he was going to come in. He's unlocked my door walked in on me when i've been off work and in bed sick!

We know what our rights are but don't know who can help us, as Threshold have been useless. Should we just contact a solicitor?

If threshold haven't been any help you better contact the prtb http://www.prtb.ie/

Victor

eth0_ wrote:

It's ok, I know longfield is a fscking idiot.

Behave.

eth0_

And you don't warn longfield about his post?

Calina

Longfield wrote:

To clarify, he arrives with tradesmen to fix problems that you have complained about ? - the bástard!!, how unreasonable!!

Ohh also..its not your house..its HIS..

Just in case you are actually unaware of how things are:

1) regardless of whether he is fixing something which his tenants has complained about he MUST give reasonable notice of his intention to arrive. Turning up is not acceptable.

2) it may be his house but it is his tenants' home and they are entitled to enjoy it as such for the duration of their occupancy. As such, he does not have any droit de seigneur over the house while it's occupied by somebody else who is paying him for the privilege.

Personally I'd be out of this house myself. Landlords who are well up on their rights but don't know much about their obligations are generally a bad deal and this guy sounds lazy out.

Victor

eth0_ wrote:

And you don't warn longfield about his post?

Sorry, it was pointed generally, but you're the one who started the abuse.

Calina wrote:

1) regardless of whether he is fixing something which his tenants has complained about he MUST give reasonable notice of his intention to arrive. Turning up is not acceptable.

Correct.

Sponge Bob

contact the PTSB eth_0 , give his name and address and rsi number and ensure that they confirm he is registered or else chase his ass.

you are claiming rent relief, if not then go to the tax office and they will sort it whether you have his rsi number or not.

he is probably a retired cop

Gordon

That would really really piss me off. When I was on an island once there were seven of us living in a place (all legit) and one night I brought a young chickie back to the place, in the morning the landlord barged in with a club and threatened to beat me up if I had someone else in my room. Thankfully she was quietly snuck under the bed and he was stupid enough to believe that there was nobody there!

One word:
CHAIN-ON-THE-DOOR

(OK, it's not actually one word)

Just stick a chain on or physically wedge the door shut with a chair against the handle of the front door. You'll need to make sure you keep wedging it shut whenever someone goes out of the house but you'll get into the habit quickly as it's for a good reason.

Of course it's true that the landlord owns the property but it doesn't mean that he can wander in whenever he feels like it - he's renting it out. When I rent out professional equipment from a supplier I don't expect them to come over to my place and twiddle with the buttons while I'm working on it.

Supercell

eth0_ wrote:

longfield is a fscking idiot.

Hmm, why aren't you banned for this already ?

Victor

Longfield wrote:

- the bástard!!

eth0_ wrote:

fscking idiot.

Pot. Kettle. Banned.

mikemac

I've been in this situation before but it was slightly worse.

I used to work nights in Galway and rented a room in a house near the city centre.

Two weeks after I moved in, I was told the house was being put up for sale and if it was sold, I'd be given one months notice to leave.
I've no problem with that, I just wish I'd been told before I moved in.

I would finish work around 7am, come home and sleep until 2pm. As I had no lock on my door, I've lost count of the number of times the estate agent walked into my room with some propective buyer and I was asleep. Scary to wake up and find complete strangers standing over you.

I then got the bright idea of sellotaping a Do Not Disturb sign on my door but the estate agent still insisted on showing the buyers my room. He always said the buyers were entitled to see all the rooms and they couldn't come back in the afternoon as they "were busy people"

I often had to get up and get dressed so they could see it. Thats tough after working a 14 hour shift.

Got sick of it in the end and moved out. I didn't know my rights at the time

Kingkong

Landlords dont like having to ask premission to enter there own place. Yes you are renting it but at the end of the day he owns the house. Landlords get very annoyed when they see there place been treated badly by tenants. When tenats dont respect there place why should the landlord repect them??? Bottom line He is fixing the place up for the tenants so have a bit of latitude. Talk to the landlord they are usually reasonable.

hmmm

Kingkong wrote:

Yes you are renting it but at the end of the day he owns the house.

You sound like one of these amateur BTL types. If you own a property and want to make sure it stays in pristine condition and available for you to enter when you please, then don't rent it out. If you do rent it out, for the duration of the rental the renter has the right to peaceful possession of the house and you will have to seek permission to enter. It's as simple as that.

FillSpectre

Kingkong wrote:

Talk to the landlord they are usually reasonable.

eth0_ wrote:

Me and the girl I mentioned are both planning on moving out next month but would like to get the b*stard.

It doesn't appear that the tenants are going to be reasonable but I might get banned for pointing out what they said.

eth0_ does not sound very resonable and we are only hearing his side. It isn't just the talk of the the landlord either it is misunderstanding of thresholds role or what he expected them to do. Sounds like another person that hates paying for a service IMHO.

the_syco

Kingkong wrote:

Landlords dont like having to ask premission to enter there own place.

But he has to. I don't like not being able to carry a shotgun to work with me, but there are laws.

Kingkong wrote:

Yes you are renting it but at the end of the day he owns the house.

So? If he wants to keep it nice looking, don't rent it out to people.

Kingkong wrote:

Landlords get very annoyed when they see there place been treated badly by tenants. When tenats dont respect there place why should the landlord repect them???

eth0_ wrote:

The bath upstairs was leaking for six months before he got someone in to fix it (and had to put in a new bathroom because the water damage was so bad due to his laziness in fixing it).

From eth0_'s post, I assume that they told the landlord 6 months ago, but due to being lazy, the landlord didn't fix it at the time. That to me sounds like the landlord is not respecting his own property, nor respecting his tenants.

Kingkong wrote:

Bottom line He is fixing the place up for the tenants so have a bit of latitude. Talk to the landlord they are usually reasonable.

Aye, but 6 months afterwards, and not phoning ahead. Landlord or not, he can't just barge in at 9am. If I was getting dressed, and a stranger barged in, I'd grab the nearest object, and knock lumps into them, tbh

Also, I agree they are "usually" resonable, any of whom I've dealt with fixed the problems within a week, after telling us when the repair person would be coming in, etc. The above landlord, tho, does not sound reasonable, as they waited 6 months after the problem was reported, and also did not say when he was coming in to fix it.

Are you saying that you'd be ok if the landlord came into the bathroom, and you were taking a shower? An extreme POV, I damit, but I liken it to the landlord coming into the bedroom @ 9am, and the roommate still being in bed.

Santa Claus

For a definitive answer, check the lease for anything referring to "access to property" and see what it says about notice to be given to tenants etc.

If it's not mentioned in the lease then I don't know what you can do as he is entitled to "reasonable" access to maintain the property (which technically he is doing).

Calina

Kingkong wrote:

Landlords dont like having to ask premission to enter there own place. Yes you are renting it but at the end of the day he owns the house. Landlords get very annoyed when they see there place been treated badly by tenants. When tenats dont respect there place why should the landlord repect them??? Bottom line He is fixing the place up for the tenants so have a bit of latitude. Talk to the landlord they are usually reasonable.

That's very understanding of you, all the same. But whether you like it or not, if a landlord has rented a house to tenants, he has absolutely no choice in the matter and MUST advise his tenants in advance of his wish to enter the house. "Arrah, he's fixing something" is no excuse for breaking the law.

Morlar

Thats pretty shocking - I know in england a landlord needs to notify in advance in writing and get your consent (within reason).

You can also choose to remain there for the duration of the visit if you prefer. They absolutely are not alllowed to enter your home unannounced whenever they feel like it and have people in tow with them.

I cant believe that kind of behaviour - dont know if its illegal or not but it should be imo. They should always respond to faults that need repairs in a reasonable amount of time - ie how long it takes to ring a plumber or whatever - not 6 months down the line. And they should always place your privacy as being more important than their convenience. Unbelievable behaviour - total disrespect and arrogance in my opinion.

hmmm

Santa Claus wrote:

If it's not mentioned in the lease then I don't know what you can do as he is entitled to "reasonable" access to maintain the property (which technically he is doing).

In other jurisdictions, "reasonable" is defined as minimum 24 hours notice and on agreement of tenant. I don't see any courts in Ireland upholding a landlords right to give a vague "arrah I'll be over sometime" and then to enter the house some morning at 9am.

When tenants move into a house, if they wanted to they are perfectly within their rights to change the locks.

Calina

Santa Claus wrote:

For a definitive answer, check the lease for anything referring to "access to property" and see what it says about notice to be given to tenants etc.

If it's not mentioned in the lease then I don't know what you can do as he is entitled to "reasonable" access to maintain the property (which technically he is doing).

I'd be of the opinion that the situation as described above could not actually be described as "reasonable", per se.

Santa Claus

hmmm wrote:

When tenants move into a house, if they wanted to they are perfectly within their rights to change the locks.

Eh, no you aren't entitled to change the locks !
Any alterations to the property (even just painting) must have the approval of the landlord.

Afuera

Santa Claus wrote:

Eh, no you aren't entitled to change the locks !
Any alterations to the property (even just painting) must have the approval of the landlord.

I think that this only applies to the UK.

In Ireland, I have been led to believe that provided you do not cause damage to the property, then alterations like this are permissible. If you paint a room or change a lock, so long as you return it to it's original state (or no worse than normal wear and tear) when you leave, then you're within your rights.

Have you got any information that says otherwise on this?

Santa Claus

At the end of the day the property is still owned by the landlord and as such if you were to change the locks you must provide the landlord with a copy of any new keys (the landlord is entitled to access to the property provided adequate notice is given to tenants).
When the property is returned to the landlord it must be in the original condition (so walls painted back to original colour and any original locks replaced...otherwise the cost of doing this can be taken out of the deposit).

Calina

Santa Claus wrote:

... (the landlord is entitled to access to the property provided adequate notice is given to tenants).

Uhem, actually he needs permission to enter, AFAIK. He can't say "I'm coming on Tuesday". He has to say "Is it okay if I come on Tuesday". Anyway, the whole point of this thread is that in this case, apparently, he is not providing adequate, or even any notice.

As a general note, I've been of the opinion that a growing number of landlords are less than clear on what their responsibilities are, while being full on, top of the class as far as identifying their rights. This thread hasn't done anything to dispel that view.

jhegarty

Santa Claus wrote:

For a definitive answer, check the lease for anything referring to "access to property" and see what it says about notice to be given to tenants etc.

If it's not mentioned in the lease then I don't know what you can do as he is entitled to "reasonable" access to maintain the property (which technically he is doing).

It doesn't matter what the lease says ,a lease can't sign away your legal rights...

the law is quote clear...


A landlord does not have the right to :

* enter your tenants’ home without permission.
* take or retain your tenants’ property – even if they haven’t paid the rent.
* charge more than the market rate for the property.
* penalise tenants for bringing a dispute to the PRTB.

Boggles

Happened me before in Galway. The other people in the house were always complaining that the landlord was just barging in, Opening rooms, etc. Never bothered me because I was never really there and had actually never met him, until one Saturday morning where he disturbed my drunken coma and was met on the stairs by a semi naked, semi erect male shouting that if he ever did it again I'd burn the house down. He didn't bother us for the next 10 months until he sold the house.

Alot of my landlords throughout the years have been retired, I supposed they are just bored. I had one land lady who use call once a week and cook us dinner, elderly little dear who just wanted company.

ScottishDanny

I own my own place now but I rented off various landlords (and they're a broad church) for 12 years.
You DO have rights
The landlord has the right to enter the premises but he MUST notify you, he can't 'cold-call' whenever he wants.
For anyone who says 'well its his house' - if you are the tenant you are paying him for a service and you are due some privacy.
And anyway whats wrong with a bit of old-fashioned respect? He arranges a time to suit you and you keep the place in good order - it worked for me in the last place I rented.

Mountjoy Mugger

I'm not sure if Victor has banned Eth0 from here, but I was wondering if she ever asked or mentioned to the landlord about giving notice etc.?