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Rent Issue

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  • 02-05-2012 4:03pm
    #1
    m5ex9oqjawdg2i
    Closed Accounts Posts: 11,221 ✭✭✭✭


    Hi all,

    I moved into a house last year with my girlfriend. We rented a room together. There are 5 other people in the house. We have always paid our rent to one of the guys in the house who in turn pays the landlord. We pay our bills to the same guy. We are fine with this set up as we pay electronically into his bank account. We are not provided with receipts or a log book. We did not sign a lease or even speak with the landlord. The property is managed by an agency so there is a lot of "That's not my issue" going on.

    Some cases have occured over the past year which we were not happy with. The mattress had a spring coming through it which cut my legs. I reported this to the agency who in turn spoke to the landlord. The agency said the landlord would not pay for a new mattress. Nothing more. A few weeks later the lats in the bed broke, it was an old bed base. The agent said he could replace this but it was about 5-6 weeks before we decided that it's not going to happen and that we are going to get our own. We bought a second hand bed base online for €80 and a mattress from Ikea for about €380.

    Our house was broken into, no sign of forced entry, called the Gardai etc etc, they said we should contact the landlord to change the locks. He refused so we had to pay for that also.

    About a month ago a tile on our roof was broke, it let in a lot of water and it shorted the electricity in the house. The plugs stopped working. Called the agency who organised somebody to come over to fix it. A week passed and nothing happened. My housemate text the agency but no reply, a few days later I called him and the agency tried to put the responsibility on me for the roof not being fixed. He said it was up to us to let him know if anybody called to the house to fix it.

    It was another week before anybody called out, the roof got fixed after 2.5 weeks of calling and texting. Oh we mentioned that we were not paying rent until it's fixed and I wasn't paying rent at all for this month to get the money back for the bed and mattress and locks.

    He has told everybody that if I don't pay the rent he will evict the entire house. He is trying to bully me into paying. This, I like not.

    Should I keep this months rent? Where do I stand with this crook?


Comments

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    #2
    djimi
    Registered Users Posts: 13,237 ✭✭✭✭djimi


    Move out; simple as. The landlord is blatently ignoring his responsbilities and if it was me I wouldnt see the point in persisting in such a situation. Youre not tied into a lease, so give your notice (if the landlord even knows that you are there) and find somewhere better to live with a landlord who actually cares about his tenants. Lifes too short and all that...

    You could take a case with the PRTB if you wish also. You would need to have written proof of all that has been happening and that you notified the landlord/agent in writing of all the issues, but at the very least if this clown isnt registered with the PRTB then he will get in hot water regardless.


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    #3
    ted1
    Registered Users Posts: 23,521 ✭✭✭✭ted1


    I've broken a few beds in my day. If it was just yourself in the room you may have a case for the land lord replacing the bed and mattress, but considering there's two of you are more than likely going at it quite often, i wouldn't expect the landlord to replace the bed.

    The electricity should have been fixed that day. be sure to report him to the PRTB


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    #4
    Tigger
    Closed Accounts Posts: 16,705 ✭✭✭✭Tigger


    ted1 wrote: »
    I've broken a few beds in my day. If it was just yourself in the room you may have a case for the land lord replacing the bed and mattress, but considering there's two of you are more than likely going at it quite often, i wouldn't expect the landlord to replace the bed.

    thanks that cheered me up


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    #5
    m5ex9oqjawdg2i
    Closed Accounts Posts: 11,221 ✭✭✭✭m5ex9oqjawdg2i


    djimi wrote: »
    Move out; simple as. The landlord is blatently ignoring his responsbilities and if it was me I wouldnt see the point in persisting in such a situation. Youre not tied into a lease, so give your notice (if the landlord even knows that you are there) and find somewhere better to live with a landlord who actually cares about his tenants. Lifes too short and all that...

    You could take a case with the PRTB if you wish also. You would need to have written proof of all that has been happening and that you notified the landlord/agent in writing of all the issues, but at the very least if this clown isnt registered with the PRTB then he will get in hot water regardless.

    Thanks for the reply. We are actively searching for places to stay but I don't want to be at a loss to some greedy landlord who cares about nothing but his income. The agency would call us on the day rent is due if it's not in his account.

    I have been renting for 8 years and I have never had an issue with a landlord. I have not come across a landlord so lazy as this one. I didn't mind so much about all the issues because our rent is considerably low. Everything has built up over the past year and I have just snapped, lol.
    ted1 wrote: »
    I've broken a few beds in my day. If it was just yourself in the room you may have a case for the land lord replacing the bed and mattress, but considering there's two of you are more than likely going at it quite often, i wouldn't expect the landlord to replace the bed.

    The electricity should have been fixed that day. be sure to report him to the PRTB

    Ah it has nothing to do with playing around in bed, the bed broke when I turned around one night, the bed only broke on my side. After that more and more lats broke, it was like a hammock on one side of the bed. The mattress should have been replaced as the spring was poking out and actually scratching my legs.


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    #6
    edellc
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,787 ✭✭✭edellc


    I'm angry for you and your girlfriend too, its not nice when a LL behaves so badly and sounds like a few I have had in my time.

    I would not be paying rent and keeping it as my deposit and rent in advance for my next place, this is not what is advised but the PRTB or Threshold and if you decide to go to either for help they wont unless you are up to date with your rent...so you decide

    Make sure when you leave take your bed and mattress with you its your property, or if you are making the case that you are keeping your rent due to to reimburse you for it then so be it.....I however would be keeping my rent due to the electrics going and being unable to use certain appliances

    I hope your find somewhere soon and remember all LL are not a-holes


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    #7
    Victor
    Registered Users Posts: 78,402 ✭✭✭✭Victor


    ted1 wrote: »
    I've broken a few beds in my day. If it was just yourself in the room you may have a case for the land lord replacing the bed and mattress, but considering there's two of you are more than likely going at it quite often, i wouldn't expect the landlord to replace the bed.
    No evidence that this should be the case, but its a bit off topic.
    The electricity should have been fixed that day. be sure to report him to the PRTB
    Indeed.


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