Landlord unhappy with blinds

Mrs OBumble

poker--addict wrote: »

I can see a landlord wondering if people can’t be bothered to lift the blinds and are happy to wallow in dark all day, what else can’t they be bothered to do with the house? Do they ever clean it?

As both a landlord, and someone who experienced this from a housemate, this is exactly what I'd be thinking.

Human beings need daylight for proper functioning.

steinbock123

I live in my own bungalow, not rented. I have two windows in the front. I have the blinds in both closed fully 24/7. I’m not lazy, I don’t have the house like a tip, I just like them down for privacy during the day and the night. I open them the very odd time.
And I don’t care if my neighbours think it’s weird, and they probably do, as I’m living next door to Irelands answer to Mrs. Bucket!

Graces7

KaneToad wrote: »

I would ignore the blinds request.
He's your landlord, not your mammy.

He seems to want all the positives from renting his property but none of the negatives.

The term " control freak " comes to mind.. Picking my chin up off the floor...

This is YOUR HOME.

Graces7

Mrs OBumble wrote: »

As both a landlord, and someone who experienced this from a housemate, this is exactly what I'd be thinking.

Human beings need daylight for proper functioning.

We also need privacy and my awareness is that that is what this is all about. Not about daylight or air; red herring there!.

The place is not hermetically sealed.

OP; I have the glass door here covered in the film that allows light but that cannot be seen through. works grand !

Graces7

yamaha4life wrote: »

Hi boardsies,

I am writing today as I received a txt from my landlord last night who was aggrieved at the fact that the blinds at the front of the house arent being opened. Now the blinds at the front are like this bendroom, front door entrance hallway, kitchen/sitting room. This side of the house faces the road and is appox 2/3 meters from said road.

The blind in the bedroom is always closed fair enough but the one at opposite end that is open but no one can see in.

The blind in the front hall is usually open during the day we have a Christmas tree decoration on the window there.

The sitting room kitchen blind to the front is usually only open 1/3 to 1/2 during the day as anyone passing could see in the dinner table is there at the window

So basically been told they all have to be open from now on, her reason is because the cottage is attached to her air bnb and wants it too look good for people arriving next door to stay. There is a wall between the two cottages dividing them so o dont know. I find it very strange and a first and ive been a renter of many places in the last 12 years.

There has been other issuses here with landlord one was not allowed make noise outside at any point or duration during the day or use power tools as holiday makers not paying for noise?.

have been made move our bins.

Have never received notice bar once we got a hour notice of plumber arriving. On that note twice while doing up the driveway and also moving entrance to property and raising wall on roadside never told to move cars out of driveway not even a knock on the door to say do you want to move car now or basically stuck there til 5 or next day depending.

Have had a plasterer turn up a 6.00 am and start working in the dark with a lamp.

The landlord had also made a comment over plumber said "oh you were sick when he called and he didn't want to carry out all his work" it was during the start/middle of pandemic i had a chest infection i informed the man when i let him in and kept my distance i didn't exactly want him thinking i had covid if he heard me coughing and wheezing.

Final one lately was on one of the days when builders showed up and my car was stuck in for the day the house mate said to landlord a bit of notice would have been nice as the car is stuck in the driveway now again. What was said was " isnt it great were doing all this work for ye and it's costing you nothing"

It is renting the property we are the only thing that was asked for was the shower to be repaired it was faulty twice (both second hand) new one has been fitted now.

Washing machine is faulty (still is) has been looked at but no repair attempted.

Ive noticed ive gone off on a bit of a rant now there is more i could put in here thats gone on the last year funny that only renting this property a year last property 6 years and not one poor interaction with previous landlord.

Anyway is the blinds thing a thing or should i just ignore it?

Thanks

Direct her to RTB site re the rules re access by landlords... She clearly has no idea.

Graces7

poker--addict wrote: »

It’s often the way people ask for something not what they want that causes issues....The LL is possibly concerned about air/mould or the rest of the home, but hasn’t expressed what the underlying issue is..

Blinds closed all day could indicate a shift worker, but it could also indicate disorganised, untidy, lazy people. That would be highly judgemental and prejudicial of course, but it’s human nature that a property owner tried to build a picture of what is going on in their property- with some, as already mentioned, trying to influence things to the exact way they would want to live.

I can see a landlord wondering if people can’t be bothered to lift the blinds and are happy to wallow in dark all day, what else can’t they be bothered to do with the house? Do they ever clean it?

There’s a house around the corner from us and the blinds never lift. It looks unkept as a result, and given one or two other unusual observations one could arrive at the conclusion that there is drugs or severe hangovers within the house.

In this case, I’d consider what the LL concern is, consider whether you understand it, and make a decision to ignore it or take it onboard. It’s unlikely it’s going to escalate at the end of the day if you wish to ignore it. In one ear and out the other :-)

One of my rooms is permanently curtained as I have an acute sensitivity yo light that makes this a necessity

We always had net curtains up for privacy. That worked well.

Graces7

ted1 wrote: »

In fairness houses need to be vented and windows should be opened

I never open a window out here but am in and out all day so the door gets opened time after time

Choosehowevr.

Is there any need to open windows if you have vents

Surely opening windows is an old school idea

mickdw

Vents allow background ventilation. Opening window provides rapid ventilation and it is a building regulation requirement to have opening windows for this purpose among others.

Choosehowevr.

mickdw wrote: »

Vents allow background ventilation. Opening window provides rapid ventilation and it is a building regulation requirement to have opening windows for this purpose among others.

Ya they open but is there any need

yamaha4life

Im not sure why people are getting hung up on the idea that myself and house mate dont open windows. We do.

Just to try clarify things.

All rear and side facing blinds are open every day.

One front facing blind in a bedroom is closed more or less all the time. This room has another bigger window that is rear facing and that blind is always open and if opening window in there its the rear window.

The hall blind is open every day 3/4s of the way. There is a pair of windows at the front door frosted so plenty of light there.

The kitchen/sitting room has two large windows a front roadside facing window and one facing too the side. The blind facing the side is open 3/4s of the way every day. The front roadside blind is open 1/3 in the morning and 1/2 during the day to let in light but closed enough to allow for privacy and watching t.v during the day if in there.

The land lord has requested that all front facing blinds are opened wound up completely during the day. Reason given they want both cottages looking there good when guests arrive to stay next door.

They have guests there at present.

the cottage im in is very old, timber frame single pane windows, timber frame doors ect, i have had to add some seals to poorly fitting windows (some windows didnt even have seals), front and rear doors are like swiss cheese. The fire is lighting and heating on everyday and the sitting room with fire and top room (insulated) is ok, the two halls and bedrooms bathroom are still baltic so i think ventilation isnt a problem.

Next door is a new build its joined on but not part of ours obviously, the party wall is like paper mache that bedroom borders the two next door bedrooms and you could hear a pin drop in either property.

as such its not really usable for us now it was my bedroom but children crying all night or partying holiday makers and landlord basically telling me that guest can hear me going in and out of room ect so i have just moved upstairs now and we just dont use that room anymore now which is annoying because ive lost my chill out second sitting room / pool table that was upstairs as i don't always want to spend my time with house mate or watch same things on tv ect. I know thats a small luxury to give up but it was nice while i had it.

Graces7

OP; you do not have to justify yourself to anyone

This is YOUR HOME.

I would not stay there though. I really would not tolerate such an intrusive and controlling landlord. He is way out of order. You are a tenant with inalienable rights not an errant child.
Is it that you are scared of being evicted?

Have a word with Threshold? I know they are not popular here ( !!) but as a tenant I always found them supportive and accurate They got me legally free of a very nasty landlord.

yamaha4life

Haven't put much thought into the next move as of yet as its Christmas and I would rather not think about it. Haven't replied to the landlords message either as was a little annoyed at the late time it was sent and also the proximity to Christmas for something that in all honest would have kept until the new year surely.

Thanks for advice ill look at threshold soon.

I don't think we will be evicted but who knows i guess.

On a side note the landlord passed today at least 3 times not sure was it to nose in here or on the guests next door perhaps both.

Graces7

yamaha4life wrote: »

Haven't put much thought into the next move as of yet as its Christmas and I would rather not think about it. Haven't replied to the landlords message either as was a little annoyed at the late time it was sent and also the proximity to Christmas for something that in all honest would have kept until the new year surely.

Thanks for advice ill look at threshold soon.

I don't think we will be evicted but who knows i guess.

On a side note the landlord passed today at least 3 times not sure was it to nose in here or on the guests next door perhaps both.

This reminds me of a landlord way back. We had locked the gates for reasons like yours, and as I had reported him for not being registered he dared not make a fuss. The cottage was isolated and on a steep slope so he used to "patrol " around the back where the kitchen window was. Outside the fence of course. . There would be this pair of legs walking past as i washed up! Until I put cardboard up.

Assuming he IS registered Sorry if I missed t

And yes, ENJOY Christmas and New Year.

GrumpyMe

Mrs OBumble wrote: »

If the blinds are closed all day, how do you open the window to air the room?

I presume that like every other premises with blinds, blinds go up, windows go open, blinds come down. Later blinds go up, window goes closed, blinds go down.
:rolleyes:

mickuhaha

You open the blind's but put a picture of a giant middle finger right on the window sill.

Valresnick

I once lived in an apartment with an amazing view overlooking the sea. Next tenant moved in and had all the blinds down on all windows everyday. I thought no one was in it, but the landlord told me they just liked it like that. He didn’t care, I couldn’t understand it myself !

Toots

steinbock123 wrote: »

I live in my own bungalow, not rented. I have two windows in the front. I have the blinds in both closed fully 24/7. I’m not lazy, I don’t have the house like a tip, I just like them down for privacy during the day and the night. I open them the very odd time.
And I don’t care if my neighbours think it’s weird, and they probably do, as I’m living next door to Irelands answer to Mrs. Bucket!

Yeah we lived in a bungalow for a year and one of the windows in the main bedroom looked straight onto the street outside - it was busy enough with people walking by who could just have a nose straight in if they wanted. The other looked into the side garden which was walled and private. We left the blind down on the front window all the time. I'd lift it when I cleaned the windows once a week but other than that it stayed closed. We opened and closed the blind on the side window every day, as normal.

We moved out and I drove past the house the other day and noticed that the bedroom window now has frosted glass in it, so I'd imagine the new tenants were bothered by people looking in also.

gordongekko

Who leaves the windows open in December?

Stihl waters

gordongekko wrote: »

Who leaves the windows open in December?

Mrs O Bumble obviously

Toots

I'd open the windows every day, wouldn't leave them wide open all day or anything but I'd open halfway for 30 mins or so just to air the place out.

Mrs OBumble

gordongekko wrote: »

Who leaves the windows open in December?

People who don't want to live in damp houses.

punisher5112

Only houses I ever had to air out were rentals.....

Any house I'm in that was owner occupied such as siblings, dad's or now my own I do no such thing.....

I have no mould, no damp, no mushroom growing on the walls, no blackness on windows or condensation on them. I dry clothes in utility or the kitchen and no issues either.....

Oh and those issues mentioned were in the 4 rentals I was in over the years, aired out, no drying indoors, heating on near constantly due to lack of or zero insulation, broken windows, doors not closing at all to seal, draughts everywhere....

I'm sorry but there are a lot of plain thick answers on this.... I don't want people looking in at me and like my house been private that was renting and owning, the LL can go f right off.


Op I would put it in writing about the washing machine and any other issues and don't get into the blinds rubbish, it's none of her business and you need to be firm on that one.....

punisher5112

Mrs OBumble wrote: »

People who don't want to live in damp houses.

Rubbish.....

Adequate insulation and ventilation is what's needed unfortunately in Ireland most rentals are 60s or older built properties and in many cases LL are attached to their property like there is no tomorrow, stupid stuff I mean.... It's a business so treat it like it and stop getting feelings involved.

TheRiverman

gordongekko wrote: »

Who leaves the windows open in December?

I do, fresh air is needed for a healthy living environment, to clear condensation, stale smells, etc.

beauf

punisher5112 wrote: »

Only houses I ever had to air out were rentals.....

Any house I'm in that was owner occupied such as siblings, dad's or now my own I do no such thing.....
....

punisher5112 wrote: »

...
Adequate insulation and ventilation is what's needed unfortunately in Ireland most rentals are 60s or older built properties.....

Age isn't an issue its if a building has been maintained. Damp and mould can be caused by structural, design, or wear and tear.
It can also be caused by poor living habits.
It can obviously happen in all properties, not simply rentals.

beauf

yamaha4life wrote: »

Hi boardsies,

I am writing today as I received a txt from my landlord last night who was aggrieved at the fact that the blinds at the front of the house aren't being opened. .....

Anyway is the blinds thing a thing or should i just ignore it?

...

Both LL and Tenant should be aware of their own obligations and rights.

https://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/housing/renting_a_home/tenants_rights_and_obligations.html

https://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/housing/renting_a_home/landlords_rights_and_obligations.html

https://www.rtb.ie/beginning-a-tenancy/rights-and-responsibilities

punisher5112

beauf wrote: »

Age isn't an issue its if a building has been maintained. Damp and mould can be caused by structural, design, or wear and tear.
It can also be caused by poor living habits.
It can obviously happen in all properties, not simply rentals.

I actually do know that I was just stating the obvious as this is some of the biggest reasons.

listermint

steinbock123 wrote: »

I live in my own bungalow, not rented. I have two windows in the front. I have the blinds in both closed fully 24/7. I’m not lazy, I don’t have the house like a tip, I just like them down for privacy during the day and the night. I open them the very odd time.
And I don’t care if my neighbours think it’s weird, and they probably do, as I’m living next door to Irelands answer to Mrs. Bucket!

Whatever about Mrs bucket next door.

That sound absolutely fkn depressing.

Absolutely.

I live in a rough area and if you open curtains then people know if you’re not home the day they’re not open, so I never open them.