Landlord & collecting rent

Lux23

I moved into my new flat about 7 weeks ago and the landlord is supposed to collect the rent every Friday at 7pm. This is actually written on our rent book and our lease so I would guess this is an agreement of sorts?

So out of the last seven weeks, he has only turned up at the agreed time once so we have had to leave the rent sitting out when we leave the place and he lets himself in. This is fine if he actually turns up on Friday, but this weekend it was left out all weekend and no sign of him. On two other occasions, he turned up at awkward times over the weekend, I was half dressed and he let himself in while I was dressing in order to open the door to him.

I don't want to speculate as to his reasons for picking the rent up in cash, but I don't want him walking in whenever he feels like it.

Is there anything I can do to get him to accept a money transfer instead?

testaccount123

Lux23 wrote: »

I moved into my new flat about 7 weeks ago and the landlord is supposed to collect the rent every Friday at 7pm.

Why on earth would you agree to this?

Its 2015, insist on paying by electronic transfer.

Lux23

Because we were looking for over 7 weeks and needed somewhere. You see, I don't think legally we can insist on paying by electronic transfer.

Michael D Not Higgins

Lux23 wrote: »

Because we were looking for over 7 weeks and needed somewhere. You see, I don't think legally we can insist on paying by electronic transfer.

You can legally insist on peaceful occupation of your home, according to RTA 2004. The landlord cannot let himself in. He must knock like any other visitor.

I wouldn't mind paying in cash but paying weekly in cash is a joke I'd almost never be around on a Friday evening as Id be in the pub or travelling back to my home place.

Can you suggest paying the rent to him monthly in cash instead as that will make things much less hassle and he can keep getting cash (which is his right if he wants it, cash is legal tender and he is entitled to use it if he wishes).

testaccount123

Nope, you probably cant.

Your Landlord cannot let himself into your property, it is illegal. What you've got there is a bona fide cowboy landlord. Not accepting electronic payment, showing up at your property when he wants, missing appointments, casually breaking the law with trespass.

Not accepting electronic payment is a HUGE red flag. I can sympathise as we dont have the luxury of picking and choosing these days.

Lux23

I wouldn't have the cash up front for that and I signed a lease that says the rent is paid weekly. As I said, I wouldn't mind if he came at the agreed time, he is either late or doesn't turn up at all.

Lux23

Lux23 wrote: »

I wouldn't have the cash up front for that and I signed a lease that says the rent is paid weekly. As I said, I wouldn't mind if he came at the agreed time, he is either late or doesn't turn up at all.

You could suggest changing to monthly or 4 weekly now though. Tell him being there weekly is not convenient for you.

Does he live or work near you? My previous LL wanted cash payment (monthly) but rather than having to be in the house every month when he called one of the housemates dropped the rent into his office every month (our suggestion to him) as he passed by it on his way to work.

Michael D Not Higgins

Theodore Sweet Piccolo wrote: »

You could suggest changing to monthly or 4 weekly now though. Tell him being there weekly is not convenient for you.

It's obviously not convenient for him either as he keeps missing the agreed time and date.

percy212

Ask him if you can send him a postal order weekly instead of him barging into your home at his pleasure.

jobbridge4life

If it is part of the lease as you have said then he is in breach of the lease by failing to turn up on time. Are you registered with the PRTB?

handlemaster

Does this landlord actually own this place ?? Wouldnt be surprised if a family turns up saying they were away on holidays and ask why are you in their house. But its probably just a tax dodging or bank dodging landlord.

Lux23

jobbridge4life wrote: »

If it is part of the lease as you have said then he is in breach of the lease by failing to turn up on time. Are you registered with the PRTB?

Its a house turned into 6 different flats, but he has it registered as a 6 bedroom house and we never got a letter anyway. Our tenancy must not be registered.

The thing is that he is nice to deal with and the house is very quiet and it suits us, I just wish he would turn up as per our agreement.

aaakev

percy212 wrote: »

Ask him if you can send him a postal order weekly instead of him barging into your home at his pleasure.

a postal order charge every week of the year will get expensive....

jobbridge4life

Lux23 wrote: »

Its a house turned into 6 different flats, but he has it registered as a 6 bedroom house and we never got a letter anyway.

The thing is that he is nice to deal with and the house is very quiet and it suits us, I just wish he would turn up when he has agreed to.

Well he is still in breach of one of the conditions of your lease/contract so explain to him that this is deeply inconvenient and see if ye can come to some form of better arrangement that he will be able to stick to.

Lux23

aaakev wrote: »

a postal order charge every week of the year will get expensive....

It costs us 25 cent to take the rent out the bank anyway!

testaccount123

Lux23 wrote: »

It costs us 25 cent to take the rent out the bank anyway!

You have to be in your house every Friday at 7pm for the next couple of years. A tad inconvenient no?

Lux23

testaccount123 wrote: »

You have to be in your house every Friday at 7pm for the next couple of years. A tad inconvenient no?

Yes, it is, you don't have to tell me! But unfortunately he could just ask us to leave if we made things awkward for him and we really don't have the money to look for somewhere else. I am going to ask if we can start paying by bank transfer, I will make up some story about travelling for work and see what he says.

handlemaster

I would be more worried now going by what the OP has said its mented to be a six bed house and has been transformed without permission that it has no fire certificate

zl1whqvjs75cdy

Lux23 wrote: »

Yes, it is, you don't have to tell me! But unfortunately he could just ask us to leave if we made things awkward for him and we really don't have the money to look for somewhere else. I am going to ask if we can start paying by bank transfer, I will make up some story about travelling for work and see what he says.

He could. Then you could suggest that revenue might be interested in why he is taking the rent as cash. You do have a bit of leverage here.

spaceHopper

Open a bank account in your name and give him the card move the money into it weekly but tell him he has to pay the fees. He either owes the bank and doesn't want to tell them it's rented or he's not paying tax.

I know it's a hassle but if he's up to funny business with the bank at some point he'll lose the house I'd look for something else in your own time

Lux23

Lux23 wrote: »

Yes, it is, you don't have to tell me! But unfortunately he could just ask us to leave if we made things awkward for him and we really don't have the money to look for somewhere else. I am going to ask if we can start paying by bank transfer, I will make up some story about travelling for work and see what he says.

You should also ask about moving to monthly payment of rent by cash as he may be faster to go for that if he doesnt want to use bank transfers. He may be happy to go for it as its an inconvenience for him also collecting it every week. He also has seen you are good for the money every week so might not be as worried about getting it monthly.

Flatzie_poo

Lux23 wrote: »

Its a house turned into 6 different flats, but he has it registered as a 6 bedroom house and we never got a letter anyway. Our tenancy must not be registered..

Between this and cash payments... have alarm bells never rang with you?

gaius c

Got to love those old school cowboy landlords.

gaius c

Flatzie_poo wrote: »

Between this and cash payments... have alarm bells never rang with you?

What are they going to do? Rents are crazy and supply is tight so tenants don't really get the luxury of chosing their landlords.

Flatzie_poo

gaius c wrote: »

What are they going to do? Rents are crazy and supply is tight so tenants don't really get the luxury of chosing their landlords.

No, but they choose how they pay. Letting a landlord walk in and out of your rented house in unacceptable.

For most rational people anyway. :rolleyes:

Flatzie_poo

Flatzie_poo wrote: »

Between this and cash payments... have alarm bells never rang with you?

If they are happy with the place and the LL is sound then why get worried about if he is registered or not. It makes no difference as the tenant is still protected in the event of a dispute. Personally I'd have no problem dealing in cash with a LL in fact in some ways I'd prefer it (and would consider cash payment if I were a LL too).

The weekly payment of rent is the big issue here for me as it would be a large inconvenience for me personally as it is for the op.

Flatzie_poo wrote: »

No, but they choose how they pay. Letting a landlord walk in and out of your rented house in unacceptable.

They do appear to have given him permission though. Personally its not something that would overly bother me. I have told my LL to enter on a number of occasions when he wanted to do gardening out the back of the house, Ive never even met the man.

I also know of a friend renting where the LL enters twice a week to clean the house (common areas not bedrooms), its a massive house with large numbers of tenants so its great that the place is always spotless.

Lux23

gaius c wrote: »

What are they going to do? Rents are crazy and supply is tight so tenants don't really get the luxury of chosing their landlords.

This. It was the best we could find for our budget and it could be months before we could save up for another deposit. We are both only back in full time employment and getting back on our feet hasn't been easy. Like I said, if he was there every Friday within an hour of the agreed time I wouldn't mind but doesn't seem to be working out that way.

Can I tell he hasn't got permission to enter the flat unless its between the hours of 7 and 9pm on Friday? At least then I can say I haven't agreed to him walking in when he wants.

Flatzie_poo

Theodore Sweet Piccolo wrote: »

If they are happy with the place and the LL is sound then why get worried about if he is registered or not. It makes no difference as the tenant is still protected in the event of a dispute.

This is just bad advice - Unregistered tenancies can lead to great difficulties in getting tax allowances/proving residency.

Taboola

Lux23 wrote: »

This. It was the best we could find for our budget and it could be months before we could save up for another deposit. We are both only back in full time employment and getting back on our feet hasn't been easy. Like I said, if he was there every Friday within an hour of the agreed time I wouldn't mind but doesn't seem to be working out that way.

Can I tell he hasn't got permission to enter the flat unless its between the hours of 7 and 9pm on Friday? At least then I can say I haven't agreed to him walking in when he wants.

He's not suppose to enter it at all without you giving him prior permission.

charlietheminxx

If you get on well with him, ring him up and say "look, I've heard there have been a few burglaries in the area over the long weekend and I was worried because we had left the rent money out for you. Is there any way we could arrange to deliver the money to you instead or pay by bank transfer? I'm really not happy to leave the cash sitting around". That way, it doesn't sound like you're berating him, but he can hardly ask you to keep your current arrangement when raised like that.

gaius c

Flatzie_poo wrote: »

No, but they choose how they pay. Letting a landlord walk in and out of your rented house in unacceptable.

For most rational people anyway. :rolleyes:

"Now before I come over to give you the deposit, here's how we would like to pay the rent..."
"You pay me in cash and that's the end of it"
"Now now, I've read information on the Threshold website and..."
*Dial tone*
That's the reality of renting in this country today. Your sort of thinking might work in real countries with real tenancy laws but it won't work here.

OP
Don't be confrontational. If he's that casual with collecting rent, he'll be equally casual with how he evicts ye if he thinks you're being smart. Just say that you're not comfortable leaving rent money sitting in an easily accessible area when people are in and out the whole time.

Lux23

gaius c wrote: »

"
OP
Don't be confrontational. If he's that casual with collecting rent, he'll be equally casual with how he evicts ye if he thinks you're being smart. Just say that you're not comfortable leaving rent money sitting in an easily accessible area when people are in and out the whole time.

I actually said that when I was signing the lease and he said, the flat is very safe etc. Which in fairness it probably is, all the other tenants are in the house several years.

foggy_lad

Lux23 wrote: »

I wouldn't have the cash up front for that and I signed a lease that says the rent is paid weekly. As I said, I wouldn't mind if he came at the agreed time, he is either late or doesn't turn up at all.

nothing in the lease can take from the rights you have from the residential tenancies act.

the flat is your home and you are entitled and paying for peaceful occupation so the LL should not be letting himself in under any circumstances!

He sounds like a total pervert to me if he would allow a situation where he can walk in on some woman just out of the shower or even while you are in the shower!

jobbridge4life wrote: »

If it is part of the lease as you have said then he is in breach of the lease by failing to turn up on time. Are you registered with the PRTB?

it may be written into the lease but is unenforceable.

Lux23 wrote: »

This. It was the best we could find for our budget and it could be months before we could save up for another deposit. We are both only back in full time employment and getting back on our feet hasn't been easy. Like I said, if he was there every Friday within an hour of the agreed time I wouldn't mind but doesn't seem to be working out that way.

Can I tell he hasn't got permission to enter the flat unless its between the hours of 7 and 9pm on Friday? At least then I can say I haven't agreed to him walking in when he wants.

tell him that he does not have permission to enter your flat at any time without your permission and also without one of ye being there!

report him to the PRTB over not being registered and also to the revenue commissioners and the council.

you can probably report the flats to the local fire officer who will arrange a fire safety audit of the building.

foggy_lad

foggy_lad wrote: »

report him to the PRTB over not being registered and also to the revenue commissioners and the council.

you can probably report the flats to the local fire officer who will arrange a fire safety audit of the building.

Its beyond me how someone would do the above, running around like a tell tale child in school squealing to everyone.

Why not just try to sort out the rent collection situation instead.

foggy_lad

Theodore Sweet Piccolo wrote: »

Its beyond me how someone would do the above, running around like a tell tale child in school squealing to everyone.

Why not just try to sort out the rent collection situation instead.

because cowboy slumlord types like described by the OP are breaking the law and deserve to be jailed and to have massive fines and also have to pay compensation to all their tenants.

In a perfect world the Criminal Assets Bureau would seize their property!

The_Conductor

Guys- a little less of the rhetoric please.

selous

Install a door chain, when you're in, use it. (if its an own door)

The_Conductor

The_Conductor wrote: »

Guys- a little less of the rhetoric please.

Apologies, I just hate this "report culture" when this is something that has a very could chance of being sorted out without bringing loads of hassle on the LL without any actual evidence he is doing anything wrong (aside from entering the apartment, though I get the impression the op did give him permission to go in on occasions).

Grandpa Hassan

foggy_lad wrote: »

report him to the PRTB over not being registered and also to the revenue commissioners and the council.

you can probably report the flats to the local fire officer who will arrange a fire safety audit of the building.

And then find another place to live of course

athtrasna

Theodore Sweet Piccolo wrote: »

Apologies, I just hate this "report culture" when this is something that has a very could chance of being sorted out without bringing loads of hassle on the LL without any actual evidence he is doing anything wrong (aside from entering the apartment, though I get the impression the op did give him permission to go in on occasions).

Reporting landlords that don't operate by the book is the only way to start to clean up the rental sector. Ah it's grand benefits nobody, now or in the future.

liquoriceall

I wonder could you just take it back if you were not going to be there after 7pm and let him do the running after you to get it? He might be more prompt next time?

Grandpa Hassan

athtrasna wrote: »

Reporting landlords that don't operate by the book is the only way to start to clean up the rental sector. Ah it's grand benefits nobody, now or in the future.

Except in this case reporting the LL would probably mean having to leave. And the OP has said he wants to stay. So you expect him to 'take one for the team'? To contribute to cleaning up the rental sector at the cost of losing the place he likes? It's not on tenants to do the governments work for them and suffer the consequences. If the place is that bad, the tenant can move

athtrasna

Grandpa Hassan wrote: »

Except in this case reporting the LL would probably mean having to leave. And the OP has said he wants to stay. So you expect him to 'take one for the team'? To contribute to cleaning up the rental sector at the cost of losing the place he likes? It's not on tenants to do the governments work for them and suffer the consequences. If the place is that bad, the tenant can move

He doesn't have to be the one to make the report, am sure a friend could do it. Either way this landlord isn't doing things above board, the OP should see this as a red flag.

percy212

The OP can exact his reporting revenge when he eventually leaves. In the meantime he he has no privacy on Friday evenings. We have some real messy renting situations out there!

OP - Ask the LL if you can drop the rent off somewhere on Thursdays or Fridays. As you said tell him you will be away a bit at weekends and you do not want to leave cash lying around. I don't see how he could have a problem with that....or tell him your GF is the nervous type and can't relax knowing that someone may enter the apartment at any moment.

ballyargus

charlietheminxx wrote: »

If you get on well with him, ring him up and say "look, I've heard there have been a few burglaries in the area over the long weekend and I was worried because we had left the rent money out for you. Is there any way we could arrange to deliver the money to you instead or pay by bank transfer? I'm really not happy to leave the cash sitting around". That way, it doesn't sound like you're berating him, but he can hardly ask you to keep your current arrangement when raised like that.

Exactly the way to raise the issue.

Lux23

I'm a girl by the way. Why does everyone always think I'm male?

Michael D Not Higgins

Lux23 wrote: »

I'm a girl by the way. Why does everyone always think I'm male?

I blame it on the very masculine avatar you have. :pac:

Lux23

It's not masculine at all.

Flatzie_poo

Lux23 wrote: »

It's not masculine at all.

Apologies sir

gaius c

Lux23 wrote: »

I'm a girl by the way. Why does everyone always think I'm male?

I knew if that makes you feel any better!