Aggressive previous tenant!

djimi

If you really want out the look to reassign the lease. This allows for you (with the landlords permission which they cannot deny) to find a new tenant to take over the remainder of the lease. You are responsible for any costs and shortfall in rent.

Or just sit down with the landlord, explain the situation, and see if you can work something out. You might find that they are very decent (my last landlord was happy to let me out of a lease early because of some issues I was having, and they knew they would be able to let the place again quickly).

Zara23

djimi wrote: »

If you really want out the look to reassign the lease. This allows for you (with the landlords permission which they cannot deny) to find a new tenant to take over the remainder of the lease. You are responsible for any costs and shortfall in rent.

Or just sit down with the landlord, explain the situation, and see if you can work something out. You might find that they are very decent (my last landlord was happy to let me out of a lease early because of some issues I was having, and they knew they would be able to let the place again quickly).

I discussed it with my landlord but she's not very helpful. She has a 'what do you want me to do about it?' attitude and told me I had to look at it from her position.

Every time I speak to her about it, she keeps bringing up the fact that they left with rent and bills unpaid and robbed eveything out of the house (i mean everything, pictures off the wall, sheets, even the coal bunker!) She says this in a way like she had to deal with that, so ill have to deal with this.

I just dug out my lease again there now and there is no duration of tenancy in it at all. This seems to be an oversight. Does this help me all? Could I use this or does a verbal agreement hold up?

KTRIC

Zara23 wrote: »

I just dug out my lease again there now and there is no duration of tenancy in it at all . This seems to be an oversight. Does this help me all? Could I use this or does a verbal agreement hold up?

Happy Days so !! it means you're not tied into a 12 month lease and can leave when you want. Does it say anything about giving notice ?

djimi

Zara23 wrote: »

I just dug out my lease again there now and there is no duration of tenancy in it at all. This seems to be an oversight. Does this help me all? Could I use this or does a verbal agreement hold up?

Yes, absolutely. If there is no duration stated on the lease then you have a part 4 tenancy and can leave with the required notice (in this case 28 days for the first six months).

It might be worth getting this verified by someone like Threshold first (its not usually that hard to get hold of them; which number were you ringing?), just to be sure.

A verbal agreement can technically be valid, but unless the landlord had an independent witness its not going to mean a whole lot as they wouldnt have a hope of proving it.

jmayo

Zara23 wrote: »

Update:

So the day after I posted, he called again first thing in the morning banging on everything once again, and driving up and down to road outside.

Except this time, I saw him drive down the end of the estate road (dead end) but not back up. I thought he was maybe waiting there until I had to leave. I had somewhere to be and was afraid to leave so I rang a friend and he drove up and past to make sure he was gone.

I'd had enough at this stage and went to the guards for them to at least make a record of the problem. The guard I was speaking to said he knew of him and would send some of the lads over to speak to him. I also have him his phone number.

He also said that if he come again not to answer the door but to call them and they would be over straight away.

That evening the guard called me and said he called the man and he came into the station. He told him not to come around the house anymore and the guard reckoned there would be no more hassle with him. He also contacted social welfare and the post office again.

His defense for the constant calling over was that he was waiting for a very important solicitors letter.

The next morning there were 2 broken egg shells outaide my door, but no sign of the eggs anywhere? This doesn't really seem like his style to me and could be just the cats around the neighbourhood going through the bins but seems like a coincidence!

On a funny side note, it seems they have broken my doorbell with constant usage and holding it down so for the past 2 days its been goin off when it feels like causing me to panic and be absolutely clueless as to how they disappears so fast! I've since disconnected it.

So my main problem now is this- I'm really not comfortable staying here anymore and am afraid all the time. I won't answer the door at all anymore and still have my blinds down all the time.

I want to move but I really can't afford to lose my deposit, especially with Xmas around the corner. I've been trying to call threshold so they could advise me but they left me on hold for so long that my credit ran out twice and I can't afford to try again.

So ill have to wait until next week to top up and try again. Thanks everyone for help and suggestions and ill keep you updated!

Get out now.
I know some around here won't want this said, but cancel your standing order or direct debit for next month and use the money to look for new place.
The landlady doesn't give two tosses about you and has as much as said this.
The landlady will not want to return your desposit and is probably going to see you as the soft touch that will counteract some of the losses encurred with the last tenant.
Play her at her own game and put yourself first and foremost.

Get anything valuable that you own out of the place immediately as well.

You are never going to feel comfortable there and life is too damm short to be dealing with this worry day in day out.

Good luck.

ShaShaBear

jmayo wrote: »

Get out now.
I know some around here won't want this said, but cancel your standing order or direct debit for next month and use the money to look for new place.
The landlady doesn't give two tosses about you and has as much as said this.
The landlady will not want to return your desposit and is probably going to see you as the soft touch that will counteract some of the losses encurred with the last tenant.
Play her at her own game and put yourself first and foremost.

Get anything valuable that you own out of the place immediately as well.

You are never going to feel comfortable there and life is too damm short to be dealing with this worry day in day out.

Good luck.

I would never normally agree with this, but in this instance I do.
There is no guarantee that this previous tenant won't come back more forcefully when he thinks things with the law have cooled off (irrespective of his "culture"). This is something that your landlord/lady clearly couldn't care less about, but not only would leave you terrified to live anywhere alone - but also make the property nigh-on-impossible to rent out safely again.

Take the next month's rent and move.

beauf

ShaShaBear wrote: »

I would never normally agree with this, but in this instance I do. ...

Ditto.

Especially considering the LL has done nothing for you, change locks etc.

Grolschevik

beauf wrote: »

Especially considering the LL has done nothing for you, change locks etc.

The landlord not changing the locks after the previous tenant did a midnight split after clearing the place out simply beggars belief.

Ditto that she has no interest in doing so now, even after the behaviour of the previous tenant has been brought to her attention.

Is it certain that the landlord hasn't changed the locks?

Zara23 wrote: »

I'm assuming he never left his keys back. Its clear the locks haven't been changed either.

Have you asked? In what way is it clear that the locks haven't been changed?

djimi

It would seem very odd that the landlord would go to the trouble of cutting more keys because the last set were stolen, but it wouldnt occur to them to change the locks.

ShaShaBear

djimi wrote: »

It would seem very odd that the landlord would go to the trouble of cutting more keys because the last set were stolen, but it wouldnt occur to them to change the locks.

Not as odd as you might think. I've moved thrice in the past three years and in every instance I had to get new keys cut for old locks. In the second house, someone actually tried to get in with their keys. Only our keys were in the door. They didn't know it had been relet and were calling back to collect stuff

I know it's normally the landlord's job, but I'd probably offer to pay for it in future, just for peace of mind.

Grolschevik

ShaShaBear wrote: »

Not as odd as you might think. I've moved thrice in the past three years and in every instance I had to get new keys cut for old locks. In the second house, someone actually tried to get in with their keys. Only our keys were in the door. They didn't know it had been relet and were calling back to collect stuff

I know it's normally the landlord's job, but I'd probably offer to pay for it in future, just for peace of mind.

Yeah, but in the case of a tenant who apparently left owing rent, bills, and stole the contents? I'd say changing the locks would be the first priority...

ShaShaBear

Grolschevik wrote: »

Yeah, but in the case of a tenant who apparently left owing rent, bills, and stole the contents? I'd say changing the locks would be the first priority...

If they stole all of the contents, there wouldn't be much left for them to come back and get.

You'd be surprised at the amount of landlords who would begrudge the spending of monies on new locks for future tenant/property safety. I got the impression from the OP that they spoke of the lock issue with the landlord and they dismissed it, instead of letting OP know they had already done it.
My first place was an absolute dive. An "apartment" that was the converted basement of a three-story solicitor's building. The landlord was not even willing to buy me a fire extinguisher AFTER a fire, despite me only having one exit from the building, as all three windows were too small to climb out. Even a stern word from the council housing officer, he still didn't invest - even though a half bad fire would have completely rid him of the property, me, and possibly done extensive damage to the building upstairs and the flat attached to it.

djimi

I suppose technically speaking the locks should be changed after every tenancy, given that neither landlord nor new tenant know how many people are now out there with keys to the place.

Shark

djimi wrote: »

I suppose technically speaking the locks should be changed after every tenancy, given that neither landlord nor new tenant know how many people are now out there with keys to the place.

Just thinking about it now, I actually still have the keys to the last 2 properties I rented! Lucky for my landlords I'm not a nutjob that would want to ever return!

OP if you decide to stay in the property, I would definitely suffer the cost of having the locks changed just for piece of mind.

Zillah

djimi wrote: »

I suppose technically speaking the locks should be changed after every tenancy, given that neither landlord nor new tenant know how many people are now out there with keys to the place.

There's a big difference between a tenant that could hypothetically have made copies but has not behaved in an unusual way, and a bad faith tenant that stole the last set and did a runner in the middle of the night.

djimi

Zillah wrote: »

There's a big difference between a tenant that could hypothetically have made copies but has not behaved in an unusual way, and a bad faith tenant that stole the last set and did a runner in the middle of the night.

There is of course, but the fact still remains that while the locks remain unchanged, a tenant who no idea who has a set of keys to their home, or indeed how many sets are out there.

Grolschevik

ShaShaBear wrote: »

If they stole all of the contents, there wouldn't be much left for them to come back and get.

The new tenant's stuff?

ShaShaBear wrote: »

I got the impression from the OP that they spoke of the lock issue with the landlord and they dismissed it,

I got the impression that the OP assumed the keys hadn't been handed back and assumed the locks hadn't been changed and hadn't asked the landlord about it. Nowhere does she say or even imply she raised the locks issue with the landlord.

djimi wrote: »

while the locks remain unchanged,

That's still unclear. How was it obvious to the OP that the locks haven't been changed, unless antique originals are still in place? If it's a modern house it could be pretty hard to tell.

beauf

Zara23 wrote: »

...Its clear the locks haven't been changed either....

I assume because the locks look old and used....not like a new lock.

In any case why not take the OP at their word.

Grolschevik

beauf wrote: »

I assume because the locks look old and used....not like a new lock.

In any case why not take the OP at their word.

Because she apparently hasn't asked the landlord and, with the greatest of respect, is probably not very rental experienced given her age?

But this is a side issue; she can clarify or not as she sees fit.

beauf

Why even ask. Assume its not been changed. Move on.

Grolschevik

beauf wrote: »

Why even ask. Assume its not been changed. Move on.

Why assume they haven't been changed?

The OP hasn't said they definitely haven't been changed.

Why does this matter? Well, it's the difference between knowing the guy you're scared of does have keys to your place, or doesn't, or might have.

The OP hasn't posted anything to allow us to form a definite opinion about which it might be.

And, sorry: I might have missed that. Did you request that I "move on"?

Aykina

Zara23 wrote: »

I discussed it with my landlord but she's not very helpful. She has a 'what do you want me to do about it?' attitude and told me I had to look at it from her position.

Every time I speak to her about it, she keeps bringing up the fact that they left with rent and bills unpaid and any of robbed eveything out of the house (i mean everything, pictures off the wall, sheets, even the coal bunker!) She says this in a way like she had to deal with that, so ill have to deal with this.

Taking all of this at face value OP… but why would your landlady's problems be any of your concern? And why should you look at anything from her position? I think your line and concerns should be 100% your own immediate position and problems as you're the one in the vulnerable situation right now. That your landlady might have made mistakes or had problems of her own in the past have nothing to do with you at all, so don't even think of taking that on. Landlord/tenant relationships are business agreements - just that.

Basically (imho):
Her problems have nothing to do with you… Plus she's clearly putting her financial concerns above your personal security ones (not cool at all).
Personal security comes first - so if you're really nervous, do something now: if you can get out of there without contravening the lease do so asap. If not document all contact with Garda, LL and requests for locks to be changed immediately. But do you ever really want to have to use these? (If it were me I'd do it anyway and consider the €120?ish callout charge an investment into my future. I'd settle the bill for this via credit/any means possible and worry abut reclaiming from ll later).
Review the lease again: give any available notice period immediately and document all contact with landlady.

Personally I'd move my biggest meanest looking friend, his rottie and all of his MMA training' buddies in for a week or two, but if your peeps are more peep sized I'd again weigh up sleeping soundly or at least undisturbed on a sofa vs dealing with any potential implications of breaking a lease/making history repeat for LL very carefully. All of your paperwork and notes on the disruption of your peaceful enjoyment of your home would go quite a long way...

Life has enough challenges - this ain't worthy of being up there. And yes, the situation sucks but sometimes that just happens. Sort yourself out first, then deal with the rest...

Zara23

The reason I assume the locks haven't been changed is because the house is old and the locks are old and rusty.

The key is also watermarked and old and the day that I paid my deposit and agreed to move in ( in a week's time) she handed me the key and then took it back saying she needed to get another one cut for herself. So she clearly only had one copy.

I did ask her recently if the locks had been changed when I called about the main issue. She stuttered and said 'yes yes I think so'. I'm not very convinced.

Shes not bothered about who has keys, when the sink in my ensuite was leaking she wanted to give the plumber a key so he could let himself in whenever he wanted to fix it. She said this was so she wouldn't have to pay a call out fee. The sink was in my bedroom with my main shower and so I told her no as I could be getting out of the shower and he could just let himself in. I told her I would at least an hour's notice which I don't think is too much to ask.
She got nasty then and said she would organise something then and let me know. Unsurprisingly, the sink is still broken

dharma200

Hi Zara, I have rented on and off for twenty years, and has a great array of landlords, some good, most very much like your current landlord.

it has been shown , on a human level, she doesn't give a flying f about your personal safety. It sounds like she also doesn't give a flying f about your belongings, or the maintenance of her own property.

get to threshold as soon as you can, but my advise would be to get your stuff packed up and get out. The tenancy is only going to end badly in the long run, and you probably won't feel secure there. If you don't feel secure in your own home then how can you go about your life... She sounds like a nasty bit of work, and I for one wouldn't like to be handing money over to someone who has no care about the tenants safety or the maintenance of the property.

Zara23

Zara23 wrote: »

The reason I assume the locks haven't been changed is because the house is old and the locks are old and rusty.

The key is also watermarked and old and the day that I paid my deposit and agreed to move in ( in a week's time) she handed me the key and then took it back saying she needed to get another one cut for herself. So she clearly only had one copy.

I did ask her recently if the locks had been changed when I called about the main issue. She stuttered and said 'yes yes I think so'. I'm not very convinced.

Shes not bothered about who has keys, when the sink in my ensuite was leaking she wanted to give the plumber a key so he could let himself in whenever he wanted to fix it. She said this was so she wouldn't have to pay a call out fee. The sink was in my bedroom with my main shower and so I told her no as I could be getting out of the shower and he could just let himself in. I told her I would at least an hour's notice which I don't think is too much to ask.
She got nasty then and said she would organise something then and let me know. Unsurprisingly, the sink is still broken

That screams to me that they haven't been changed at all. Get out now.

rubberdiddies

Would you consider withholding rent to get the locks changed and the sinks fixed?

As a landlord myself I would never normally suggest something like this but when safety is a concern I wouldn't think twice about it.

Of course if you want to get out of your lease, and I believe you have legitimate reasons to do so, then withholding the rent would also probably make the landlord issue you with a notice of eviction thus solving a problem.

Like I said I would never ever normally advocate doing something like this but personal safety comes first for me every time.

djimi

Zara23 wrote: »

The reason I assume the locks haven't been changed is because the house is old and the locks are old and rusty.

The key is also watermarked and old and the day that I paid my deposit and agreed to move in ( in a week's time) she handed me the key and then took it back saying she needed to get another one cut for herself. So she clearly only had one copy.

I did ask her recently if the locks had been changed when I called about the main issue. She stuttered and said 'yes yes I think so'. I'm not very convinced.

Shes not bothered about who has keys, when the sink in my ensuite was leaking she wanted to give the plumber a key so he could let himself in whenever he wanted to fix it. She said this was so she wouldn't have to pay a call out fee. The sink was in my bedroom with my main shower and so I told her no as I could be getting out of the shower and he could just let himself in. I told her I would at least an hour's notice which I don't think is too much to ask.
She got nasty then and said she would organise something then and let me know. Unsurprisingly, the sink is still broken

Unfortunately it sounds very much like you are dealing with a complete amateur for a landlord. Fortuntely for you, their ignorance seems to have given you a legal out by way of a lease thats barely worth the paper that its written on (in terms of security anyway). You are less than 6 months into what seems to be a part 4 tenancy; that being the case I suggest that (independant of the other issue) you get yourself away from this property and find yourself a landlord who actually cares about their tenancy and their tenants. There are plenty of them out there.

djimi

rubberdiddies wrote: »

Would you consider withholding rent to get the locks changed and the sinks fixed?

As a landlord myself I would never normally suggest something like this but when safety is a concern I wouldn't think twice about it.

Of course if you want to get out of your lease, and I believe you have legitimate reasons to do so, then withholding the rent would also probably make the landlord issue you with a notice of eviction thus solving a problem.

Like I said I would never ever normally advocate doing something like this but personal safety comes first for me every time.

I wouldnt withhold rent (its never a good idea in case a dispute were to arise), but given the nature of the concerns for the tenants safety it might not be a bad idea to change the locks and deduct the cost from the rent. Notify the landlord in advance, in writing, of your intentions and of the reasons behind your actions, and keep receipts and a copy of the new key for them.

Al Capwned

Hey Zara,

1. You're afraid in your own home.
2. You feel the intimidation might return.
3. Your landlord seems very unwilling to help in this issue, or with the sink. (What else)
4. No term stated on your lease.


Number one above is reason enough, but considering everything, my advice would be to start looking for elsewhere, and move when you can, telling your landlord to keep the deposit as the last month's rent. This is something I've never done in 16 years of renting (6 properties), and am reluctant to say it to you. But this is truly an exceptional circumstance.

beauf

Exactly. Couldn't agree more. I would also take photos of the locks and other things the LL hasn't fixed just in case. But I suspect that a LL so unwilling to do anything, isn't going to go to the bother of disputing this with the PRTB. Changing locks isn't going to fix your issues here.