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LANDLORD CONVERTING OUR SITTING ROOM TO BEDROOM

  • 20-08-2022 6:00pm
    #1
    Registered Users Posts: 2


    So my landlord is converting the sitting room into a bedroom. We have only been made aware of this today that he plans to start work Monday. I am unable to contact the RTB now that it’s the weekend. There will be less living space & increased utilities usage as a result. There’s also inadequate kitchen storage space for another occupant as is in terms of fridge and food presses. He plans to keep the rent the same but the rental arrangement would be decreasing in value from when we entered the tenancy. Can anyone please share accurate insight into the legislation on this if there is any.



Comments

  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 10,148 ✭✭✭✭Caranica


    Not everyone will have seen your help desk thread so it's key information that each of the 3 tenants in the 3 bed house has their own lease with the landlord.



  • Registered Users Posts: 730 ✭✭✭drogon.


    Get a feeling this is getting very common, few houses down a property was purchased by a chap. He renovated the house and is planning to let each room out individually. He too converted the living room into a bedroom.



  • Registered Users Posts: 210 ✭✭Mr Hindley


    Ah, FFS. I say this as a landlord - it’s bastards like this that give the rest of us a bad name. Unfortunately, I suspect there’s not a lot you can do about this, but it’s shocking behaviour.



  • Registered Users Posts: 730 ✭✭✭drogon.


    I think the only reason they are getting away with it is, people are desperate for accommodation. There is another house that is being rented by few Eastern European folks, they have 3 families living in there, with 9 kids. So about 15 people in a 4 bedroom semi-di (2 of which are box rooms)



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 3,205 ✭✭✭cruizer101


    OP get onto Threshold. They should be able to give you advice on it



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  • Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 39,925 Mod ✭✭✭✭Gumbo


    Are you a tenant or a licensee?



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 10,148 ✭✭✭✭Caranica


    See above (and help desk thread). Three people living in a 3 bed house. All with their own leases with the non resident landlord



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 22,299 ✭✭✭✭ELM327


    You're not a tenant you're a licensee so likely there is nothing you can do. RTB wouldnt be able to help as licensee arrangements are not covered under the RTA



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,303 ✭✭✭Viscount Aggro


    A previous landlord of mine was doing this, to maximise rent yield.

    Anyone renting the converted dining room had to endure all types of noise from the shared living areas.

    He then tried to do everything on the cheap, included cutting the grass himself, and billing himself for the work.

    That lark ended one day, he was using a petrol mower, stuck his hand underneath to clear grass... he lost 3 fingers.



  • Registered Users Posts: 330 ✭✭cezanne


    I reckon they are so short of space for the ukranians that the HAP will include a clause that you have to take in a refugee anything is possible in this housing crisis. Nothing surprises me and the landlord is probably only trying to break even after the taxes. The day of nice landlords is gone its strictly money now. i moved out of a house 3 years ago to live in my own house and the rent has gone up 200 euro since, it was a 1 bedroom shed conversion very nicely done and a lovely land lord but the taxes are breaking him .



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  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 10,148 ✭✭✭✭Caranica




  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 22,299 ✭✭✭✭ELM327


    I got it from the earlier thread the OP had. They are renting a room in a shared house, not renting a house. A subtle but important point of distinction



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,688 ✭✭✭Cape Clear


    Does your agreement allow you access to the sitting room or does it make any reference to any other part of the house outside of your room?



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 10,466 ✭✭✭✭Marcusm


    That does not take it outside the scope of the Residential Tenancies Act. That requires the owner to be resident in the house also. There is no suggestion that the owner is resident in the building.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 22,299 ✭✭✭✭ELM327


    False

    Licences | Residential Tenancies Board (rtb.ie) defines a licensee as "...3 - persons occupying accommodation in which the owner is not resident under a formal license arrangement with the owner where the occupants are not entitled to its exclusive use and the owner has continuing access to the accommodation and/or can move around or change the occupants,...."



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 10,466 ✭✭✭✭Marcusm


    Requires a lot of specificities which are not stated in the OP. There is specifically no suggestion that the owner retains access to the accommodation which I would adduce meansan ability to live there.

    RTA is very clear that the exclusion only applies when the owners resides there - section 3(2)(g) RTA 2004 as amended. The RTB may have encountered a circumstance on which the landlord retained access to and actually used the property as satisfies “also resides” but you are inappropriately applying to to all licence situations which is simply too broad.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 22,299 ✭✭✭✭ELM327


    I'll stick to the advice offered by the RTB that I linked above, showing that a non resident landlord is not disbarring the fact that the "tenants" are in fact licensees.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 10,466 ✭✭✭✭Marcusm


    Follow the law I say! More importantly, that part of the RTB site is actually headed


    “Licences

    Examples of a licence are a person staying in hotel, hostel or guesthouse or a person sharing a house with the owner.”


    and I think any sensible person would read the examples in that context!



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 11,208 ✭✭✭✭B.A._Baracus


    I would look for something else where. If they are willing to convert the sitting room today, they will be looking at other ways to make more money tomorrow. Ie, increase of rent despite what they say or barely fixing anything.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 7,147 ✭✭✭El Gato De Negocios


    You should be asking for a reduction in rent imo. Less facilities available to you and the other tenants so its only fair its reflected in what you are paying.



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  • Registered Users Posts: 16 geniejews


    For goodness sake, have you contacted Threshold yet. All three of you ate tenants, not jointly and severally liable as each of you have your own contracts. Part of that contract is that the common areas are shared by only the 3 of you. Stop this in its tracks, contact Threshold, this is a serious case of a Breach of Landlord's obligations, it can go to the RTB



  • Posts: 0 [Deleted User]


    ...



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,883 ✭✭✭mrslancaster


    Thats shocking. Did the 3 of you sign the tenancy agreement and move in at the same time? If you did you are entitled to peaceful enjoyment of your home and the landlord cant do that. It depends on your lease though.



  • Registered Users Posts: 262 ✭✭Stretch1432


    If the landlord is renting the rooms and not the house and if he stays there occasionally like 1 or 2 times a week what can you do ? Is he allowed to do that and not register with RTB.



  • Registered Users Posts: 1,273 ✭✭✭The Spider


    If you rented a room then you’re a licensee, similar to paying for a room in a guest house, if there’s one lease with three names of the people staying on it then he can’t come in and do any major changes like this.

    it’s important that you define it, have you an individual lease with the landlord or did the three of you decide to find a house and rent it together?

    Or did you just see a room advertised, show up not sign a lease and start paying rent? This was a common practice back in the 90’s/ early 2000’s when I was doing house shares, don’t think I ever signed a lease.

    Post edited by The Spider on


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 6,003 ✭✭✭handlemaster


    The removal of the bedsits only added to the homeless situation. This sounds like the HMO in the UK. The markets needs such properties.



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