Notice for landlord?

sham69

Hi,
This is quite complicated but I will try to keep it short.
We moved house about 5 weeks ago.
My other half sorted it out as she knew the woman who owns the house.
The original verbal aggreement was that no deposit is needed and that "we will sork something out, in time".
The husband arrived down yesterday saying that they now need the deposit as they are moving abroad and need some security.
I am not happy with this as it changes the agreement we made with his wife.
There are a few other issues, leaky roof (only fixed last Friday and wasnt mentioned until we moved in) and also broken electric shower, again only mentioned when we moved in. The electricity keeps tripping every few days and a few mates have noticed that there are scorch marks on the elec cable coming in. I said this to the landlord and he has his mate coming to check it on Thursday, I am afraid that he will do nothing and say all is fine.
The landlord initial reaction to the tripping was that " we have a lot of electrical stuff, and LCD tv's comsume X amount of power more than standard ones.
Bottom line is I don't trust the guy and he has changed the terms of our agreement, be it a verbal one.
We have decided to move out but are not sure what our rights our?
I tried ringing treshold but can't get through.
How much notice do I need to give etc?
Any advice appreciated as I am very stressed out at the moment as we have 2 kids to add in to the equation.
Thanks
Sham.

Xiney

Sounds like the place is a fire hazard.

Find somewhere else. You haven't signed a 12 month lease so you're alright on that front, you may have a notice period as per the PRTB but it won't be longer than 28 days, and likely the fact that the electricity cuts out would be enough to get them to waive it.

Contact Threshold for more advice.

Bob Z

Maybe he didnt ask for a deposit because he found it hard to get someone to move in?

astrofool

LCD's typically use less power than older CRT televisions.

Also, if they move abroad, you may be liable to withold tax on the rent you pay.

The place sounds like a death trap.

whizzbang

Sounds like they want the deposit "To move abroad" rather than "Because they are moving abroad"

sham69

Cheers for the replies.
They actually want the deposit put into the credit union over here so don't think they need it to travel.
If it was just myself and the missus I would be gone already, the kids put a diffferent spin on it, also we don't have a deposit so are a bit screwed about moving elsewhere.
If the electricity is not sorted I will get an independent assessment done and ask him to pay for both the report and the work if a problem is found.
My head is wrecked.

Bob Z

i dont know if that house is dangerous or not but IF it you should defintelty move out. Especially with kids invovlved

sham69

That was the point I made to the landlord but he seemed quite relaxed about the whole thing. I will see what happens on Thursday and what the electrician says.
Needless to say I will not let him pull the wool over my eyes on something so serious.

whizzbang

Don't forget to hold the tax part of the rent, you are liable for it as the landlord is overseas.

sham69

How do I find out about that?
I know they are only going for 2-3 months and that one of them still has a business over here?
I reckon they have the tax thing covered but I would like to know for sure and know how to calculate it.
We pay 1200 a month rent by the way.

the_syco

sham69 wrote: »

The husband arrived down yesterday saying that they now need the deposit as they are moving abroad and need some security.

You think it's hard to get them to fix your stuff now? Best of luck in getting in contact with them when they are abroad, and in a different time zone. And if they're working over there, start praying to your gods now :P

sham69 wrote: »

There are a few other issues, leaky roof (only fixed last Friday and wasnt mentioned until we moved in) and also broken electric shower, again only mentioned when we moved in. The electricity keeps tripping every few days and a few mates have noticed that there are scorch marks on the elec cable coming in. I said this to the landlord and he has his mate coming to check it on Thursday, I am afraid that he will do nothing and say all is fine.

Sounds like a death trap. Also sounds like there's a puddle somewhere that is tripping out the house. May be directly connected with the issue of the shower not working.

sham69 wrote: »

The landlord initial reaction to the tripping was that " we have a lot of electrical stuff, and LCD tv's comsume X amount of power more than standard ones.

Bullsh|t.

sham69 wrote: »

The electricity keeps tripping every few days and a few mates have noticed that there are scorch marks on the elec cable coming in.

sham69 wrote: »

we have 2 kids to add in to the equation.

Kids + dodgy elec cable = hospital.

astrofool

the_syco wrote: »

Kids + dodgy elec cable = hospital.

It's more usually:
Kids + dodgy elec cable = dead kids

Not to put a dampener on anything.

sham69

Thanks for the replies folks.
Having a serious rethink about the whole thing.
If I had a deposit I would move tomorrow.
Electrician coming today or tomorrow so lets see what bull**** he tries to pass off.
I have to say though the twice last week when it tripped there was thunder and lightening about but apart from that the cable coming in to house is a huge concern.
Thanks again.

The_Conductor

sham69 wrote: »

Thanks for the replies folks.
Having a serious rethink about the whole thing.
If I had a deposit I would move tomorrow.
Electrician coming today or tomorrow so lets see what bull**** he tries to pass off.
I have to say though the twice last week when it tripped there was thunder and lightening about but apart from that the cable coming in to house is a huge concern.
Thanks again.

I've been living in my current accommodation for almost 10 years. The electricity has never tripped- never. Even in thunder storms and when the power was cut by idiots with a JCB laying other cables- it never ever tripped. It does not trip without there being a very good reason.

sham69

I hear you.
The last house we were in for 3 years never tripped once...
New house hasnt tripped this week.....yet...
I am not letting it go though , I want the dodgy cable looked at.
We are so disappointed as we thought it might be different with this landlord.
The last one was a nightmare to get anything done and basically didnt care about the house.
We left it in better shape than when we moved in, shouldnt have bothered, thats just the way we are though. I can't understand people renting that treat houses like a slum. The previous tenants in our new house left the place in bits. The bins were not put out for the whole year they were there...

Tim Robbins

1. Check they are registered with PRTB.
2. The TV thing is a load of bull. Your cooker, kettle use way more than those tvs.
3. Contact threshold.
4. Move out or don't pay your rent until the place is safe to live in.

sham69

Update....
Electrician called this morning.
He rang the ESB immediately and reported the problem, he told the missus it was very serious...
He gave his number and said ring him when the ESB are finished and he will come back and check it out.
Fair play, I was expecting him to say everything was fine, being the landlords mate.
I suppose it would be bad for him if he passed something so dangerous.
A bit of good news for once.
Havent heard from Landlord since Tuesday so not sure whats happening.

The_Conductor

sham69 wrote: »

Update....
Electrician called this morning.
He rang the ESB immediately and reported the problem, he told the missus it was very serious...
He gave his number and said ring him when the ESB are finished and he will come back and check it out.
Fair play, I was expecting him to say everything was fine, being the landlords mate.
I suppose it would be bad for him if he passed something so dangerous.
A bit of good news for once.
Havent heard from Landlord since Tuesday so not sure whats happening.

Chalk one up for a proper electrician.
I'm glad for your sakes that he is doing the job properly.
Nice one.

sham69

Landlord is calling tomorrow to renegotiate the tenancy.
Is there anything specific I should ask for, bearing in mind that they are moving to Isle of man for a few months.
I am aware that I need to ask about tax.
Am also going to say that I want pics of the house taken, dated and signed.
I want something in writing to guarantee the return of our deposit on or before the day we move out.
Am I missing anything?
Any advice greatly appreciated.
Thanks
Sham.

jimmycrackcorm

The original verbal aggreement was that no deposit is needed and that "we will sork something out, in time".

I don't get what your expectation is - I mean what do you think "work something out in time " means? I take it that you didn't need a deposit at the start but that you'd be expected to pay it sometime.

sham69

We have moved on from the deposit issue.
You missed the first time I poste this , there were more pressing issues regarding safety from electricity and also the fact that the landlord is moving.
I was asking for advice regarding the landlord moving.
To answer your question though , I expect an agreement to be honored, not to be hit for 3 monthly payments of 300 euro 1 month after we move in???
Am I being that unreasonable?

The_Conductor

Regardless of what the landlord says- once he is non-resident the onus is on you to deduct witholding tax from the rent and forward it to the Revenue Commissioners on a monthly basis. Renting from a non-resident landlord is an entirely different kettle of fish, than renting from an Irish resident landlord.

Be aware of this. The Revenue Commissioners can chase you personally for it- so just be careful.

sham69

Does it matter that they are only going for a few months and still own business' and property here?

The_Conductor

sham69 wrote: »

Does it matter that they are only going for a few months and still own business' and property here?

You really need to ring the Revenue Commissioners and ask them to be honest. I'd suggest getting the name and contact details of the person you are talking to- as even on this forum there are reports of people being dealth with in very differing manners.

Ps- owning property and a business in a country has nothing to do with a person's residency- just their tax status.

sham69

Thanks for the advice, I will make the necessary calls just to make sure.

Bob Z

sham69 wrote: »

Landlord is calling tomorrow to renegotiate the tenancy.
Is there anything specific I should ask for, bearing in mind that they are moving to Isle of man for a few months.
I am aware that I need to ask about tax.
Am also going to say that I want pics of the house taken, dated and signed.
I want something in writing to guarantee the return of our deposit on or before the day we move out.
Am I missing anything?
Any advice greatly appreciated.
Thanks
Sham.

The landlord sounds a bit dodgy. Are you sure he didnt plan to ask for the deposit all along? Why not just move out?

athtrasna

sham69 wrote: »

I want something in writing to guarantee the return of our deposit on or before the day we move out.

Are you kidding me? No landlord in their right mind would return a deposit before you move out. Even on the day is pushing it a bit, I would say within 14 days is average. The landlord needs to thoroughly inspect the property and inventory and make sure there are no outstanding bills.

sham69

with all due respect athtrasna, it doesnt take 2 weeks to check the house and check that the bills are cleared?
We would have final bills read for them on the day we move out.
We have decided to move on, its not the deposit as we do have the money.
Its the fact that they changed the terms of the lease.
I had a chat with them on Friday and they now tell us that they are using a letting agency to manage the building while they are away.
Thanks for all the advice.

D3PO

sham if they are using a letting agency whilst away you dont need to worry about whitholding rent for non resident landlords this now becomes the onus of the agency so thas one less thing for you to investigate.

sham69

yeah I reckon thats part of the reason they did it.
I think we have decided to look elsewhere, the electricity is still a worry.
The ESB replaced a board and cabling inside the house but we are still getting some trips, seems to be something to do with the shower, which is wired from the attic which is where the leak was etc.
Too many problems with the house as it is old, we were not shown the upstairs before we moved in (big mistake on our part I know), we were fobbed off saying that the previous tenents trashed the place etc.
The real reason is because the upstairs doesnt match up to the downstairs, its like a house from the 70's...
Anyway looking at some new properties tonight which will be handled by a letting agency, we have deposit sorted so looking forward to moving to a nice house.
Again, thanks all who posted helpful advice.