Should landlord refill oil tank? Freezing to death here!

ToniTuddle

murphym7 wrote: »

I think the OP does not have a leg to stand on. The point was made earlier that the landlord is profiteering - so what, we are all adults, you either agree to the deal in front of you or you walk away. Don't be moaning after that you are being robbed.

What I agreed to was €60 a week that was bills included.
Bills are oil, ESB and bins.
There was no mention of a limit or what if this runs out or anything of the like.
I may be an adult but I haven't rented a place since I was 17 and now I'm 24 so I'm getting use to it all again. I'm still learning the hard way at times!

skelliser

no receipts and all cash dealings probably mean he is not registered with the prtb or paying any tax.
So screw him!
head down to argos and buy yourself one of these bad boys for your room, http://www.argos.ie/static/Product/partNumber/4151632/c_1/1|category_root|Home+and+furniture|14417894/c_2/2|cat_14417894|Heaters+and+radiators|14417957/c_3/3|cat_14417957|Oil+filled+radiators|14417968.htm
iv had a similar one and they are brilliant

probably run up a series esb bill, but hey, its bills included!

Guell72

skelliser wrote: »

head down to argos and buy yourself one of these bad boys for your room, http://www.argos.ie/static/Product/partNumber/4151632/c_1/1|category_root|Home+and+furniture|14417894/c_2/2|cat_14417894|Heaters+and+radiators|14417957/c_3/3|cat_14417957|Oil+filled+radiators|14417968.htm

probably run up a series esb bill, but hey, its bills included!

Or better. Buy one for every room

axel rose

Op, next time the LL 'forgets' his receipt book, write your own. All you need is a piece of paper, date it, amount paid for rent on 123 high st. received by ...... signed by both of you.

Glad to hear that you are doing something about your situation.
If you can stretch to it, there are some brilliant oil filled heaters with timers. For tonight-open the oven door .

If the ESB is in the LL name, then its not your problem if he demands more money (just don't rip the ......). Finally, I probably wont be the only person advising you to move to a (more professional?) rental.

Victor

OP, can I suggest you write a short, but to the point letter to the landlord, saying you need to oil or that you will be raising a complaint with the PRTB? Keep a copy. might also want to talk to threshold.

www.prtb.ie
www.threshold.ie

mrgaa1 wrote: »

and does your landlord re-fill your fridge when its empty??? Its been an abnormal winter and we're still in it. Stop looking for a way out, take some responsibility and get on with it.

Well, if the landlord was billing for food at 50% above its normal price, then yes.

Thoie

axel rose wrote: »

For tonight-open the oven door .

I know there's a wink after that, but can we just reinforce the fact that's a joke, and no-one should leave an oven on overnight like that?

OP, you can buy a rent book in Easons or other places, and just ask the landlord to sign it each week/month. Rent books stay with the tenants, so there's no fear it will get forgotten.

axel rose

I'm not suggesting that the oven be left on overnight or left on unattended. I'm just stating that an oven is very effective in heating a room in an emergency. (From experience of a dodgy house in Maynooth and a very odd clause banning us from heaters in our lease.......lease had many odd clauses- but the rent was only £15 a week!:))


Edit
(ah-I see where you may think I meant to leave the oven on all night. I should have said; For this evening-open the oven door.

Dempo1

ToniTuddle wrote: »

Myself and two friends moved into a house around the 15th Jan of this year.
Another tenant had been living there for few months.

Landlord put 450 litres of oil into tank the week after Christmas. That costs about €270/€280
(Tank had been empty)

He told that tenant the oil should do until May-which is utter nonsense unless you used it very sparingly. During the sub zero temperatures we have had the heating needed to be on to stop pipes from freezing.

Anyway we ran out of oil last week. So it's only lasted 7 weeks.
Housemate having it on 'constant' for 6 or 7 hours a night didn't help matters I know.

• Rent : €60 a week (€45 for rent €15 for bills)
• So that's €240 for bills he gets out of us 4 tenants every month.
• Bills included are ESB, heating(oil) and bins.

We told him about us running out but he said it should have done us until May....is he suppose to fill it up again?

Or is it our own fault and we should have been alot more careful with it and we will simply have to buy our own oil now???


I'm typing this while wearing 5 layers of clothing and I can see my breath as I breathe out it's that cold in my bedroom!!!! :(:(

Help!

I do sympatise but I am quite surprised any rent agreement would include Oil fills, this would be extraordinarly generous. Are you entirely sure oil fills are included in your tenancy agreement. I do know of some agreements that include utility bills but i've never come across this scenario? I'm not a landlord by the way!

ToniTuddle

axel rose wrote: »

Finally, I probably wont be the only person advising you to move to a (more professional?) rental.

For next September I will try and do this and not live with friends.
Was always told it was a bad idea!
Alot of the more professional places do not like having students living in them though for fear of excessive partying etc.
Just wish to live in a nice clean and warm house, where everyone helps out equally in tidyness!! >.<

Victor wrote: »

OP, can I suggest you write a short, but to the point letter to the landlord, saying you need to oil or that you will be raising a complaint with the PRTB? Keep a copy. might also want to talk to threshold.

www.prtb.ie
www.threshold.ie

Thanks for those websites I must write them down so I will remember them. Aside from the oil there are a few other minor details niggling at me.
I've a feeling I will be handing in my 4 weeks notice and moving home as a result of these various issues!

Dempo1 wrote: »

I do sympatise but I am quite surprised any rent agreement would include Oil fills, this would be extraordinarly generous. Are you entirely sure oil fills are included in your tenancy agreement. I do know of some agreements that include utility bills but i've never come across this scenario? I'm not a landlord by the way!

I've seen a few places advertised that included heating and ESB or bins and heating.

450 litres only cost in and around €275
Just over a month and he has the oil paid for. So can't see why he wouldn't refil it up as we are paying for it you know?
Another thing is that the previous tenants all had paid their rent up until the time we moved in so that oil was technically paid up for by them.

Urrrghh. I just want to keep my nose down and get my deposit back without any hassle and next year live in a proper place.
But most students I know (in houses not those blocks of student flats) never seem to have to sign leases as they only there for 8 or 9 months or school term.

Cookie_Monster

Get a BER done and if the results say not enough insulation, demand the landlord insulate the house

jeepers101

Cookie_Monster wrote: »

Get a BER done and if the results say not enough insulation, demand the landlord insulate the house

Yeah cause a bunch of students can afford a BER cert

Agent J

Landlord is required to have a BER done themselves before they let.

As of Jan 01 2009 afaik.

theg81der

Bills included is what it says on the till, you have no contract so he didn`t say what t max was. Screw him he wouldn`t live with no heat.

bog master

Slightly off topic but..... to those who say 450 litres should last 4-5 months, Bullfeathers!!! Is that heating a house or a box room? Even taking 4 months, which is 120 days, that works out 3.75 litres per day. The average boilers using around 2.5 litres per hour on full burn. So you reckon an hour and half a day with boiler running is going to heat a house?

jeepers101

Agent J wrote: »

Landlord is required to have a BER done themselves before they let.

As of Jan 01 2009 afaik.

From the sounds of it the landlord is neither paying tax nor registered with prtb, so i don't think he'd go to the bother of getting a BER cert.

The_Conductor

jeepers101 wrote: »

From the sounds of it the landlord is neither paying tax nor registered with prtb, so i don't think he'd go to the bother of getting a BER cert.

Don't automatically assume that the Landlord is not paying tax- or is not registered with the PRTB. You can download a spreadsheet from the PRTB website detailing tenancies registered on their database (but note- it can be a few months behind, so don't assume its 100% accurate either).

The BER cert is actually a fully tax deductable expense for the landlord- so it doesn't make a lot of sense to not get it done. Aside from anything else- the page of recommendations can be an eye opener......

Guell72

jeepers101 wrote: »

From the sounds of it the landlord is neither paying tax nor registered with prtb, so i don't think he'd go to the bother of getting a BER cert.

I dont understand why people always assume this.
Im sure landlords would risk a hell of a lot by not paying tax or registering with the prtb.

ToniTuddle

Ringing him today and handing in my 4 week notice.
Need to go home and save my money anyway for the summer.
Thanks for all the advice, I shall be making note and using it for this September!
Hopefully I won't be in any bother then though

Cheers folks


Actually...let's hope there is no hassle getting my deposit back :eek:

Il Trap

ToniTuddle wrote: »

Myself and two friends moved into a house around the 15th Jan of this year.
Another tenant had been living there for few months.

Landlord put 450 litres of oil into tank the week after Christmas. That costs about €270/€280
(Tank had been empty)

He told that tenant the oil should do until May-which is utter nonsense unless you used it very sparingly. During the sub zero temperatures we have had the heating needed to be on to stop pipes from freezing.

Anyway we ran out of oil last week. So it's only lasted 7 weeks.
Housemate having it on 'constant' for 6 or 7 hours a night didn't help matters I know.

• Rent : €60 a week (€45 for rent €15 for bills)
• So that's €240 for bills he gets out of us 4 tenants every month.
• Bills included are ESB, heating(oil) and bins.

We told him about us running out but he said it should have done us until May....is he suppose to fill it up again?

Or is it our own fault and we should have been alot more careful with it and we will simply have to buy our own oil now???


I'm typing this while wearing 5 layers of clothing and I can see my breath as I breathe out it's that cold in my bedroom!!!! :(:(

Help!

By any chance is this house in Drumcondra? I experienced EXACTLY the same situation recently! We came to a half and half compromise. Very begrudgingly on his part.

ToniTuddle

Il Trap wrote: »

By any chance is this house in Drumcondra? I experienced EXACTLY the same situation recently! We came to a half and half compromise. Very begrudgingly on his part.

Nope up in Donegal actually!
There would be no compromise on his part, he has no intention of refilling.
I'm just going to keep my mouth shut and my room tidy and get my deposit back. Chalk it down to experience. Maybe in September I'll live in a place that has no issues ha!

Couldn't get through to him on phone tonight to hand in notice so I'll keep trying tomorrow.

Plus we told him to get a lock for our oil tank as there is nothing on it and would easily be stolen. That was 2 weeks ago and still nothing.