Advice needed on rented accommodation problems

shanevick

Two of my work colleagues and I have decided to rent together and we moved in to a 3 bed Duplex in Dublin 12. We are working professionals in financial services and have paid our deposit and half of the first months rent of E1625.00 <snip>

We met the letting agent/property manager on Tuesday the 1st to move in, collect the keys and sign the lease. I had spoken with the owner of the company on the phone leading up to this (and from what i understood the manager of this property and our point of contact) and she had informed me that there had been painting done and cleaners had been doing the clean up from the previous tenants that had just moved out that day.

We signed the lease after doing a quick sweep of the house to see if there was any major structural damage,dampness etc. But we found no immediate issues with anything at that time.
There was a maintenance man or "handy man"doing repairs in the bathroom while we were there, and we have since found that he washed silicone down the drain of the bathroom sink he then rubbed his hands on the bannister of the stairs leaving silicone on it (which we found on our clothes)and we have since discovered when he painted the bathroom ceiling he cleaned his paint brushes in the kitchen sink leaving paint in it.
We were now dealing with the other agent in the company. When she handed over the keys there was only two sets. We asked where the third set was and she said that the maintenance man needed a set to the house so we should get another set cut for ourselves if we wanted. She later reluctantly said if we kept the receipt they would reimburse us.

Since further inspection of the property on the move in day (after signing the lease) we have found no cleaning had been done whatsoever. The dirt and dust of the previous tenants was all over the house, in drawers, countertops, floors wardrobes, stairs,behind beds , the freezer had blood and stains in it, old ear buds, toothpicks and rubbish in the rooms, stains on the walls in hallway and in the kitchen. etc. It was clear no cleaning had been done and the wear and tear of the previous tenants is evident throughout the house. Is it mandatory when turning over a property to new tenants to ensure a standard of cleanliness and also to have a set of keys for each tenant?

After flushing the toilet once, we learnt the cistern is broken and does not fully flush. The handle of the toilet is what looks like an old wardrobe handle fitted to it. The toilet doesn't flush fully and the handle breaks after being used.
The shower is a bath tub with a shower head leading out of it but there is no option to switch between the tap and shower head. The water pressure is very bad, it dribbles water but it doesn't have sufficient pressure to wash properly. The water holding tank is not stored in the attic which might explain the low pressure.
Does this meet minimum requirements?

The maintenance man had finished his work and had left but 15 minutes later came back to the apartment and walked through to the sitting room without knocking and started to tell us how we should live for the next year because he lives below us. We laughed it off with him as he wasn't very competent, he is old, poor health and we dont know if he has any plumbing or electrical qualifications. He holds the 3rd set of keys to our apartment. We have requested twice that he does not hold a key and that we aren't comfortable with anyone only the landlord or letting agent holding an additional set but the lady is adement he will keep the set of keys. Have we any grounds to request this?

I called her back 10 minutes after she had left to inform her of the few issues we had which we thought would be fairly straight forward to resolve and not too much to ask. I have taken photos and videos of all this to document it.
I asked if we could meet at their offices to go through a list. They no longer have offices they are an online company she said.
I explained we felt there was no cleaning done whatsoever, she said she was there the evening before and felt the place was clean, this is contrary to what the owner of the company had told me the day before that cleaners were going to do a deep clean.
When I asked had she seen the dust on the countertops and behind the beds she said she had a bad back and couldn't pull them out.
The lady then said they would clean it again and that we should email maintenance to look at the issue with the shower and toilet.

We demanded she contact maintenance so she reluctantly did this.

She called back to say that cleaning was done again but the dust and dirt still remains.
She said the maintenance man has checked the toilet and shower and they are working fine water still comes out of them.

Cleaning has not been done again and the toilet and shower are the same. A qualified plumber has not checked them.

When i called back to ask why the cleaning wasn't done properly the second time she was very rude, condescending, unprofessional and angry on the phone. She offered our deposit and money back asking us to move out, which we declined politely. This is because the rental market is very competitive and we already spent 3 months looking for this place. When i asked for the toilet to be looked at again she said she would call maintenance and hung up.

There are also other issues with house but these were our main concerns. There is carpet missing at the front door and the wall is damp where it is exposed, she mentioned this but gave no confirmation when it would be repaired. We have asked for confirmation emails for the work that is due to be done, she has sent them on but the work has not been completed. The maintenance man says the shower and toilet are fine but they are not.

We aren't asking for luxury just that what we have paid for and seen is in working order and clean. The company has been very unprofessional to deal with so far, poor communication and organisation. We have paid a lot of money and there is very few other facilities, no hoover , no microwave ,kettle, toaster or cooking utensils. I don't mind this but the other problems as mentioned are not acceptable and the agent acting on behalf of the landlord want to just make excuses, save money trying a quick turn around and not fix them.

I have contacted threshold and read up on filing complaints with the PRTB but I am not sure on how to further approach this, if anyone else has some advice , feedback or opinion on how to further deal with this it would be appreciated.

Many thanks.

kingtut

Sorry to hear about your situation, a lot of people are experiencing that kind of crap

I personally would not have signed a single thing until the work was 100% but that is just me.

Other than contacting threshold and the PTRB I don't think there is anything else you can do, you just have to wait (suppose you could also search around and see if anyone else had similar issues with that company .... usually isn't a once off case!)

MouseTail

Separate what's important and what's not, paint stains in the sink from a painter rinsing his brushes is not important, and can be removed with a damp sponge. Similar with the silicone on the banister, dust behind the bed etc. By creating an issue over such trivial matters you are doing yourself no favours.

via4

When I moved into mine it was filthy I was promised cleaners but they didnt come but I didn't mind I would have scrubbed the place again after them anyway just to feel like I cleaned. Think this is normal to what goes on.

CollyFlower

via4 wrote: »

When I moved into mine it was filthy I was promised cleaners but they didnt come but I didn't mind I would have scrubbed the place again after them anyway just to feel like I cleaned. Think this is normal to what goes on.

This is what seems to happen when tencency change hands, the previous tenents are having deductions from their deposits for 'fantom' cleaning.

Cookie_Dough

I would be more concerned about the "handyman" having an additional set of keys and swanning in whenever he wants. Does he own the duplex? Seems like an usual set up. Is the landlord listed in the lease? Even if he is the owner/landlord you should be given notice period before landlord enters the property. Also I would be wary of him being a bit of a complainer (alarm bells would be ringing if he's already telling you how to 'live' before you're even fuly moved in) I wouldn't want someone living below me potentially making noise complaints at the time.

I would move out and see if you can still get you deposit back if I were you but if you want to stay then I would definitely be taking photos with a time and date stamp as soon as possible for when you move out. You don't want to get caught for existing damage being deducted from your deposit when you move out. Seems like it might be more hassle than it's worth and you are barely in the place.

I'm sure you have looked already and I'm not sure what area of D.12 you're in but there seems to be some 3 beds cheaper than you're current place here http://www.daft.ie/dublin-city/residential-property-for-rent/dublin-12/?s%5Bmnb%5D=3&s%5Bignored_agents%5D%5B0%5D=5732&s%5Bignored_agents%5D%5B1%5D=428&s%5Bignored_agents%5D%5B2%5D=1551&searchSource=rental

The whole set-up look bad and very unprofessional. Are you sure that the 'maintenance man " isn't the real owner?

shanevick

Thanks for your advice Cookie_Dough but we will be staying in the property. the rental market is very competitive at the moment and we wouldn't be able to move. The letting agents also think it is more hassle than its worth as they haven't spoken or replied to us in a week. I was giving a background to the situation with the cleaning issues and how it was left, these things can be resolved I believe and we have just done our own cleaning. The toilet and shower are our main concern and the handyman having a key set. He isn't the owner he just lives below us in the complex and does odd jobs for the landlord. The landlord/owners are a company who own the whole complex and they employ <snip > to represent them letting out the apartments. The handyman downstairs seems to just hold the keys for whenever they need work done or inspection. we have asked that he does not hold a key but they said they are entitled to let him hold the key and he will give adequate notice when entering.
Is this legal?

Jonti

shanevick wrote: »

Thanks for your advice Cookie_Dough but we will be staying in the property. the rental market is very competitive at the moment and we wouldn't be able to move. The letting agents also think it is more hassle than its worth as they haven't spoken or replied to us in a week. I was giving a background to the situation with the cleaning issues and how it was left, these things can be resolved I believe and we have just done our own cleaning. The toilet and shower are our main concern and the handyman having a key set. He isn't the owner he just lives below us in the complex and does odd jobs for the landlord. The landlord/owners are a company who own the whole complex and they employ <snip > to represent them letting out the apartments. The handyman downstairs seems to just hold the keys for whenever they need work done or inspection. we have asked that he does not hold a key but they said they are entitled to let him hold the key and he will give adequate notice when entering.
Is this legal?

Change the door lock, say it is for security purposes.

Mrs OBumble

shanevick wrote: »

The landlord/owners are a company who own the whole complex and they employ <snip > to represent them letting out the apartments. The handyman downstairs seems to just hold the keys for whenever they need work done or inspection. we have asked that he does not hold a key but they said they are entitled to let him hold the key and he will give adequate notice when entering.
Is this legal?

The LL (or their agent) is definitely allowed to hold a key, and I don't know that there are any restrictions on who they delegate this keyholding function too. Some complexes definitely do delegate it to a locally-based person.

Changing the lock without their permission, or changing it with their permission and not giving them a copy of the new key, is illegal.

Paulw

shanevick wrote: »

The handyman downstairs seems to just hold the keys for whenever they need work done or inspection. we have asked that he does not hold a key but they said they are entitled to let him hold the key and he will give adequate notice when entering.
Is this legal?

Yes, it is legal. They are entitled to hold a key.

But, he must get permission to enter the property, unless it's an emergency. He should not enter the property without your expressed permission otherwise.

Cookie_Dough

shanevick wrote: »

Thanks for your advice Cookie_Dough but we will be staying in the property. the rental market is very competitive at the moment and we wouldn't be able to move. The letting agents also think it is more hassle than its worth as they haven't spoken or replied to us in a week. I was giving a background to the situation with the cleaning issues and how it was left, these things can be resolved I believe and we have just done our own cleaning. The toilet and shower are our main concern and the handyman having a key set. He isn't the owner he just lives below us in the complex and does odd jobs for the landlord. The landlord/owners are a company who own the whole complex and they employ <snip > to represent them letting out the apartments. The handyman downstairs seems to just hold the keys for whenever they need work done or inspection. we have asked that he does not hold a key but they said they are entitled to let him hold the key and he will give adequate notice when entering.
Is this legal?

I have no idea of the legities of the key issue but I suppose it is ok if he has the permission of the landlord/management company etc however I would still feel uneasy with him having a key especially as he has already let himself in without giving "adequate notice" as they have stated.

I would be creeped out tbh, who knows if he's going in and out during the day while you're at work..Fair enough, I could be letting my imagination run away with me but judging by the messy set up and the apparent apathy of the letting agent it wouldn't surprise me. Also what's to say he isn't reporting your/your housemates/your guests comings and goings to the management company.

I would agree with a previous poster (in theory) about changing the locks but it could be a term of the lease that the lease can be terminated if you make any alterations to the property without permission of the landlord so effectively they could claim you are vandalising the property. Probaby not worth the hassle. I would look into getting some kind of CCTV/camera to record while your're not there though. It just seems a bit odd.

shanevick

We have emailed the letting agency focusing on the main issues. The toilet malfunctioning and the shower. Today we received a call from the company listed as being the landlord on the contract. The man calling was very aggressive claiming he was fed up recieveing emails about problems( this was our first contact with him) he said he wanted to arrange a meeting immediately to arrange us leaving the property that he wants us out we are too much hassle.
We explained we were happy to stay in the property but we felt the few issues with the bathroom were not too costly or a big ask to fix. He said he didn't care and that an urgent meeting must be held to get us out. I cannot get in contact with threshold and I am not sure of our rights. how should we approach this now?

Paulw

Paulw wrote: »

. He should not enter the property without your expressed permission otherwise.

Yes, but you cannot deny it unreasonably (that would breach your lease) and their request has to be reasonable too.

c montgomery

Can a landlord break the least in the first few days just cause your "too much hassle"?

I'm in a similar position with my new landlord and would also like to break the least, moved in 2 weeks ago and found gaps between windows and frames leaking to mould under sill. It's a big job to fix, I'd rather not be there for it.

I'm an accidental landlord myself but have never been in this position before.