Landlord's minimum upkeep?

beertons

Like above, I'd fix the roof and the wall. Throw a rug over the couch, voila, all good.

Years ago, I asked a landlord could I get the heating system flushed and a new rad in the dining room. The house was an ice box and we had a baby on the way. We were told to fire ahead, and take it out of the rent. In 4 years there, that was all we asked of him.

pilly

I have to be honest OP, you're being unreasonable. You've lived there 4 years, have you never thought of buying your own furniture?

I replaced my couches about 3 months after moving into my current accommodation because they were extremely uncomfortable, I never for one minute expected the LL to replace them because I wanted more comfort. You want a better look to the couches leave the throws on them or buy new ones.

Also, chimney sweeping, your responsibility, you're using the fire. Garden, your responsibility. I don't understand why people who rent think they don't have to do regular day to day maintenance that everyone else does.

BER? You're just throwing that into the mix because you're getting pissed off.

The only issue the LL is obliged to fix really is the roof and leaking front door. Yes you can keep on at him over it or you can open a case with the RTB.

I'd be amazed however if RTB said the LL had to clean your chimney, do your garden or replace a couch that you wore out.

Sense of entitlement is coming across very strongly here and your aggression towards posters that don't agree with you is reinforcing that view.

If the LL sees you as someone who moans over the slightest things then he's going to ignore even the major stuff because you're pissing him off. He could be waiting until 2018 to get you out. I would be.

You moan about the outside looking terrible to the neighbours but it doesn't look like you've put a coat of paint on those walls since you moved in. Why not? If you intend living there a long time surely it's in your interests to have it looking nice.

I recently had the decking painted an all the stones replaced in my garden because I wanted it to look nice. Never dawned on me to ask the LL to do that for me.

gizmo81

pilly wrote: »

I have to be honest OP, you're being unreasonable. You've lived there 4 years, have you never thought of buying your own furniture?

I replaced my couches about 3 months after moving into my current accommodation because they were extremely uncomfortable, I never for one minute expected the LL to replace them because I wanted more comfort. You want a better look to the couches leave the throws on them or buy new ones.

Also, chimney sweeping, your responsibility, you're using the fire. Garden, your responsibility. I don't understand why people who rent think they don't have to do regular day to day maintenance that everyone else does.

BER? You're just throwing that into the mix because you're getting pissed off.

The only issue the LL is obliged to fix really is the roof and leaking front door. Yes you can keep on at him over it or you can open a case with the RTB.

I'd be amazed however if RTB said the LL had to clean your chimney, do your garden or replace a couch that you wore out.

Sense of entitlement is coming across very strongly here and your aggression towards posters that don't agree with you is reinforcing that view.

If the LL sees you as someone who moans over the slightest things then he's going to ignore even the major stuff because you're pissing him off. He could be waiting until 2018 to get you out. I would be.

You moan about the outside looking terrible to the neighbours but it doesn't look like you've put a coat of paint on those walls since you moved in. Why not? If you intend living there a long time surely it's in your interests to have it looking nice.

I recently had the decking painted an all the stones replaced in my garden because I wanted it to look nice. Never dawned on me to ask the LL to do that for me.

Pilly I have to disagree with you here.

It is the landlords responsibility to clean a chimney as it is is considered normal wear and tear, also a dirty chimney is very dangerous. Just as it is their responsibility to maintain the boiler.

Anything in the property has to be maintained. I like you bought all my own furniture, beds, sofas, coffee tables, chairs, curtains, etc but if you rent a property with furnishings they have to be maintained.

It's really not entitlement in this day and age paying thousands in rent to ask for a property to be maintained, it's actually the law.

Also personally I believe a tenant who has been resident for such a long period should be afforded the respect to maintain the property.

It's not the tenants responsibility to maintain the external, paint or otherwise.

I like you painted a back wall but again we made this choice but it is in no way our responsibility.

The RTA act is very specific.

pilly

gizmo81 wrote: »

Pilly I have to disagree with you here.

It is the landlords responsibility to clean a chimney as it is is considered normal wear and tear, also a dirty chimney is very dangerous. Just as it is their responsibility to maintain the boiler.

Anything in the property has to be maintained. I like you bought all my own furniture, beds, sofas, coffee tables, chairs, curtains, etc but if you rent a property with furnishings they have to be maintained.

It's really not entitlement in this day and age paying thousands in rent to ask for a property to be maintained, it's actually the law.

Also personally I believe a tenant who has been resident for such a long period should be afforded the respect to maintain the property.

It's not the tenants responsibility to maintain the external, paint or otherwise.

I like you painted a back wall but again we made this choice but it is in no way our responsibility.

The RTA act is very specific.

Everything doesn't have to be about the RTA act. Sometimes common sense and decency has to rule.

Also I've never seen anything in it that refers to chimney cleaning.

How do you know OP is paying thousands? They haven't mentioned the amount of rent, it could be well below market rate if it was set 4 years ago.

It just appears to me there's this run to the RTB over every little thing now instead of using common sense and cop on. It's a horrible attitude.

gizmo81

Section 6.1 Housing Standards for Rental Accommodation 2017

Heating Facilities
6. (1) Every room used, or intended for use, by the tenant of the house as a habitable room, and any bathroom, or shower-room shall contain a perma- nently fixed:
(a) heat emitter,
(b) heat distribution system, or (c) heat producing appliance,
capable of providing effective heating.
(2) Every room referred to in Regulation 6(1) shall contain suitable and adequate facilities for the safe and effective removal of fumes and other prod- ucts of combustion to the external air where a heat producing appliance is used.
(3) A heat producing appliance referred to in Regulation 6(1)(c) shall be so installed that there is an adequate supply of air to it for combustion, to prevent overheating and for the efficient working of any flue pipe or chimney serving the appliance.
(4) The operation of any:
(a) heat emitter,
(b) heat distribution system, or (c) heat producing appliance
as referred to in Regulation 6(1) shall be capable of being independently man- ageable by the tenant.
(5) All appliances under Regulation 6(1) shall be maintained in a safe con- dition and in good working order and good repair.[/B]
(6) Each house shall contain, where necessary, suitably located devices for the detection and alarm of carbon monoxide.

http://www.irishstatutebook.ie/eli/2017/si/17/made/en/pdf

NinetyTwoTeam

If the tenant is paying rent the landlord is required to fulfill his legal obligations and any cost of doing this should be factored into the rent agreed at move in.

All this 'if you ask me to fix stuff I'll raise the rent on you' nonsense is flat out disgusting carry on, especially because the same ones will tell you that you can't withhold rent for a landlord refusing to do repairs for six months on end. Well I've had landlords like that and guess what was the only way to get them to pull the finger out?

Landlords who want to be able to do no repairs and get 100% rent, or when tenants ask for repairs then they expect over 100% the rent, where do you get off? You are the reason legislation to protect renters is constantly being increased, even though it's still way behind where it needs to be due to so many of our politicos being landlords.

NinetyTwoTeam

NinetyTwoTeam wrote: »

You are the reason legislation to protect renters is constantly being increased, even though it's still way behind where it needs to be due to so many of our politicos being landlords.

This couldn't be further from reality. The fact is that legislation is so much in tenants favour that LLs are being driven out of the market and many more who might enter the market are not. It is also resulting in LLs not investing in their properties etc.

Legislation very needs to very much swing back in favour of LLs if there is any hope of improving rental supply.

_Kaiser_

NinetyTwoTeam wrote: »

If the tenant is paying rent the landlord is required to fulfill his legal obligations and any cost of doing this should be factored into the rent agreed at move in.

All this 'if you ask me to fix stuff I'll raise the rent on you' nonsense is flat out disgusting carry on, especially because the same ones will tell you that you can't withhold rent for a landlord refusing to do repairs for six months on end. Well I've had landlords like that and guess what was the only way to get them to pull the finger out?

Landlords who want to be able to do no repairs and get 100% rent, or when tenants ask for repairs then they expect over 100% the rent, where do you get off? You are the reason legislation to protect renters is constantly being increased, even though it's still way behind where it needs to be due to so many of our politicos being landlords.

Indeed.. I don't disagree at all that there are a lot of tenants who take the piss or cause significant issues for their landlord, but there are equally just as many landlords who through choice or necessity, decided to rent a place out but then want to do nothing more than collect the rent every month.

The rental market in this country is entirely dysfunctional anyway, but the current property crisis has compounded the issues that were already there. Of course there's no rush to address it because:

1) Renting is "dead money" and for fools/peasants or something you do while saving for a deposit but not to be taken seriously

2) A lot of politicians either own or are involved in the market as landlords themselves

3) The current mess, and half-assed "solutions" to-date which are forcing the good landlords out, fits with FG policy by allowing huge swaths of properties to be bought up by investment funds who are making the situation worse

However, until we change the attitude in #1 above, and start building tens of thousands of houses and apartments in areas people actually want/need to live, not much will change.

spoke2cun

pilly wrote: »

I have to be honest OP, you're being unreasonable. You've lived there 4 years, have you never thought of buying your own furniture?

I replaced my couches about 3 months after moving into my current accommodation because they were extremely uncomfortable, I never for one minute expected the LL to replace them because I wanted more comfort. You want a better look to the couches leave the throws on them or buy new ones.

Also, chimney sweeping, your responsibility, you're using the fire. Garden, your responsibility. I don't understand why people who rent think they don't have to do regular day to day maintenance that everyone else does.

BER? You're just throwing that into the mix because you're getting pissed off.

The only issue the LL is obliged to fix really is the roof and leaking front door. Yes you can keep on at him over it or you can open a case with the RTB.

I'd be amazed however if RTB said the LL had to clean your chimney, do your garden or replace a couch that you wore out.

Sense of entitlement is coming across very strongly here and your aggression towards posters that don't agree with you is reinforcing that view.

If the LL sees you as someone who moans over the slightest things then he's going to ignore even the major stuff because you're pissing him off. He could be waiting until 2018 to get you out. I would be.

You moan about the outside looking terrible to the neighbours but it doesn't look like you've put a coat of paint on those walls since you moved in. Why not? If you intend living there a long time surely it's in your interests to have it looking nice.

I recently had the decking painted an all the stones replaced in my garden because I wanted it to look nice. Never dawned on me to ask the LL to do that for me.

Thanks gizmo81 & NinetyTwoTeam.
Pilly, you're way off the mark to put it mildly.
1. A lot of the furniture is our own. All the landlord had to do regarding the suite was to tell us to replace it and to take it out of the rent. Anything looking half respectable would do for us. But he replied via a few text messages in Feb how he was going to get it reupholstered. (He was told and seen pics of the suite before Christmas!) He hasn't done anything since.

2. Regarding the chimney and lawn mowing- I never said I wanted or expected the LL to do this. What I did ask was, was this a part of a LL's duty? If these are not his duties, I'll continue to clean the chimney, cut the grass and paint the fence. I've painted the boundary wall in both our 1st & 2nd year here. But as I've previously mentioned, that same wall is so badly cracked in places that's it would be a waste of time painting it.

3. BER. I was asking about that because I don't know anything about it.

4. The cracks in the house itself should also be a concern to the LL.

5. Like I said in an earlier post. We've hardly ever bothered them or asked for anything. The annoying thing for us is that he hasn't even bothered to make a decent attempt at contacting us.

6. Why would he be waiting to 2018 'to get us out'? Why would you want us out pilly?

7. FYI, We do keep the gardens, fences and around the house looking just as good as any of the neighbours. But serious wall cracks is beyond my capabilities.

8. And aggression towards posters who don't agree with me, that's off the mark too. Like I said before, why post if it's not going to help or inform a poster who is looking for information. People have different opinions surely but I was hoping to get solid information rather than start a discussion.

The_Conductor

spoke2cun wrote: »

8. And aggression towards posters who don't agree with me, that's off the mark too. Like I said before, why post if it's not going to help or inform a poster who is looking for information. People have different opinions surely but I was hoping to get solid information rather than start a discussion.

Spoke2cun- while you may imagine that you're simply seeking 'solid information' as you put it- we are precluded from allowing posters offer professional advice- and if you are seeking 'solid information' (as you put it)- to be honest- you're best advised to seek professional advise from the agencies under whose remit your tenancy falls (predominantly the RTB- however, Threshold will offer advocacy services and some assistance, which isn't necessarily legally binding advice- if you contact them).

With respect of your BER certificate- any property in Ireland- being sold or let- after the 1st of January 2009, is supposed to have a BER certificate. There is no exception to this. A BER certificate is, however, a simply a certificate giving you an energy rating for a building. An 'A' rating is the highest possible rating- a 'G' rating the worst- most Irish buildings fall somewhere between these- from the pictures you've shown, I'd had hazard a guess that yours is somewhere between an 'E' and an 'F'- very poor, but not the worst possible score.

A BER certificate may be accompanied by a prescription list- which will list why it was marked down- and give a homeowner a roadmap for improving their rating- however, it is a roadmap- it is not a direction to undertake specific works- and something as simple as changing lightbulbs to more energy efficient lightbulbs- could potentially move you up a band.

Most of the work you've detailed- is aspirational- rather than obligatory- and while there is a legal onus on a property owner (not necessarily a landlord- it equally applies to an owner occupier etc) to ensure the upkeep of the exterior and grounds of a property, they can assign their obligation to maintain the exterior of a property to a tenant, a managing agent- or whomsoever they choose- but if its not done- they are liable. The lack of upkeep and the monitoring of this- is a function ascribed to the local authority- and is not related to the tenancy itself (i.e. you would complain to the local authority- not the RTB regarding this).

Whether you realise it or not- you have come across as quite passive/aggressive towards some of the posters on the thread- and while you state you're looking for 'solid information' and not a discussion- this is a discussion forum- and if you use it, whether you realise it or not- you are inviting a discussion. If you have an issue with what people post- and can show that it is in breach of the charter governing use of the forum- please report the post- noting the reason you're reporting the post- and this will assist the moderators of the forum to evaluate whether there is problematic posting occuring- and we can then take whatever action is deemed appropriate.

Personally- I think your landlord should be ashamed to let a property in the state your home is in- it does have necessary periodic maintenance that has to be done- along with one-off items some of which are incredibly important- others of which are aspirational- but things any good landlord would be only too happy to do.

Best of good luck with your landlord- I hope you get the critical items done ASAP- alongside the items- which to be brutally honest- have been put on the long finger for far too long.

And yes- that couch is poxy.

spoke2cun

Thanks for that The Conductor. I just wanted to see where I stood before going to the RTB or local council. I was wondering if any other forum members had experienced similar problems. By the way, the LL sent a text last night saying he was sorting the cracks and that a painter was on the way. We'll see. Maybe he was reading the posts!

The_Conductor

Fingers crossed its a pure coincidence and the landlord gets his act together- and keeps the ship on the road.