Letting Agent looking for more money after moving out

TrustedApple

Hi guys i rented from a letting agent for 3 months and signed no lease and will just pay them for the 3 months i was there.

Anyway i also paid them 45 euros for the bins for the 3 months i was in the house.

I told them my last months rent will be paid with my deposit when i handed back my keys.

Now there looking for 2 more weeks rent at 150 euros (Don't know where they made this amount up from) + 60 late fee for not paying for the 2 weeks rent and also another 45 euros for the bins. It comes to the total of 255 euros they are now looking for off me. All i signed was how much i was going to pay them per month witch was 280.

I left my bedroom spotless after moving out and didn't clean any of the house as there was 2 other people still living in it when i left. I just got them stuff for cleaning and paid all the bills to the day i moved out with them including UPC, Gas and ESB.

They told me i better pay it or else they will send a debt collection agent after me for the money.

Where do i stand on this ?.

Dr Turk Turkelton

Next time they contract you laugh heartily down the phone at them before hanging up.

(I would practise which laugh too use beforehand just in case you get caught off guard.)

the world wonders

Tell them to provide written evidence that you owe them the money. Also tell them that you will make a formal complaint to the Property Services Regulator if they continue harassing you.

samapple789 wrote: »

They told me i better pay it or else they will send a debt collection agent after me for the money.

All a debt collection agency will do is make more phone calls to you -- in particular they cannot do anything to your credit record.

TrustedApple

the world wonders wrote: »

Tell them to provide written evidence that you owe them the money. Also tell them that you will make a formal complaint to the Property Services Regulator if they continue harassing you.
All a debt collection agency will do is make more phone calls to you -- in particular they cannot do anything to your credit record.

I have asked them to give me proof of the so called lease i signed. They refused to give me it or send a bill to me of what i owe them.

I think i might have to say that to them the next time they call me.

I know about what they can do as i got a phone call one day saying i owe 100 euros to UPC one day and i was extremely confused about that as i had proof of paying direct debit every month for the bill and got out of the contract thanks to a loop hole witch was aloud and have proof from UPC that i owe them no money as well via email. The debt collection agent also refused to send my out a item bill to say what i owe i just got a letter that i owe them 100 euros thats it .....

ZENER

samapple789 wrote: »

I told them my last months rent will be paid with my deposit when i handed back my keys.

Right there is where you lost credibility. IT's a deposit for a reason, it's the landlords insurance against you causing damage to his property. It is not your last months rent.

Ken

TrustedApple

ZENER wrote: »

Right there is where you lost credibility. IT's a deposit for a reason, it's the landlords insurance against you causing damage to his property. It is not your last months rent.

Ken

I took photos of the place when i moved in and when i left (I always do when i rent a place). The place was the same when i moved in and when i moved out there was no damage to the place and it was cleaner when i left then when i moved in :rolleyes: .

Who says i can't use my deposit for my last months rent ?. Is it said somewhere ?

Deposits
As a landlord, you may withhold a deposit (or part of a deposit) only if:

The tenant has not given you proper notice when leaving
You have been left with outstanding bills (for electricity, gas etc.) or rent
The tenant has caused damage beyond normal wear and tear

As i had no lease i told them when i moved on the 23rd of feb i would be moving out on the 18th of May.

All bills where paid with the other housemates. Have signed proof of this as well. That i paid them

There was no damage. Expect for a broke loo seat that the hosuemates broke before i moved in and that was signed by letting agent saying it was brooking already. I got a new loo seat myself and fixed it myself and took photos before and after as well of it

ZENER

But that's not for you to decide, the Landlord has to check the place and then return the deposit. As I said it's a deposit - not rent. I'm sure the landlords here will have a different view of it.

You more than likely have settled up everything and cleaned the place but it's the landlord who decides if you've left everything in order. Have you figured out why the refuse charges are being charged ? Maybe there's a notice clause ? The landlord would be left with this bill.

Ken

TrustedApple

ZENER wrote: »

But that's not for you to decide, the Landlord has to check the place and then return the deposit. As I said it's a deposit - not rent. I'm sure the landlords here will have a deferent view of it.

You more than likely have settled up everything and cleaned the place but it's the landlord who decides if you've left everything in order. Have you figured out why the refuse charges are being charged ? Maybe there's a notice clause ? The landlord would be left with this bill.

Ken

They went and looked at the place the next day as there was a impaction so should not have been a problem and they have told me it was left spotless girls also took photos of the place of the day of impaction.

No idea why they are being charged. I asked the people i lived with and there got hit with more charges for the bins as well when they moved out they got hit with 90 euros each on top of the 90 euros they already paid for them. So 360 paid from them and another 45 for me they also won't another 45 so 90 euros bins for 3 months. There was another person in the house before me who paid 90 euros so 540 euros for a weekly bin for 9 months is nuts being honest.

At home my mother and father pay 270 euros a year for weekly bins. Thats why i told them i won't pay for anymore bins. As they refused to show me the monthly bin cost.

the_syco

ZENER wrote: »

Right there is where you lost credibility.

As the agents won't give them the itemised list of what is owed, it seems they were made for each other :P

=-=

As said, debt collectors have no powers in Ireland, and you can ignore them. For such a small amount, I'd doubt they'll put much man hours into collecting it, unless "debt collector" turns out to be the agents side business. If you get a letter from the debt collector, Google their details, and see if they still have a license, and actually exist.

athtrasna

samapple789 wrote: »

At home my mother and father pay 270 euros a year for weekly bins. Thats why i told them i won't pay for anymore bins. As they refused to show me the monthly bin cost.

This is completely irrelevant. Charge vary from place to place, from company to company.

The bottom line is you can't be charged retrospectively so you're off the hook. The agency don't have a lease with you so a PRTB case by them would be a waste of time. HOWEVER you have NO right to avoid your obligations as a tenant to pay the rent. As other posters have said, your deposit is a completely different issue. It is not legally acceptable (unless agreed with a landlord, who would be very foolish to agree) to withhold rent on the basis of a deposit held. You need to bear this in mind for future rentals. It may come back and bite you (as it did another poster on here) when seeking a reference for a future rental.

Snake

athtrasna wrote: »

This is completely irrelevant. Charge vary from place to place, from company to company.

The bottom line is you can't be charged retrospectively so you're off the hook. The agency don't have a lease with you so a PRTB case by them would be a waste of time. HOWEVER you have NO right to avoid your obligations as a tenant to pay the rent. As other posters have said, your deposit is a completely different issue. It is not legally acceptable (unless agreed with a landlord, who would be very foolish to agree) to withhold rent on the basis of a deposit held. You need to bear this in mind for future rentals. It may come back and bite you (as it did another poster on here) when seeking a reference for a future rental.[/quote

That's wrong. Lease or no lease PRTB can take up a case with you, I know because I've asked.

athtrasna

In this case it's highly unlikely. OP was only resident for three months.