Letter & E-mail to Management Company - feedback and advice please

itsthehumidity

Any feedback and advice much appreciated.

Dear Sir/Madam

We are tenants of yours in XXXX.

In May of this year our washer/dryer broke down, causing damage to personal property, (laptop etc) which will have to be replaced. As well as that, despite numerous calls to your office on a daily basis, we are still without a washing machine as of today August 12.

We do understand the need to be patient in situations such as these, however, 10 weeks is well beyond a reasonable time frame in which to expect somebody to wait for something as essential as a washing machine. We have gone to great personal expense to have our clothes washed and have relied on family and friends to help us out also - this is not a reasonable request to be asking of people, especially for the extended period of time that this has gone on.

We have had one call out on July 31 at around 9am, making ourselves available for what we believed was a repair at least, the guy called up, took a quick look at the washing machine and told us it needed to be replaced and that he would let you know and then left. We have heard nothing since, despite numerous phone calls.

We expect a reply within the next three working days, failing that, we will have no choice but to register our complaint with the PRTB.

Looking forward to hearing from you.

Mr & Mrs itsthehumidity

*A registered copy of this letter will follow by post.

pinkypinky

Who are you renting from exactly? It's not clear why you are contacting the management company of your building.

If you have a landlord (individual or business), then they are the person you should address the letter to. If your landlord has hired an agent to act on his/her behalf, then it should go to them, but also send a copy directly to the landlord in case he/she is not aware of the situation.

itsthehumidity

It's through an agency, who also happen to be our management company (not a very good one - but that's neither here nor there), just mis-worded the heading and don't know how to change.

Would love to send a copy to our actual landlord, but we were never given an address for them, barely given their names!

pinkypinky

Does the lease just have your landlord's name c/o the managing agent?

If you have any friendly neighbours who are owner occupiers, they would be entitled to get a list of the members of the management company, which should have your landlord's name and address. The landlord has a right to know that the managing agent are doing a bad job.

itsthehumidity

pinkypinky wrote: »

Does the lease just have your landlord's name c/o the managing agent?

If you have any friendly neighbours who are owner occupiers, they would be entitled to get a list of the members of the management company, which should have your landlord's name and address. The landlord has a right to know that the managing agent are doing a bad job.

Yeah, that's pretty much all we have ( XXX & XXX c/o letting agency - no address given).

We wouldn't know most of our neighbors, just one at the end of the hall and he rents, but from what I've heard ( the odd conversation in the lifts about the problems etc.) the apartments were mostly just bought by investors rather than owner occupiers.

pinkypinky

At this stage, I'd send the letter and go in person to their offices. Much harder to put you off in person.

cbyrd

Buy a new washer dryer and deduct it from the rent. Your content insurance should cover the laptop.

paul71

cbyrd wrote: »

Buy a new washer dryer and deduct it from the rent. Your content insurance should cover the laptop.

This type of advice can get people evicted.

Pkiernan

paul71 wrote: »

This type of advice can get people evicted.

But it never, ever has...

OP - I'm a LL who has had nightmare tenants, who effed off owing 4k in rent, and I have no hope of recovery. Sounds like you have a bad LL/Agent

Cant understand why you waited so long to mention PRTB (as useless as it is).
You should be on to the Environmental Health Officer of your local County Council - they will inspect your apartment and advise the LL of his responsibilities and give him 28 days to rectify anything wrong.

If you are in Dublin, see this link for more info:

http://www.dublincity.ie/main-menu-services-housing/private-rented-housing-environmental-health

Pkiernan

Food Preparation and Storage and Laundry

Washing Clothes

a clothes washing machine must be provided within each letting or there must be access to a communal clothes washing machine facility within the curtilage of the building.

Drying Clothes

where the house does not contain a garden or yard for the exclusive use of that house, a clothes dryer (vented or circulation type) or access to a communal dryer facility must be provided.
This provision of the new Regulations is applicable to all new tenancies (that are let after the 1st of February, 2009) and to existing tenancies after the 1st of February, 2013. Lettings that do not need to comply with the new provision until 2013 must still comply with the provision of the Housing (Standards for Rented Houses) Regulations, 1993.

For additional information on food preparation and storage and laundry, please see the Technical Guidance Document.

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