Trouble moving out :(

JJayoo

Hiya guys

Just wondering if anyone with some knowledge on the subject could shed some light.

6 Months ago i moved into my current house, sharing with 3 others. When I moved in I paid my 400euro deposit to the girl who was moving out. At the time I didn't realise the apartment was managed by an accommendation agency.

They have no involvement in the property at all, and every time someone new has moved in it has been up to the current tennants to advertise the room and interview new people.

I have decided to move out as i think 360euro a month is too expensive, and i was offered a much nicer/cheaper room by a friend. I popped into the accommendations office to give my months notice and was told that the only way i would get my 400 euro deposit was for me to find another person for the room and get it of them.

I was also told that if I did move out after the month the current tenant would still have to pay the full amount. None of the people in the house signed a lease, surely it should be the job of the accommendation agency to find new tenants. I was told that the accommendation agency holds on to the 1600 deposit for the house.

When i moved in i did fill out a form, but it just stated my name and pps number.

This was my first time renting through an accommendation agency so prehaps im just stupid to the way it works

Thanks for any help.

Bob Z

im no expert but i don't think its up to you to find someone. You just moved in. Just because they have been doing it that way along doesnt mean you have to agree to it

JJayoo

Thanks for the reply

Thats what i would expect, but I went into the office and was told that I would not get a deposit back from them.

zeds alive

they can't do that , if they keep dicking you around and you want your €400 just don't pay your last months rent.

Cathmandooo

Who got you to move in? Did the other tenants put up an ad that you responded to? Then you paid the 400 deposit to the girl you were replacing?

If that's how it went then I don't see how you're shocked that you've to follow the same procedure when you want to move out.

Have you tried to find someone to move in yet?

Xiney

since you never paid your deposit to the letting agents, they don't even have a record of you having given a deposit.

I think this sort of arrangement (paying your deposit to the leaving tenant) should be made illegal.

Zamboni

The Accomodation Agent is a legend/scumbag.

The have basically created the never ending cycle of constant tenancy and making the tenants do the advertising/recruitment for them.
Not exactly a new trick.

The other tenants are screwed if you leave but hey they are the ones living in a house that none of them have signed a lease for.

If you want your €400 back you have to recruit another candidate and keep the cycle going.

Just walk away and lose your €400 and lesson learned.

Bob Z

Zamboni wrote: »

Just walk away and lose your €400 and lesson learned.

you must be rich to say that. Op demand your money back say to the landlord that they must have taken the deposit of some one a the start or alternatively don't the rent until it gets as high the deposit

if they keep passing on the deposit what happens if something in the house is damaged? Do the last people living in the house have to pay for it even if like that when they moved in?

Cathmandooo

Bob Z wrote: »

you must be rich to say that. Op demand your money back say to the landlord that they must have taken the deposit of some one a the start or alternatively don't the rent until it gets as high the deposit

if they keep passing on the deposit what happens if something in the house is damaged? Do the last people living in the house have to pay for it even if like that when they moved in?

The op could just find a replacement tbh.

If they do a runner without paying the last months rent it's going to be their housemates that suffer as they will have to foot the bill. Not exactly fair on them.

Zamboni

Cathmandooo wrote: »

The op could just find a replacement tbh.

You are correct and that is the nice thing to do but tenants are hard to come by these days.

The OP and the other tenants are all at fault here because they put themselves into this situation by handing over deposits to people who were not in control of the lease.
They probably have no proof of payment and no comeback.

Bob z, the OP lost his €400 the day he handed it over to a randomer.

ztoical

Bob Z wrote: »

if they keep passing on the deposit what happens if something in the house is damaged? Do the last people living in the house have to pay for it even if like that when they moved in?

Short answer yes. If they hand their deposit over to a random person whose leaving and don't have the LL do an inspection, make note of the state of the property and get something in writing from the LL when they moved in they don't really have a leg to stand on.

JJayoo

Actually the people in the agency thought i had given them a deposit, but still said "we let the whole house and keep the full deposit, you only get a deposit back if you can find someone new, i am a big fat bbastard" as far as i can remember thats what they said.

I don't think finding a new person for the room will be too hard, i have already posted an ad. I just hate the people in the accommodation office, its a husband and wife duo, and they are just two nasty greedy feckers.

We asked for a rent reduction two months ago, as the rent on the house has been the same for years. After two months we are still being told that he cannot get through to the lady who owns the house.

There are also many jobs that need to be done around the house, few of the plugs have become lose with wires showing, one of the showers goes from hottest to coldest every five seconds, and we have no tv. Anytime we asked about these things we were told its house keeping :mad:

Even the guy who moved in two years ago and paid his deposit directly to the agency, has been told he will not get it back from them. So pretty much they get a % of our rent every month for doing nothing plus a 1600 bonus.

Jimmy Bottlehead

I had the same problem, I ended up getting someone else for the room. But the difference was, I was moving from a single room to a double en-suite in the same house. It's pretty sucky, but I think ya gotta find someone as the letting agency won't give a partial refund of the deposit back.

However, with regards the problems, I'd either verbally rip someone in the agency a new one, or else get onto the PRTB. I had problems in my apartment recently, and after a few nice phonecalls and no action, I rang up, demanded a supervisor, and let her know in no uncertain terms that the repairs were to be done immediately.

The repairs were done the next day

magentas

best thing to do is try to get another tenant in

the whole situation is crappy but most places I've rented are done like that (deposits tenant to tenant) but I think it's a bad way of doing it, leaves you with little or no comeback

the agency is of course responsible for the property, that's why the landlord/lady is paying them a percentage of the rent!
but when you didn't sign anything with them that means that there is no set procedure for leaving, ie. they didn't say "give us your months notice and we'll give you deposit back"
was there any contract at all?

I got stung like that years ago, gave my deposit to tenant that was leaving, 3of us in house, 3rd person moved out, we couldn't find replacement and decided to leave ourselves 2months later (3rd tenant used his deposit as last months rent)
when it came to us getting our deposit back landlord said we weren't owed anything as our deposit was to cover the 3rd vacant room rent for the 2months!

I still kick myself for letting the greedy baxtard get away with it
I know I should have gone to threshold:(

the way he saw it, the previous tenants had signed a lease to pay for the full house, a lease which I didn't even know about until he shoved it in our faces saying that's why we weren't getting our deposits

he was a lousy greedy pr!ck and the previous tenants were sly for not telling us about it but I should have had enough cop on to know better but had been using that method for years without any problems.
I learned an expensive lesson with that house though!

don't walk away from your deposit and tell the housemates not to pay anymore than their share
unless they signed their names on a contract specifically stating that they are responsible for all rent due they cannot be made pay someone elses rent and if the agency dispute this then pay a visit to threshold for some free sound advice

pattly

why dont you threaten to sue, the small claims court etc, citizens info etc etc.

Eglinton

pattly wrote: »

why dont you threaten to sue, the small claims court etc, citizens info etc etc.

Based on what? No signed documents - no agreement - no liability on the agency. A deposit is generally for a whole premises, not an individual room. As far as the agency are concerned, the owners of the deposit have skipped town. Even if the tenant had signed the original lease, they would not be entitled to a portion of the deposit returned. It's all or nothing unless some prior arrangement was agreed.

BostonB

pattly wrote: »

why dont you threaten to sue, the small claims court etc, citizens info etc etc.

its the PRTB.