Considering moving!!

OkeyDoke12

I'm currently renting a 3 bedroom terraced house which is facing onto a road which is busy 24/7. We've had our fair share of problems with the house notable Windows leaking and a bit of mould on window sills etc (landlord said the windows were brand new however I have my doubts) even though the Windows are pvc and double glazed.

Our kitchen is basically uninhabitable during winter months as it has a flat roof and there's a hole in the back while. Dodgy guttering as well. The gas boiler is also situated in our bedroom which we share with our 11 month old daughter. The majority of the radiators in the house are useless as they only heat up to Luke warm temperature and we have no heat coming from the radiators in the bathroom. Few leaks in the bathroom roof and one over the bedroom. I've flagged all these problems with the landlord and he said that the heating system was already installed prior to him buying it and it's the best he can do. I asked him about maybe insulating the kitchen ceiling but he said it wouldn't be worthwhile and his father joked that we should just move into the sitting room.

I moved into this house in 2014 and at the end of 2015 I signed a 2 year lease as the price of rent was quite low. All of these problems are starting to add up and I can not bear another winter of this.

A relative of mine got left a house which needs a bit of modernisation mostly cosmetic work and she told me that if I wanted to I could take the house and a much lower monthly rental rate. The only thing is the house has wooden window frames which are quite old however I've been told by family members that these windows are in quite good condition and are weatherproof. Anyone on here any problems with wooden Windows? How much would it cost to replace 5 wooden Windows with standard pvc double glazing?

Just a few question:
If I do decide to leave my current property would I be entitled to my deposit back if I gave the LL 28 days notice on the grounds of the above problems I've had with leaky Windows and lack of heat?

If not what's stopping me from giving him 28 days notice and not paying rent for those 28 days?

athtrasna

OkeyDoke12 wrote: »

If not what's stopping me from giving him 28 days notice and not paying rent for those 28 days?

The law! Advocating illegality is not acceptable on this forum.

Mod

Supercell

Sounds like you need to bleed the air from the radiators and re-prime the water , any home owner with gas should know how to do this and be able to show you how. At least that should fix the heating, sorry cant help you with the rest.

Emme

OP, ask the landlord to do the following:

1) Fit a carbon monoxide alarm in the bedroom. This is crucial especially when your infant daughter sleeps there with you.
2) Get the gas boiler serviced if he hasn't done so this year.
3) As another poster suggested, get the radiators bled.
4) Ask the landlord to repair the hole in the back of the kitchen and the leaks in the bathroom roof and in your bedroom roof. As a matter of interest, does the property have a BER rating? All houses and apartments being rented should have a BER rating. This is the law since January 1st 2009.

Make a list of everything that's wrong with your current property. Contact the PRTB and/or Threshold and ask them what the situation is regarding your lease because the house is uninhabitable due to your list of problems. I don't know how many wooden windows would have to be replaced in your relative's property but I replaced one wooden window some years ago and it cost me Euro400. It was a smallish window.

I don't advocate breaking the law as regards your deposit but your landlord may well be breaking the law with regard to the condition of the house. Depending on how long you have been in the house you may need to give more than 28 days notice. The PRTB would advise you on this.

www.prtb.ie

OkeyDoke12

Emme wrote: »

OP, ask the landlord to do the following:

1) Fit a carbon monoxide alarm in the bedroom. This is crucial especially when your infant daughter sleeps there with you.
2) Get the gas boiler serviced if he hasn't done so this year.
3) As another poster suggested, get the radiators bled.
4) Ask the landlord to repair the hole in the back of the kitchen and the leaks in the bathroom roof and in your bedroom roof. As a matter of interest, does the property have a BER rating? All houses and apartments being rented should have a BER rating. This is the law since January 1st 2009.

Make a list of everything that's wrong with your current property. Contact the PRTB and/or Threshold and ask them what the situation is regarding your lease because the house is uninhabitable due to your list of problems. I don't know how many wooden windows would have to be replaced in your relative's property but I replaced one wooden window some years ago and it cost me Euro400. It was a smallish window.

I don't advocate breaking the law as regards your deposit but your landlord may well be breaking the law with regard to the condition of the house. Depending on how long you have been in the house you may need to give more than 28 days notice. The PRTB would advise you on this.

www.prtb.ie

1. There is a carbon monoxide alarm already fitted in the room.
2. Gas Boiler was serviced prior to us moving in to the house which was in November 2014. Bord Gais actually rang me a few weeks back asking me for my landlords number to see whether or not he would be willing to get it serviced for a small fee as there was a offer on at the time. However the landlord wasn't willing to pay the fee.
3.LL got a plumber out a few times who bled the radiators and adjusted the pressure in the boiler but still the majority of radiators were only heating up to luke warm as "it was the best he could do as the heating system was old and it would cost major money to revamp the whole heating system. The pressure only lasts for a few weeks then the radiators either stop working or emit really low heat.
4.I asked him and he just looked at the hole in the wall and didn't really say much. In the end I just filled the hole up with a towel.

I've been in the house since November 2014 and signed a new 2 year lease in November 2015.

spaceHopper

Make a list tell your LL you've had enough and either he fixes everything on the list or you will be forced to have the local council to condemn the house.

spaceHopper

spaceHopper wrote: »

Make a list tell your LL you've had enough and either he fixes everything on the list or you will be forced to have the local council to condemn the house.

The house is far from ideal but it's not going to be condemned for the problems listed.

sword1

If the rent is low the landlord might be agreeable to you leaving, best to discuss it with him and have the info before you make a decision

Baby01032012

House is not uninhabitable. Landlord has acted. Albeit he isn't going to spend major money to bring heating to acceptable level. However that would be a grey area and hard to prove its not acceptable.
Despite these problems you recently signed a new 2 year lease? Legally your bound to pay the rent for the remainder of that lease or find a reasonable replacement to takeover the remainder of the lease.
Unless there is some kind of break clause in the lease I don't know where 28 days is coming from. If you do leave as you say I can see how the landlord could bring a legitimate case to prtb and win.
Above may not be what you want to hear but is fact of the situation. I'm not for or against landlord or tenant.

wench

If you feel it doesn't meet the minimum standards laid out here, you can contact your local authority to arrange an inspection.
They can then issue an enforcement notice to the landlord to remedy the problems.

http://www.threshold.ie/download/pdf/minimum_standards_for_rented_accommodation.pdf