Getting a Deposit Back

Agent J

Question.

Would you return your keys before you got your deposit back?

After a few months in a place and a crap landlord we are leaving. We gave the agency the notice and they accepted it. We were on a year lease but they know they dont have a leg to stand on because the house was not repaired as promised.

So i get a call from the estate agent to arrange to meet me and view the property after i leave it. That was fine and then i got a call back to cancel that and to just leave the keys in the letter box when i left. I asked about our deposit and was told that would be sorted out afterwards. I replied that i am not turning over the keys until i get a deposit back. She told me that normally that didnt happen. I said to be honest given the state of things i quite frankly dont trust the landlord and they wont get the keys until i get a draft or cheque. She said she would view the place, talk to the landlord and get back to me.

Options? As far as i know there isnt a requirement to handback keys at a particular point is there?

Also we arent registered with the PTRB.

Is there anyway to lodge a complaint about an agency? As far as i am concerned they are complict with helping the landlord not register as i asked them about it and was told it was up the landlord, landlord seems to think it was up to the agency. Is there an estate agents body or something?

eth0_

A> _Never_ trust an estate agent, she's just being lazy in saying she doesn't have to meet you now
B> Do not move out without getting it in writing that the house has been left in the condition that you found it. They could turn around and point the blame on you for some damage, and you could lose your deposit.

jubi lee

yep get it in writing that all is ok, but i thought generally it was a few weeks after you move out that you get the deposit back but i'm not sure.

the_syco

Agent J wrote:

they know they dont have a leg to stand on because the house was not repaired as promised.

Take pictures of said damage, and document when you told them about it, otherwise, you'll see your deposit go into fixing it. Don't care if you did it or not, you'll be charged for it if your not carefull, as the agncy & landlord sound like cowboys.

Agent J

the_syco wrote:

Take pictures of said damage, and document when you told them about it, otherwise, you'll see your deposit go into fixing it. Don't care if you did it or not, you'll be charged for it if your not carefull, as the agncy & landlord sound like cowboys.

Good suggestion.

I made sure to take pic's before i left.

Low and behold i got a call from the estate agent telling me they werent happy with the cleaning and either wanted me to go back in and clean it or they were going to hire a cleaner and deduct it from my deposit.

I made a quip that its kinda hard to clean a house without a dustpan,mop or working hoover and that someone had been in on the last day had been in the house with my knoweldge or permission( I wasnt there for most of it) to finally fix those fences. They dragged saw dust in the place...


I told them that i had taken pictures before i left and they could take pictures and then we'd take it to the PTRB and let them decide. She backed off a bit but i was in no mood for it. I told her in no uncertain terms that if so much as a cent was taken off that deposit i would take the matter as far as i have to go, PTRB, Small claims court.

She asked me was i going to go back in....

"i have not the time, energy or inclination to go back to that house. If the landlord has a problem with this then he can speak to me directly. Please pass on my number to him".


What annoys me is that i did spend time cleaning that place and it was in a far state better then what i found it. The estate agent knows this. Im still trying to find somewhere to file a complaint about the estate agent...

Keith C

Not sure how long you were there but why not claim rent relief for the time you spent in the house & request landlords name & PPS number, then let the tax office go after him.

Agent J

Got a call from the estate agent.

350 she said for the cleaner.


My Ass.....

digitally-yours

Agent J wrote:

Got a call from the estate agent.

350 she said for the cleaner.


My Ass.....

That mad

You can get a full appartment clean from 70 euros
Mate of mine have got it done 2 times

Dont let them get away with it.Ask her to proovide you with the reciept of the company charging 350 . Ask proper invoice with all VAT and etc

eth0_

Agent J wrote:

Got a call from the estate agent.

350 she said for the cleaner.


My Ass.....

Estate agents are SCUM.
€350 to clean an apartment?! Did someone projectile vomit all over the place and then set fire to the bedrooms?

babytooth

is name and shame allowed here.

I mean, why not use the net to do abit of good, as long as what is said is truthful and that the poster registers real details then there would be no case on boards for slander.

??

and you entitled to the receipt for this.
Also, you don't need the l.lords pps number for rent relief, you just need to send in the Rent1 form and the address of your rented house, nothing more or less, let him worry about his tax problems, not up to you to consider them.

zee_hb

How dirty was the place?!! It's pretty standard practice for landlords to get a place cleaned and repaired between lets without charging the previous tenants. General wear and tear is to be expected and that's not what your deposit is in case of, although after just a few months I can't imagine that much wear and tear could have been caused.

its kinda hard to clean a house without a dustpan,mop

You can buy those yourself for a few quid! Now I'm wondering what sort of cleaning was done while you were in the house or before you left!

zee

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Agent J

I did buy that stuff for the place when we moved in. The place was kept clean bar the hoovering (Most of it was tiles or wooden floors) and the agent had been told the hoover didnt work. I had to borrow the one from my new place to clean.


I was just making a flippant comment to the estate agent to remind her how badly the place was kitted out. I had to buy pretty much everything for the kicthen (Delf, cookware etc..)

I should up load the photos somewhere for people to look but take my word on it. The place was clean when i left and a damn sight better than when i moved in. I dont run out on my commitments and i wont let people do likewise to me.

In othernews i have had the PTRB contact me and their "enforcement" unit took all the details from me and is going after the landlord while im dealing with the dispute section about the deposit. I am also talking with IPAV about a formal complaint about the conduct of the estate agent(Im concentrating on one issue, the refusal to register with the PTRB)