Nosey Landlady

ImpactPlayer

I moved into a flat with my mate about 2 months ago. The landlady arranged with us that if we weren't around on rent day to leave the money in the microwave or a press and she would come in and get it. Rent day is thursday and me and my flat mate both work every thursday. We were suspicious of her coming into our flat when we weren't there so last thursday I set up my digital camera to record when we weren't there. The camera is in the bedroom so we couldn't see what she was doing in the living room. But the door of the bedroom opened, the light came on and she stood there for a few seconds. We could also see someone in the background in the living room but it is too dark to see what they were doing. She turned off the light in the bedroom but then I can see shadows moving in the background and when I came home and turned on the light again, it is clear that some of the stuff on my friends bed has moved around.
We are obviously freaked out by this. What should we do about it? We haven't signed a lease and we don't even get reciepts off her. What are our rights in a situation like this? What should we say to her?

Sleipnir

Tell her you need receipts as you're getting "accomodation allowance" or something from your company and they need them.
Also, I'd imagine she's on the black i.e. she is not registered as a landlady and therefore does not have a rent book (which ordinarilly you would be signing each time you gave her the rent.

Set it up in your living room and see what happens. You could say that you've noticed things moving around while you're out and are worried that someone else might have a key.
If she doesn't back off, show her the videos! She has no right to come into your flat without your permission (although technically, by agreeing to the microwave thing you may have given your permission)
Tell her you want to change the arrangement by either lodging money to an account or by meeting her in the evening or morning that your rent is due.

ImpactPlayer

nice one. that exactly what my sister said!

seamus

I'd say rearrange the rent date. If you're both working the day she wants to collect the rent, tell her to reschedule. IMO, she should never be in the house when you're not there, with or without your permission.

Victor

Leave naked dead body in living room. Set video cam, turn sound on. Wait for screams :D:D

More seriously get locks for your rooms (€10-20). Leave envelope with her name with crossed cheque affixed somewhere obvious in front hall or change means of payment altogether.

That or go to the Garda and make a complaint of trespass (she only has rights to go as far as microwave, nowhere else) and / or harassment.

---

Get form RENT1 from www.revenue.ie and claim your tax credit. This will either give you big negotiating rights or get you evicted (at which time you produce camera recordings .... ). Also check that she is registered with the local authority as a lanlord.

Big al

pay the rent directly into her bank account, then she has no reason to come to the house

raphaelS

For the first flat I was in (Gardiner Street ), the landlords (old couple to put in "bad landlords") who own few flats in the street used to come the 1st saturday of each month, if you weren't there, it was the rule to let the rent on the coffee table. They didn't want bank lodgment, only cheque, I had a rent book though...
As I didn't them to came in when I wasn't there, I agreed to post the cheque a big week before.

One month, the cheque was late (An post's fault) so when they came this saturday they got into my flat, I wasn't there and found them trying to find the cheque, they had visited kitchen, bedroom... I said that the cheque had been posted like every month... they didn't believe me (they apologised few days later when they got the cheque...)
This saturday afternoon I started to look for a new place.

When I asked my current landlord, if he will come in without asking if I wasn't there, he was really surprised... he's ringing before each of his visits and these are only visits for maintenance as the rent is a bank draft.

My advice is: get a movie from the living room (could be fun and handy in case of a dispute) and maybe find a new place!

[voyeur]
Post a link to the video!!
[/voyeur]
Raphael

eth0_

Originally posted by Victor

That or go to the Garda and make a complaint of trespass (she only has rights to go as far as microwave, nowhere else) and / or harassment.

If they do that, she'll kick them out immediately. They have no lease remember.

echomadman

start looking for a new place asap.
Landlords like that are the scum of the earth, as far as they are concerned you have no rights to the premises.
any fuss you raise will (from my previous experiences) result in an eviction notice, and again based on past experience a "get out by this day next week" constitutes notice in their book.

dudara

Any landlord I've ever had, have always rang in advance to say that they were coming to vist and could we arrange a convenient time to meet them.

If you're renting, then it's your home, and the landlord has to get your permission to enter. That's the law, and it's as simple as that.

sunbeam

Originally posted by echomadman
start looking for a new place asap.
Landlords like that are the scum of the earth, as far as they are concerned you have no rights to the premises.
any fuss you raise will (from my previous experiences) result in an eviction notice, and again based on past experience a "get out by this day next week" constitutes notice in their book.

I'm afraid I'd have to agree, especially some of the ones who used to live on the premises themselves. As far as they are concerned it's still *their* house and they can do as they please.

DaithiSurfer

Send the video to the tabloids.
They lap up stuff like that.
I'ld like to see her try to abuse you with the tabloids baching you ha ha

shoegirl

A landlord doesn't have rights to mooch about your stuff. In fact any decent landlord will not enter the place without you being there except to accompany a plumber or electrician or whatever.

I am usually out rent day but what I do is to pay in advance. No landlord/lady will turn down a fat wad of cash two or three weeks early. It also gives you exceptional bargaining power, I've found.

Chances are this landlady is probably on the black economy and doesn't know your rights. If you have any problems advise her gently that you will give her details to the Revenue Commisioners if you have any more problems. If she threatens to kick you out pick up the phone and ring them on the spot. She'll very quickly back down.

Don't let a landlord use his illegality as a weapon against you. Turn it around and use it as a weapon against them!

MoSeS_.

We have a similar arrangement with our Landlady but she's grand.
I've been in the house plenty of times when she called without her knowing,
might have been in bed, or out of the shower or whatever, but she always just goes straight to where the money is and leaves without so much as looking into the sitting room in passing.

In any event if the rent is cheap and she's alright apart from that or you're worried about it going up or getting turfed out if you get all tough I would go with changing the locks on the bedroom doors.

Life can be a pain if you don't get on with your landlord, specially if they collect the rent on a weekly basis. We get on grand with ours so there's no worries if we're short on rent every now and then.

If she kicks up a stink about that then tell her what she can do with her flat.
And if you're feeling nasty after that you can dob her in to the tax office.

eth0_

Originally posted by MoSeS_.
We have a similar arrangement with our Landlady but she's grand.
I've been in the house plenty of times when she called without her knowing,
might have been in bed, or out of the shower or whatever, but she always just goes straight to where the money is and leaves without so much as looking into the sitting room in passing.

Why doesn't she just accept a standing order into her account like any normal person? Chances are she's fiddling the tax man out of rental tax.

Asok

Eat all the food you have in the house then poo all over the place and write help and sit in an armchair when she
comes in and scream "their trying to drive us do lally!"