What to do with truly crap/unsafe furniture in a rental?

Moomintroll99

So we've rented a house while we look for a place to buy.

The rental market here is tight, you take what you can get. The house itself is pretty crap but in a good location for us, there wasn't much out there, so we're stuck here for now.

There is some seriously substandard/unsafe/unhealthy stuff in here.

We've rented and been landlords before but only in Australia, where you rent the house only and provide your own furniture & appliances. So we have never experienced the whole 'live with the crappy furniture some random person has bought for the house and six other grotty people have already trashed' thing.

We have a dining table with 3 legs. It's not really a DIY fixit job - the other one seems to have been ripped out and used as a weapon. This has been helpfully placed, with splinters intact, in a corner of the room, so we're all good for burglar deterrants/spontaneuous games of indoor cricket, but stable tables are lacking.

We have a kid's mattress full of some kind of insect. Are they silverfish? Cockroaches? Hard to tell, they scurry fast while I try to vaccuum them up, but more of their brethen always appear from a rip in the fabric of the mattress.

We have a massively ripped and cruddy sofa with stuffing protruding through various holes. What DID the previous tenant spill down the side? Porridge? Weetabix mixed with cement? It couldn't be spew - could it? Is that an enterprising young cockroach with a teeny tiny 'to let' sign outside the sofa, holding an open viewing for some desperate silverfish priced out of the mattress?

We have a bed that's actually fine, as small double beds with pre-loved mattresses go, but less great for a 6 foot 4 man who can't actually fit in it and currently has to share it with a wife and one of the kids.

We're totally happy to buy our own stuff, in fact we already have, it should be delivered in a day or two. We'll take it to our new place when we buy. But what should we do with the existing stuff? It's a small house so there wouldn't be room for say 2 sofas.

The insect mattress I am going to put out of the house to prevent further colonisation - but where? There is a shed out the back but while it would be ok for the table, it leaks so would not be great for soft furnishings. Should I really attempt to keep it for the next tenant? Can I be somehow made to pay for not lovingly caring for it?

There's no way I want to enter into some protracted whingefest with the landlord and the super unresponsive agent to try to make them replace stuff - we'll only be here 6 months, I fervently hope, and I'm not super impressed with their taste up to now.

Plus every day it takes them is another day we're stuck with one of our kids in our bed with us to prevent him sleeping on the insect mattress. (Just to add a more exciting element of risk to this scenario, this kid has a pretty serious illness and really can't be around germy gross stuff.)

What can we do, wise ones?

omb0wyn5ehpij9

Have you actually informed the landlord of these issues? If so, what was said? And secondly, have you asked the landlord to remove these things to make space for your own furniture?

Moomintroll99

Yep, about 2 weeks ago. Heard nothing so far.

No haven't asked them to remove it yet, I thought they might respond when we told them initially, but never heard back from the agent.

Lux23

So you're there six months with a bug infested mattress and you haven't said anything or just gotten rid of the mattress. Although at this point it won't just be the mattress that is covered in bugs they will be everywhere. Why have you waited so long?

Just take a picture of everything you feel should be replaced and send them an email detailing what you want with a deadline of 14 days. Say in the email that if they don't want to replace it you will take that as permission to throw the broken stuff out and you can then replace it.

I see you latest post - just throw the stuff in the shed but just email the agent saying it again.

Ms Doubtfire1

I'd be easy - since you're going to buy your own place, start with the furniture.   Put all the LL stuff in one room or shed, buy your own, use that and take it with you when you move into your own house.Place the crappy old stuff back.Make sure to take pics of how it was.

Moomintroll99

So you're there six months with a bug infested mattress and you haven't said anything or just gotten rid of the mattress

Perhaps I wasn't clear? I signed a lease which is 6 months long, a couple of weeks ago. Told the agent of the issues soon after we moved in, but no response. New stuff has been ordered and will arrive in a day or two.

Why on earth would anyone assume I would live in a big infested house, with my 4 year old who has cancer, for 6 months??? Do I come across like a crazy person?

(Just to clarify in case I do come across like a crazy person, which I may well do as we are in a fairly crazy situation: We spend a lot of time travelling with our little boy up to Dublin for his chemo. Caring for a child with cancer causes a lot of disruption to normal life, we've only spent a few nights here since we moved in due to having to manage his care. This is not my idea of an awesome way to live but we need to get through it, we would far prefer to take him back to Australia but he can't travel due to his illness. So we're making the best of it, trying to live in the substandard rental which was all we could find while we also work and look for a place to buy.)

Anyway all that is beside the point, which is just to ask, in the system here where landlords provide everything, if they provide something gross do I have to keep it/care for it or can I chuck it out?

Ms Doubtfire1

you have to keep it - unless you want to replace it and leave it there.

PhoenixParker

I would ask them to take it away. Failing that you can either rent a storage unit for it or throw it out. Throwing it out would quite probably cost you your deposit but you may deem that worth it. I say probably lose you your deposit because it sounds like the furniture is so old it should be fully written off against tax and any adjudication would deem it worthless.

mel123

Contact the agent again, maybe with a few pictures? Press them for an answer. Like if its as bad as you describe (im not doubting you), its even useless to the landlord, but alas he prob doesnt want to pay for a skip to remove the rubbish.
If all else fails, throw it all in the shed for storage, it doesnt sound like it could get any worse

*side note, sorry for your troubles, sounds like a tough situation to be in regarding your 4 year old, i hope they come out of treatment the other side and you can return to Australia

Moomintroll99

I say probably lose you your deposit because it sounds like the furniture is so old it should be fully written off against tax and any adjudication would deem it worthless.

Sorry I don't quite understand. Because it's worthless therefore I have to lose my deposit? Or because it's worthless the landlord can't get a tax write off for replacing it and therefore I still lose my deposit?

Must say I don't really feel inspired to rent a storage unit for it if I'm gonna lose my deposit anyway. Surely that's just good money after bad? Or am I not understanding something?

wordofwarning

So you rented a property as is and now decided you don't like it. You want the landlord to pay for new furniture or the storage of furniture you don't like?

If I was your landlord, I would say you rented as is and live with it. I'm sure you could have rented a house that was more to your taste. I don't see why a landlord should be out of pocket as you want to make changes after agreeing to what was given to you. If you dont like the furniture, rent a storage unit at your own cost

The furniture that you don't like was likely all damaged by tenants. Irish landlords dont buy premium furniture as it gets destroyed by tenants

cruizer101

I'd go get yourself a big plastic sheet from a DIY store, throw the stuff out in the shed and put the plastic sheet over to stop any water damage. To be honest if the stuff is as bad as you are saying LL might not even notice if there was a bit of water damage.
No way I'd be keeping a insect infected mattress in the house especially with a sick child.

PhoenixParker

Moomintroll99 wrote: »

Sorry I don't quite understand. Because it's worthless therefore I have to lose my deposit? Or because it's worthless the landlord can't get a tax write off for replacing it and therefore I still lose my deposit?

Must say I don't really feel inspired to rent a storage unit for it if I'm gonna lose my deposit anyway. Surely that's just good money after bad? Or am I not understanding something?

I meant the opposite.

Most people would assume that disposing of landlords stuff = definitely losing deposit.

I'm saying it's only "probably lose" because the reality is that stuff is worthless both in reality and on the landlords balance sheet.

My guess is that if you throw the stuff out and dont replace it, landlord will refuse to return your deposit at the end of your tenancy and you'll then be left to file a case with the prtb which could go either way and landlord may not comply even if you're awarded your deposit back.

If you're not staying long a cheap storage unit might be the way to go.

gizmo81

Had a case with the RTB over this, it doesn't matter that you viewed the house and took it.

The house is not meeting the minimum standards of rented accommodation.

You notified the landlord and were ignored.

Refer a dispute to the RTB.

We did for exactly this, we won and got an award for our troubles.

cruizer101

wordofwarning wrote: »

I'm sure you could have rented a house that was more to your taste.

Its very easy to say you could rent somewhere else the reality is there is very little out there any as a result landlords are getting away with renting properties with insect infected mattresses, which I think everyone will agree is f**king disgusting and disgraceful, and tenants have little choice.

testaccount123

wordofwarning wrote: »

I'm sure you could have rented a house that was more to your taste.

Then you know nothing about the current market situation in Ireland. The OP obviously needs to rent in a particular location to access cancer services for her child you obnoxious clown.

AlmightyCushion

wordofwarning wrote: »

So you rented a property as is and now decided you don't like it. You want the landlord to pay for new furniture or the storage of furniture you don't like?

If I was your landlord, I would say you rented as is and live with it. I'm sure you could have rented a house that was more to your taste. I don't see why a landlord should be out of pocket as you want to make changes after agreeing to what was given to you. If you dont like the furniture, rent a storage unit at your own cost

The furniture that you don't like was likely all damaged by tenants. Irish landlords dont buy premium furniture as it gets destroyed by tenants

This isn't a pair curtains that he doesn't like the colour of, if's a broken table and a mattress filled with bugs. The bed, fair enough, the OP is too big for it. That sucks but it's not the landlords fault but the rest isn't down to a matter of taste as you're suggesting.

Graham

Mod Note

If you have an issue with a post, please report it rather than responding on thread.


Personal note:

sold as seen is not a concept recognised under the RTA that abdicates a landlord of their responsibilities to provide safe, bug-free accommodation.

Best of luck OP.

gizmo81

Also, a friend of mine who owns her own apartment has had an infestation of the silverfish recently.

She had to call Rentokill. Three visits so far and they still coming

the_syco

Put the old mattress into the bag that you get the new mattress in. Seal up the bag, and store it somewhere (if in a bag, outside the back?).

check_six

Throw mattress away. Get your own mattress (and bed maybe).

When you are leaving get a free crap bed + mattress from adverts.ie or donedeal or skip or wherever. Keep your own good bed for next location.

The "new" crap mattress will be indistinguishable from the "old" crap mattress.

Everybody's happy!

(This solution sounds ridiculous but that is where we have arrived at in Ireland. )

Moomintroll99

Hey thanks for the ideas guys. Yes I agree the thing about 'you rented it as is, sucka!' is way too harsh and certainly not an attitude we'd take towards our tenants in our property back in Australia. When stuff breaks in that house, we fix it like decent humans who respect the business relationship we're in with them.

No we don't need to be here for cancer services, we're in Galway, cancer services are up in Dublin but we came here for the original job we moved for.

Basically we took short term accom when we arrived & my DH started his new job, it reverted to holiday accom when summer rolled around, we hadn't yet found a place to buy, were blindsided by the cancer thing which came out of the blue (thought we were going to the GP for a sore throat!) and we needed to find a rental in what is of course a very, very tight market. But surely even in a tight market you're not expected to bring the Rentokil man to inspections and make sure you count the table legs...

That's a genius idea about storing bug mattress in new mattress bag - awesome! Will definitely do this. And maybe the like-for-like crap sofa/mattress etc, if the existing ones get mouldy in the shed.

Thanks for the helpful advice & good wishes, a lot is actually going really well - he's responding to treatment well and is almost finished, the job is working out, schools here are good, we have met some truly lovely people in the west of Ireland & spent time with relatives we never saw much before - we've a lot to be happy about really.

Once we're bug free AND cancer free there'll be even more to like about our lives here

pxdf9i5cmoavkz

Thread resurrection!

Moomintroll99, I followed this thread with interest. How are things looking for you regarding the accommodation and your child's treatment?

check_six

check_six wrote: »

Throw mattress away. Get your own mattress (and bed maybe).

When you are leaving get a free crap bed + mattress from adverts.ie or donedeal or skip or wherever. Keep your own good bed for next location.

The "new" crap mattress will be indistinguishable from the "old" crap mattress.

Everybody's happy!

(This solution sounds ridiculous but that is where we have arrived at in Ireland. )

I had occasion to dip into the shady underground bed swapping circuit recently. There was some furniture that needed replacing before I left a place and I figured I'd take my own advice (above). I'd thrown out a broken bed when I moved into a house and replaced it with my own bed. Moving out meant having to track down a new bed somehow to replace the broken one (the landlord had refused to let me replace the broken one originally, but I did it anyway because falling out of bed in the middle of the night due to a weird broken slope in the bed base is no fun!).

I was surprised to find that there are a *lot* of free to take away beds on the internet. Having got a van to do my move anyway meant it was quite easy to collect a replacement bed. The bed actually looked kind of familiar. Looking back on some photos I had taken, showed it was an identical colour and design as the old broken one I had ditched. A curious coincidence! The only difference was that the one I got was almost entirely unused.

The people I got the bed from were only delighted for me to take their unwanted bed away, and my landlord was happy in their ignorance of any bed swapping shenanigans. I'm now convinced that there is a circuit of free beds travelling from rental to rental filling in for people buying their own beds. What tales they could tell!

Moomintroll99

Laughing my head off at Check-six's bed tale!

Maybe we need a new website to arrange the ongoing cycling of hideous landlord-provided furniture. You subscribe and the company delivers nice new bug-free furniture, stores the gross stuff from the rental while you live there, then puts it all back as it was when your lease ends, silverfish & all. Needs a catchy name. SlumSwap.com?

We're all good thanks for asking. We've a shedful of plastic wrapped gross furniture, bought some nice stuff for in the house, evicted our silverfish tenants, and discovered how to use a dehumidifier, so now our place is definitely among the least gross rentals I've seen.

Oh and our son is in remission and attending Jr Infants with his peers, which really puts housing woes into perspective! Massive kudos to the team at St John's ward Crumlin hospital, they are amazing people.

Thargor

Moomintroll99 wrote: »

Oh and our son is in remission and attending Jr Infants with his peers, which really puts housing woes into perspective! Massive kudos to the team at St John's ward Crumlin hospital, they are amazing people.

Great news.

pwurple

When stuff breaks in that house, we fix it like decent humans who respect the business relationship we're in with them.

This is the reason I rent out my properties unfurnished. People who come with their own furnishings are grown-ups.