Landlord Issues

Disgruntled Tenant

I'm at my wits' end, and need some solid advice before deciding what to do next.

I've been living in a privately rented house for the past 15 years. When I first moved into the house, the double garage was full of the landlord's junk, and wasn't included, but 6 months or so after moving in, I took on the garage for an extra €15 a month.

I moved into this particular house because it was surrounded by trees, with the closest neighbour around 100M away. The reason behind this being a deciding factor is because I suffer from depression and have a social anxiety disorder, which dictates that I need to live away from other people.

Fast-forward about 12 years, and the roof started leaking. I mentioned this to the landlord, who said he would get it fixed in February (3 years ago). Since then, I've had excuse after excuse as to why he couldn't fix it yet. His latest excuse is that he is getting a divorce, and won't spend any money on the house until the divorce is settled.

Meanwhile, he has built a 60' X 40' shed, just 30' behind the house! He never once consulted me about it. The first I knew of it was workers arriving and ripping down most of the trees around the house, and builders working on the shed 7 days a week.

The landlord now arrives whenever he pleases, and is revving noisy engines in the shed at all hours.

Whilst he was in his shed one night, something struck me as a bit odd. I couldn't quite put my finger on it, but something wasn't right... Then it dawned on me... The shed was awfully bright, considering it had no electricity in it, so I checked, and sure enough, he has connected the electricity supply for the shed to a point in my garage, so I'm now paying his electricity bill, which, considering I've counted 1500W of lights, and he's constantly welding and drilling and grinding, etc. won't be insignificant.

On top of the above, when the builders were here they constantly ran the well dry of water, which meant I couldn't shower, sometimes for days. I eventually approached them and they apologised, but told me the landlord had told them they could use it. At this point I noticed a black plastic pipe in the ground beside the garage. The pipe was branching off my water supply to the house, and heading over toward the field at the back of the house. I asked the builders what the pipe was for, and they told me it was for the cattle trough in the field at the back. So not only am I paying for his electricity, I've also been paying to keep his cattle in water for the past 15 years!

Anyway... I digress... At the end of last year, the landlord told be he would be adding €100 a month to the rent. He also told me that he would be taking back one of the garages, for somewhere to store his tools, and he said I would need to empty it of all my stuff ASAP.

I'm in no fit state to empty the shed, as I suffer from a serious back injury, but he has said he will empty it if I can't.

I've been deliberately avoiding him for a while, but the rent is now due, so I will have to face him.

Meanwhile, due to the water ingress, part of the ceiling has collapsed and damaged some very expensive personal property. I haven't yet told him, as I believe he wants to kick me out and move in, himself, and this would be the perfect opportunity to do so, but I will have to tell him this weekend when he arrives for his rent.

I've read that the PRTB might be able to help, but after reading their website, it seems the best I can likely hope for is them sitting down with me and the landlord, and thrashing out a solution. I don't think that is an option at this stage, as he obviously isn't a reasonable man, so I assume it won't be possible to reason with him.

This whole debacle has had a serious negative impact on my mental health, resulting in a mental breakdown.

I really don't know what to do or who to turn to, and any help/advice would be greatly appreciated.

Kind regards.

handlemaster

Best to move out. It will only get worse

TresGats

Are ypu outside the Dublin / other rental pressure zones?
Obviously finding a new place would be hassle, and moving would be as much hassle, especially when unwell.
Have you got your last few electricity bills, to compare the next one to?
Do you pay water bills?
Tbh, building work next door/ nearby is not something you can do much about , as long as it's within reasonable hours, which are a bit unreasonable imho , as I lived beside a builder for 20 years who would start replacing his bathroom in a semi-d at 8am on a Bank holiday.
Can you get a friend/ family member to help you with the shed, or even pay someone 10e an hour to give you a hand?
I'm sorry that you suffer with anxiety, but I would try to talk to your LL face to face over a cup of tea over the issues you have with him, rather than going the Ptrb route straight away. If you want to continue the tenancy, I wouldn't be antagonising him initially, I'd try to talk and defend my position to him.
Get pictures of the roof, and the wiring while you can. Handy to have just in case you need them further down the road, should he not be co-operative.

jcd5971

<mod snip>, you asked for advice he gave advice, I'd consider it good advice as well as this has mess written all over it.

However if you want to stay in this house and that's your goal, maybe edit that into your op and be clearer about what kind of help your looking for.

There are alot of good posters on here who will offer any help they Can <mod snip>

That bring said good luck with it.

davo10

Op, if he or a close family member wants to move in, all he would need is to give you a valid notice of termination. It is a valid reason for eviction.

athtrasna

Mod note

Posters are reminded to remain civil and post constructively. If you have an issue with a post please report it rather than retorting on thread. Thanks

TheChizler

Stealing your electricity and water is criminal. Is the shed on the property you are actually renting? Did he get planning permission? If it was just any one thing I'd say it to him as it might be an error, but he's taking the piss. I would disconnect the power in the shed if possible to do so safely and tell him that this wasn't acceptable and look for him to pay the excess on your bill. Also to compensate for property destroyed because of his failure to fix the roof.

If he's not forthcoming absolutely raise a dispute with the PRTB. Don't worry about him kicking you out, you hold all the cards here as it sounds like he is in extreme breach of the law.

Depending on how intrusive the shed is I would also inform the council about it. I'm not incredibly familiar with planning law but I'm fairly sure any structure over 35 square metres in the back of a house needs planning permission

Disgruntled Tenant

It seems I am unable to directly quote messages, so forgive the time it is taking to reply.

TresGats wrote:

Are ypu outside the Dublin / other rental pressure zones?
Obviously finding a new place would be hassle, and moving would be as much hassle, especially when unwell.
Have you got your last few electricity bills, to compare the next one to?
Do you pay water bills?
Tbh, building work next door/ nearby is not something you can do much about , as long as it's within reasonable hours, which are a bit unreasonable imho , as I lived beside a builder for 20 years who would start replacing his bathroom in a semi-d at 8am on a Bank holiday.
Can you get a friend/ family member to help you with the shed, or even pay someone 10e an hour to give you a hand?
I'm sorry that you suffer with anxiety, but I would try to talk to your LL face to face over a cup of tea over the issues you have with him, rather than going the Ptrb route straight away. If you want to continue the tenancy, I wouldn't be antagonising him initially, I'd try to talk and defend my position to him.
Get pictures of the roof, and the wiring while you can. Handy to have just in case you need them further down the road, should he not be co-operative.

I'm in Galway county, and it's all but impossible to find a suitable house to rent, and even if I could find one, I'm in no fit state to move house.

I don't see why I should give him the garage back, especially as I am paying extra for it.

I honestly believed tenants had rights, but after reading a lot lately, it would appear not.

TheChizler wrote:

Stealing your electricity and water is criminal. Is the shed on the property renting? Did he get planning permission? If it was any one thing I'd say it to him as it might be an error, but he's taking the piss. I would disconnect the power in the shed if possible to do so safely and tell him that this wasn't acceptable and look for him to pay the excess on your bill. Also to compensate for property destroyed because of his failure to fix the roof.

If he's not forthcoming absolutely raise a dispute with the PRTB. Don't worry about him kicking you out, you hold the cards here as it sounds like he is in extreme breach of the law.

Depending on how intrusive the shed is I would also inform the council about it. I'm not incredibly familiar with planning law but I'm fairly sure any structure over 35 square metres in the back of a house needs planning permission

This is exactly how I see it. He's taking the pi** and doing so illegally, yet I get advice like "move out"! Is that really my only recourse? I think/hope not <mod snip>

The shed is massive. It's about 20 - 30 foot from the house, and is built on ground I'm effectively renting. Also, I know for a fact he has no planning permission for it, as I asked him and he said he was going to declare it as a cattle shed, which, according to him, doesn't require planning permission.

The way I see things going are...

1: I confront him about all the issues.
2: He gives me an eviction notice.

My head's in bits with it.

Does anyone know if he is liable for damage to my personal property, due to the ceiling collapsing?

L1011

Cut the power to his shed immediately - work through breakers to see which one kicks it out and see what you lose as a result.

Disgruntled Tenant

"L1011 wrote:

Cut the power to his shed immediately - work through breakers to see which one kicks it out and see what you lose as a result.

I've seen where he's wired it in, and if I trip the breaker, I lose all power to the garage and the pump house, so I will have no water.

davindub

Threshold have a galway office.

Disgruntled Tenant

davindub wrote:

Threshold have a galway office.

A friend mentioned them, but I know nothing about them or what they do. I will have a Google of them now... Thanks

davindub

Disgruntled Tenant wrote: »

davindub wrote:

Threshold have a galway office.

A friend mentioned them, but I know nothing about them or what they do. I will have a Google of them now... Thanks

They provide assistance to tenants having issues with ll's and they are free.

athtrasna

davindub wrote: »

They provide assistance to tenants having issues with ll's and they are free.

Though not always correct in the advice they give.

the_syco

Disgruntled Tenant wrote: »

Meanwhile, he has built a 60' X 40' shed, just 30' behind the house! He never once consulted me about it. The first I knew of it was workers arriving and ripping down most of the trees around the house, and builders working on the shed 7 days a week.

Disgruntled Tenant wrote: »

Whilst he was in his shed one night, something struck me as a bit odd. I couldn't quite put my finger on it, but something wasn't right... Then it dawned on me... The shed was awfully bright, considering it had no electricity in it, so I checked, and sure enough, he has connected the electricity supply for the shed to a point in my garage, so I'm now paying his electricity bill, which, considering I've counted 1500W of lights, and he's constantly welding and drilling and grinding, etc. won't be insignificant.

Disgruntled Tenant wrote: »

On top of the above, when the builders were here they constantly ran the well dry of water, which meant I couldn't shower, sometimes for days.

Consider flipping the switch when he's in the shed, and if he asks you turn it back on, innocently ask why would your power affect him?

ED E

Disgruntled Tenant wrote: »

Meanwhile, due to the water ingress, part of the ceiling has collapsed and damaged some very expensive personal property. I haven't yet told him, as I believe he wants to kick me out and move in, himself, and this would be the perfect opportunity to do so, but I will have to tell him this weekend when he arrives for his rent.

Delaying informing him of this is very dangerous if this ever reaches the RTB. While you did inform him before of the issues a serious change like that needs to be reported immediately.

TheChizler

TheChizler wrote: »

Depending on how intrusive the shed is I would also inform the council about it. I'm not incredibly familiar with planning law but I'm fairly sure any structure over 35 square metres in the back of a house needs planning permission

While probably not applicable in this instance there are exemptions to planning particularly for agri use. You can build a very big shed with no planning if it's for certain farm usage. Even if he isn't using it for this he may plan to quickly make it look like it's for one of the exempted usages if an inspection is happening, it's far from unheard of for a shed to "change" usage over night. He has cattle so he does sound like a part-time farmer at least.

Mrs OBumble

OP, from your post I'm taking that what you want to happen is for your LL to fix the roof and the ceiling, stop stealing your electricity, stop stealing your water, leave the garage aloe, take the shed away, and put the trees back.

To make these things happen will take a major confrontation and legal fight with the LL. And even then will be only partially successful at best: the trees aren't coming back any decade soon.

It's a trade-off between what you are most able for: the major confrontation, or moving house. When posters here are saying "just move", it's short-hand for the saying that they think your chances of an acceptable level of success from the confrontation are so small, it would be less stressful to move And besides if the LL wants to move in, you may get notice and so need to move anyways.

There are rights and wrongs on either side: you should have reported the leak in writing, the LL should have fixed it, the LL should have agreed the shed electricity with you (he likely cannot get a separate connection for it, as it's the same address). Etc.

I'd suggest you discuss this with whatever health professional you are seeing for the depression / social anxiety: they will likely be able to help you decide how to proceed, and if necessary refer you to support organisations who can help you.

Also, don't think "there is nowhere to move to". Though it's a lot harder to find places than it was 12 years ago (I guess - the market was booming then), it's not impossible: people are moving house, still. So there are alternatives, you just need to work hard to find them.

TheChizler

Cohen Pitiful Babel wrote: »

While probably not applicable in this instance there are exemptions to planning particularly for agri use. You can build a very big shed with no planning if it's for certain farm usage. Even if he isn't using it for this he may plan to quickly make it look like it's for one of the exempted usages if an inspection is happening, it's far from unheard of for a shed to "change" usage over night. He has cattle so he does sound like a part-time farmer at least.

Fair enough. Can you build a farm shed in the back garden of a house though?

spaceHopper

Sorry for your hassles, you probably need to get face to face advice from a solisitor. I'd break this down in to small chunks if I were you.

Next month,
The house
Get somebody to look at the roof and celings, is there any rotten wood, if it a big job to fix? Will you have to move out and will he use it as an excuse to force you to move out.
As he's seperated from his wife, find out where he is living, will he use that as an excuse to get you to move out, you would be intitled to 32 weeks notice so you would have time.

Dealing with him.
Did you rent the house and grounds, should you have exclusive use, or has he something in the lease about this. Can you both come to an arrangement about the electicity and sheds, has he commited an offecne? Is he tax compliant, does he pick up the rent in cash? Is he hiding it from his ex? It's not in you short or long term interests to cause him trouble. Just be nice about it and use it as leverage to help your self. Is there a motgage on the property or does he own it out right, if he does can you pay for the roof repair and take it out of the rent over a year? Include the electrity too. How much does he know about your health probles, can you have a friend there to back you up?

Then longer term where you live, face facts at some point you may have to move. Can you get housing from the council/HSE. Can you do more to overcome your mental health dificulties, really are you doing harm by living there and not pushing yourself. Look at it this way, as you get older you get more settled in your ways and change is harder, it will only be easier now.

Read these over several cups of tea, take your time.

http://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/housing/renting_a_home/types_of_tenancy.html

http://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/housing/renting_a_home/if_your_landlord_wants_you_to_leave.html

pilly

Telling OP to leave is not constructive advice.

OP, sorry you're going through this. Can't be easy when you suffer from stress and anxiety as well.

If you have a friend who's outspoken could you ask them to speak to the LL? If not then Threshold might ring him on your behalf.

The way you're being treated is disgraceful but there is plenty of help out there.

TheChizler

TheChizler wrote: »

Fair enough. Can you build a farm shed in the back garden of a house though?

Without knowing the exact details its hard to answer that. The back garden may be more than a back garden and be considered part of the farm etc. If you look at farms you will see a lot of their yards, sheds etc are in what many would call the back garden.

Again though this is a very big "if" in this story and the usage described would not be an exempted one.

Ms Doubtfire1

OP is in the house 15 years.i.e. hes in the 5fth cycle of part 4 - year 1 or 2 - or in the 3rd cycle of part6. Either way LL can not kick him just like that.
Frankly, the LL actions are partly criminal. 
Op:
First and foremost 
inform the LL of all this in writing - by email AND by letter.set a deadline for response- would recommend 5 days. if no response, open a dispute with the tenancy board. Make sure you retain the receipt of the postal letter send to the landlord - you will need this as proof.If you can't attend yourself due to your condition, you have the right to be represented by someone else of your choosing. It does not have to be a solicitor.And they won't only try to hash things out - they can make a ruling which is binding  - and in his case he hasn't a paw to stand on.
Re shed:
Verify your rental agreement - anything said in there regarding grounds? 

If you don't want to move out, than dont. But you will have to put up a fight.

pilly

Just re-reading the OP there. You need to tell him about the roof immediately. It's your obligation to do this. Even if you could send a text. It will make things harder for you if you don't tell him.

Ms Doubtfire1

Ms Doubtfire1 wrote: »

OP is in the house 15 years.i.e. hes in the 5fth cycle of part 4 - year 1 or 2 - or in the 3rd cycle of part6. Either way LL can not kick him just like that.

If the LL wants to move in himself then yes he can ask the op to leave giving the required notice. It's not good advice to make someone think they can be touched as there are a number for reasons for which part 4 can be ended regardless of how long you are in the house.

Ms Doubtfire1

thats why i said ' just like that'. I have also read through quite a lot of the decisions of the Tenancy board of late and he will be entitle to damages, and those won't be small.

Disgruntled Tenant

Thanks for all your help guys. I feel much better today than I did last night.

I've contacted Threshold via email, and I'll wait for a response from them before deciding what to do next.

Apart from stating that it is my responsibility to maintain the gardens, etc. there is no mention in the rental agreement of land, only "The property at...".

Another thing I forgot to mention... The tank for the heating oil was stood where his shed is now standing. He disconnected the tank when he put in the foundation for the shed last year, and I've been without heating since. I'm having to heat the two rooms I use with electric heaters.

His wife came to visit me before Christmas. She'd never been before (in the 15 years I've been here), and it seems he's been telling her I'm paying €350/month rent. She didn't seem very happy when I told her the truth. I'm guessing he's telling the tax man the same as he's telling his wife.

I've pretty much resigned myself to the fact that I'll have to move out, and probably within the next six months, but I'm going to do my best to make his life as miserable as he's made mine.

Thanks again for your help.

Ms Doubtfire1

He did WHAT?
Get the county council in asap.
http://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/housing/renting_a_home/repairs_maintenance_and_minimum_physical_standards.html

Mrs OBumble

Ms Doubtfire1 wrote: »

He did WHAT?
Get the county council in asap.
http://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/housing/renting_a_home/repairs_maintenance_and_minimum_physical_standards.html

We've had this discussion in another thread. Between the heating and the roof, the CC may simply say that the place is no longer fit for habitation, so the OP will have to move out.

OP, best of luck with the house-hunting. I really cannot see this being resolved.

Disgruntled Tenant

TheChizler wrote: »

Fair enough. Can you build a farm shed in the back garden of a house though?

Cohen Pitiful Babel wrote: »

Without knowing the exact details its hard to answer that. The back garden may be more than a back garden and be considered part of the farm etc. If you look at farms you will see a lot of their yards, sheds etc are in what many would call the back garden.

Again though this is a very big "if" in this story and the usage described would not be an exempted one.

Half the shed is built on the field at the back of the house, and half on the house land, but the shed only has one entrance, which can only be accessed from the driveway to the house.

I've been reading into this, and although I was already aware that what he's doing is wrong, I wasn't aware of the extent of how wrong it was. It's not that I didn't know, it's that it hadn't sank in, as my head isn't in a good place right now, but realisation is starting to set in, and it's quite shocking. He quite obviously isn't fulfilling his obligations as a landlord, and although I know I have rights, pressing for enforcement of his obligations will only result in conflict, which I can't handle at present, so I am going to keep looking for rental accommodation elsewhere, and if/when I do find somewhere, he will be paying my moving expenses.

I've read that his insurance will likely not cover my possessions, but I'm quite sure he is liable for the damage, as he has been aware of the problems for three years, and wilfully neglected to address them.

I've decided I will be confronting him about the damage this weekend, with a witness present.

the_syco

Disgruntled Tenant wrote: »

I've read that his insurance will likely not cover my possessions, but I'm quite sure he is liable for the damage, as he has been aware of the problems for three years, and wilfully neglected to address them.

On this; do you have proof that you informed him three years ago? Text or email? Because otherwise he'll say he was never notified.

Disgruntled Tenant

the_syco wrote: »

On this; do you have proof that you informed him three years ago? Text or email? Because otherwise he'll say he was never notified.

Unfortunately I didn't put it in writing. I know now that I should have, but I do have witnesses who were present on a few occasions over the years when I asked him when he would fix the problems.

Also, this is the view he gets, every time he comes to collect the rent.









It's not like he could say he didn't notice it.
The ceiling in the hall is ready to fall down too, and there's water streaming from that light switch whenever it rains.

This is the section of ceiling that has fallen down.

beertons

^ I certainly wouldn't like to be taking a breath in that room.

Disgruntled Tenant

beertons wrote: »

^ I certainly wouldn't like to be taking a breath in that room.

Unfortunately I don't have much choice

spottybananas

Disgruntled Tenant wrote: »

Unfortunately I don't have much choice

You do though, get out, that place isn't fit for living in.

Disgruntled Tenant

spottybananas wrote: »

You do though, get out, that place isn't fit for living in.

It's much easier said than done. I don't have the financial means to move house right now, and if I did, I'm not physically or mentally fit to do so.

Graces7

Disgruntled Tenant wrote: »

It's much easier said than done. I don't have the financial means to move house right now, and if I did, I'm not physically or mentally fit to do so.

Please phone Threshold; they can and will give you an advocate who will contact the landlord for you , and as they are" official" that can avail more. Like you I dread confrontation so this worked for me.

Ms Doubtfire1

Mrs OBumble wrote: »

Ms Doubtfire1 wrote: »

He did WHAT?
Get the county council in asap.
http://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/housing/renting_a_home/repairs_maintenance_and_minimum_physical_standards.html

We've had this discussion in another thread.  Between the heating and the roof, the CC may simply say that the place is no longer fit for habitation, so the OP will have to move out.

OP, best of luck with the house-hunting.   I really cannot see this being resolved.

That is NOT a given at all. However, after seeing the pictures - in this case I agree. OP, you NEED to get out of there. But not before addressing all your complaints with the Tenancy board and suing for damages to health and having the LL fined for neglect of duty.That is your right and you will get it. Get in touch with the legal aid board.

http://www.legalaidboard.ie/en/

lucernarian

Mrs OBumble wrote: »

We've had this discussion in another thread. Between the heating and the roof, the CC may simply say that the place is no longer fit for habitation, so the OP will have to move out.

OP, best of luck with the house-hunting. I really cannot see this being resolved.

I hope you're not encouraging the OP to not contact the local authority, who are legally entitled to inspect typical rented properties?

A repairs notice would be issued in such cases, and the cost may still be worth it to allow for future renting and so on. Furthermore, depending on the roof condition, there may be no need to move out for remedial works to happen. The oil tank removal hardly necessitates someone to move out for repairs to commence.

Those two issues in particular, along with the new garage and electricity bill issue, suggest there's a strong case for the landlord to answer.

The PRTB could well adjudicate damages to be awarded if the landlord doesn't meet basic legal obligations.

Lumen

OP, I hope you find the strength and the support to stand up for your rights.

TresGats

How about this (true) scenario- LL rents house (3 bed, Dublin) to business owner in the late 90's. Over the recession the business crashed and burned. LL never registered with Rtb. Rent for a 3 bedroom house normally fetching 1.5k pm is renting at 250e per month. I kow the family quite well, and know this to be true.
The tenant asked to be allowed get a Social Welfare payment towards the rent, once the business was gone, but as the LL had never registered the tenancy, was is in fear of doing so due to financial and possible judicial repercussions, although my neighbour even offered to pay his Ptrb fees outstanding if he would accept RA. But he prefers 250e cash a month.

athtrasna

Mod note

Please stick to the OP's issues. Thanks

pointelle

poor you, sounds like a real pain. You need to document some of these troubles see a medical professional about your mental health you've been taken advantage of and treated pretty badly. All rent increases should be notified in writing with a set time of advance warning I'm sure. Threshold are very well informed and can probably help you out with a lot of these issues. Would you consider moving? It seems as though your quiet paradise has been ruined, and while you should do something about this jackass he will most likely find some way to end your tenancy. You can sue through the prtb you are entitled to peaceful enjoyment as a basic part of a tenancy and you have been probably too easygoing so got walked on a bit, again I'm sorry you find yourself in this. Notify him in writing about the roof, note that you informed him 12 (!) years ago, and of your expenses . Inform your water provider and electricity provider of your recently discovered jockey back thief and see if they will help you, all along ask for a letter to be sent to you for your records. Go talk to a no win no fee solicitor you've been mucked about, mental distress is an awful injury and being of an anxious or depressed disposition is hard enough without being taken advantage of. Try not to be / get upset state these facts have them written out because you can get upset talking it through. I'm getting so angry for you it's a crappy situation but you'll get through be kind to yourself and really try to leave it all behind you a good solicitor will do their best or even personal injuries board could advise , everyone you speak with will do their best for you, you've no need to worry for your anxiety, climbing out of this hole might help you in the future but mind yourself all throughout , it could even be an idea to reach out to a counselling provider? All the best to you I really hope it works out

Disgruntled Tenant

I feel I should update this thread, as things have (finally) progressed, somewhat.
The leaking roof was fixed and the whole of the ceiling in the front room was replaced... Then the landlord decided to increase the rent from €500/month to €575/month. I asked him to put the rent increase in writing but he point-blank refused. He said he would only declare the rent @ €500/month (he previously only declared €374/month when I was paying €500/month), as he wanted "a little bit for himself". He still refuses to issue a rent book or allow me to pay the rent directly into his bank account. I can only assume this is because he's defrauding the taxman.
Now he's saying I owe him rent. I don't. I've never been behind on my rent payments. Even when the house wasn't fit for human habitation, I still paid the rent, but he has never supplied me with a receipt for rent paid since the day I moved in, and now he's saying I'm behind with my payments (more lies).
I told him I want compensating for my personal possessions, which were damaged as a result of his negligence, and his answer was "tough, you should have had your own insurance!"... That was the tipping point. The point at which I decided enough was enough, and I'd rather live in a tent than put up with this any longer, so I filed a dispute with the RTB, and the case will be heard later this month.
I'm still not in a good place mentally but I finally feel that he no longer has control over me. I feel like I've finally taken back a little of the power he's taken from me over the past 16 years.
I'll update the thread after the hearing.
Thanks again for all your support.

emeldc

What if he decides he wants to sell the house and issues you with your marching orders. Will you be able to rent something similar for €500 pm. I’m sure you’re right in everything you’re doing but I’d be more inclined to call a truce with him and try and hammer out a deal. You’re assuming he’s stroking the taxman but maybe he isn’t. If you like where you are try and strike a deal. If you can’t then go ahead and hang him but you’ll still need somewhere to live.

4ensic15

emeldc wrote: »

You’re assuming he’s stroking the taxman but maybe he isn’t. .

The landlord has said he wants "something for himself," in refusing to give a full receipt. That clearly means he is stroking the taxman. Maybe you are trying to get into the place?

Disgruntled Tenant

emeldc wrote: »

What if he decides he wants to sell the house and issues you with your marching orders. Will you be able to rent something similar for €500 pm. I’m sure you’re right in everything you’re doing but I’d be more inclined to call a truce with him and try and hammer out a deal. You’re assuming he’s stroking the taxman but maybe he isn’t. If you like where you are try and strike a deal. If you can’t then go ahead and hang him but you’ll still need somewhere to live.

At this stage I'd rather live in a tent.

emeldc

4ensic15 wrote: »

The landlord has said he wants "something for himself," in refusing to give a full receipt. That clearly means he is stroking the taxman. Maybe you are trying to get into the place?

Yea, missed that bit! I still think he needs to do a deal. €575 in any part of the country sounds like a good deal.

wirelessdude01

emeldc wrote:

Yea, missed that bit! I still think he needs to do a deal. €575 in any part of the country sounds like a good deal.

Disgruntled Tenant wrote:

At this stage I'd rather live in a tent.

You may realise soon enough that the price is actually a good price.

emeldc

Disgruntled Tenant wrote: »

At this stage I'd rather live in a tent.

C’mon now, no you wouldn’t. What really important things would the LL have to do to allow you live in peace. Don’t say rent book. Take your time with your answer.

Disgruntled Tenant

wirelessdude01 wrote: »

You may realise soon enough that the price is actually a good price.

emeldc wrote: »

C’mon now, no you wouldn’t. What really important things would the LL have to do to allow you live in peace. Don’t say rent book. Take your time with your answer.

I don't think either of you realise that living in a tent would be much better than the situation I've been forced to endure for the past 15 or so years.