Rented house to County Council for 10 years lots of damage after getting it back

Never ever rent to the council.

Surely you have depreciated the cost of the furniture over 8 years. So they cost you nothing.

what exactly is wrong with the electrics?

get a handyman in to price repairs. You can deduct the cost over the rent for the next few years.

will your insurance not cover some of the damage ?

Elaborate…..

eother participate constructively in a conversation or just stay quiet

That's a very stressful situation. If the council are refusing to cover the costs your next course of action should be to write to all newspapers, post on all online platforms and contact TV and radio and tell in detail the damage done and the situation you have been left in after renting to the council. Stress that you would not encourage any landlord to rent to the council given the nightmare it has been for you.

Then write to our minister for housing, your local TDs and the taoiseach outlining the situation In every detail.

Sadly this is the only course of action that may get you somewhere - get them worried that landlords will stop renting - you will be soon offered something to shut you up.

No, not ignoring

”The electricity in the sitting room and hall is damaged”. I asked what the damage was, after all electricity can’t be damaged

at the end of the day the OP wants the house back in a good manner. If the damage’s furniture has been depreciated, which it should have been, then there’s no value to it. And they just need to accept that.

I directed them to get a handyman , he can put a cost to the repairs , some of which may be covered by her insurance.

damages that look a long list can easily be rectified. And not as bad as initially thought.

realistically going the legal route won’t generate anything for them.

what they do need to do is fix the house and get a new tenant in, or get the house sold.

Insurance 😆

I’m basing it on a tenant moving in and never paying a cent. The council don’t move people in and don’t pay the rent.

That's not how renting works, nor do we/you know what the rent or mortgage cost were for the 10yrs.

The property owner has to expect to make a profit from renting, not just cover costs.

OP, was it let directly to council or to a council tenant via RAS etc

OP has had ten years of rent from the council - that's money in the bank. It's disappointing that the tenants trashed it to some extent but reinvest in repairs and let again or sell. Likely have appreciated in value overall, so glass more than half full. At least it wasn't burnt down, let's put it like that.

But make absolutely sure that the council officials are aware of the state of the place and who was there. If they do their job properly that should impact on any future social housing for these tenants. Make it very clear that you will publicise among others you know who let to the council. That'll keep their feet to the fire - no one wants to deal with that sort of feral behaviour, neither property owners or the council or their neighbours.

Not always. There are a few different schemes. Some guarantee to return it in original condition less fair wear and tear.

What does your solicitor advise? The one who reviewed your contract with the Council initially, if possible.

That's totally irrelevant. Agree with post above this.

"I was told to stop sending them photos of the issues I was still coming across a few months back and that there is no point, they don't want the emails."

This saga of complete incompetence by an apathetic and uncaring Council deserves a far wider audience.

Without adopting the nuclear "Liveline" option, I'm sure that somewhere in the world of Irish journalism is an ambitious young spark who would would love to get their teeth into a story like this? Why not summarise the story that you have told above and email it off to a couple of radio and newspaper newsrooms. And then send it to your local opposition TDs and Councillors.

I'd also send it to Darragh "Jowls" O'Brien [ minister@housing.gov.ie ] and ask him whether he is satisfied with the performance of the Council in question.

Remember, if the Council gets away with treating you like a piece of dog crap, then they'll keep doing it to other people.

I dont agree at all. What you are basically saying is that rental properties are lived in by complete animals and landlords should expect it to be wrecked. After 10 years I would expect to have to paint the property throughout, replace mattress's, maybe replace carpet and sofa etc ( only if necessary) - thats reasonable.

It is not reasonable for insulation to need to be replaced, tiles to be replaced or redone, holes in walls ( how the eff did that happen) and for alot of furniture to be replaced. People who own their own homes dont replace everything after 10 years!

Tenants should be held liable for any damage beyond whats reasonable to a house. People wonder why rents are so high - one of the reasons is because often a house has to be gutted after a tenant leaves. These people have no respect for anything whatsover and in my opinion should be left homeless. They have now in all likelihood been moved onto another lovely property owned by a trusting landlord whose house they will wreck again! This home costs them virtually nothing and there will be no consequences for them when they destroy the property. Ireland is a great country for wasters!

You can throw around should as much as you want; I'm telling it how it is.

1. People who don't pay for something don't respect it as much as those who do. That's one of the main reasons why experienced landlords sometimes tend to shy away from HAP tenants (all other things being equal) compared to tenants spending their own hard-earned. However, I have viewed for purchase places in mid-rental to the council that have been in fantastic nick. So it's a generalisation.
2. The Council has very little recourse against their tenants; they have lower incomes, less assets, etc... the council will never waste their time trying to sue their current or former tenants to do a couple of g's worth of repairs. Only anti-social behaviour negatively affects their ability to rent in future.
3. 10 years is a long long time - if you don't think you'd expect to replace carpets and sofas after 10 years of renting to anyone then you are sorely misunderstanding human nature. You spill a bottle of baby milk on your own sofa, you'll spend days with the vinegar and the baking soda and the ventilation... a tenant will seldom do it. I rented a place to a guy for 11 years... it was a kip at the end (filthy) but I gave him his deposit back because, well.. it had been 11 years!
4. Similarly any serious event (like the bath leaking) a homeowner will contact insurance, etc, to get it sorted and remediated. A council will only make the place safe and habitable.

The upside of a council rental is 10 years at close to market rent with NO EXPENSES (no repairs, maintenance, etc) after six months. The reason the council sets 10 years is that they know that after 10 years the place will need to be completely overhauled, but most landlords won't care because they've had a decade of very very good money. You've probably enjoyed 7+% yield on your capital during a period of close to zero inflation... beating every other investment at little or no risk.

However

• Yes there should be better recourse against the council for your situation. It probably is worth a solicitors letter. I bet they bump the 900 offer.
• Yes council tenants should be more responsible. Many of them are.

Don't be disheartened. Letting out a place for the inexperienced can be soul destroying if you expect people to look after it the way you would. Get that mentality out of your head, and you'll be fine.