Landlord being difficult- considering rtb adjudication

Corca Baiscinn · 28-11-2018 11:15pm

@Syco or anyone: "I'm guessing that the showers stopped working due to the hard water. It sounds like a hard water area. Have you looked at cleaning the brushes of the shower, or looking at cleaning out the heads of the showers? These are often the first to get blocked in a hard water area."

I know about cleaning the shower head but what are shower brushes?

Graham · 28-11-2018 11:21pm

davindub wrote: »

Mandatory? No, it falls under common sense, if you do not address a foreseeable risk that is not difficult or expensive to complete, that is a breach of the duty of care you have to persons on your property. No legislation addresses this, the potential for compensation is the reason you do it.

Where do you draw the line?

Tenants must have a responsibility to mitigate such foreseeable risks before landlords are expected to post warning signs on kettles and life preservers on the side of the bath.

I guess this is all rather academic for the OP.

Nekarsulm · 29-11-2018 12:02am

Corca Baiscinn wrote: »

@Syco or anyone: "I'm guessing that the showers stopped working due to the hard water. It sounds like a hard water area. Have you looked at cleaning the brushes of the shower, or looking at cleaning out the heads of the showers? These are often the first to get blocked in a hard water area."

I know about cleaning the shower head but what are shower brushes?

Unscrewing the shower head and filling it with vinegar or limescale remover will solve that part of the problem, and also the inline filter fitted to Triton showers can partially block.
This will cause low flow, causing the water to get scalding hot and then trip out a safety switch (which causes the shower to pump cold water on you instead)!

Fol20 · 29-11-2018 12:55am

davindub wrote: »

Mandatory? No, it falls under common sense, if you do not address a foreseeable risk that is not difficult or expensive to complete, that is a breach of the duty of care you have to persons on your property. No legislation addresses this, the potential for compensation is the reason you do it.

Tbh when the cost would be born my me, I don’t think it’s necessary. It’s very easy to request certain things when your not paying for it however when the money comes out of your pocket, I would always question is it necessary. If you brought a dispute(I know you wouldn’t) to the RTB, I highly doubt they would side with the tenant.

davindub · 29-11-2018 12:59am

Graham wrote: »

Where do you draw the line?

Tenants must have a responsibility to mitigate such foreseeable risks before landlords are expected to post warning signs on kettles and life preservers on the side of the bath.

I guess this is all rather academic for the OP.

Really I don't see the struggle with comprehending that the main entrance way in darkness is a bad idea, providing a light is a good idea, personally it doesn't seem as onerous as placing life preservers around the bathroom area in a dwelling. It can probably be discussed better elsewhere, but if you google poor outdoor lighting you find quite a few injury lawyers advertising their services....

Guide:
https://injury.findlaw.com/torts-and-personal-injuries/conditions-leading-to-outdoor-slip-and-fall-accidents.html

Just out of interest: Extract from kettle instructions...:pac:

"While the water is boiling or just after the water has boiled, avoid any contact with the steam. "

Anyway I agree 100% with the OP, the request was reasonable, certainly not a reason to be kicked out if that is the case.

davindub · 29-11-2018 1:04am

Fol20 wrote: »

Tbh when the cost would be born my me, I don’t think it’s necessary. It’s very easy to request certain things when your not paying for it however when the money comes out of your pocket, I would always question is it necessary. If you brought a dispute(I know you wouldn’t) to the RTB, I highly doubt they would side with the tenant.

I'm a landlord rather than tenant, so I understand the logic but just not where you are applying it. €100-200 cost with tax deduction is small enough to just get it done. If they want fancy uplighters they can F**c off.

Graham · 29-11-2018 1:08am

davindub wrote: »

Not to be funny, but as a property owner, if you were made aware of a safety risk, would you not want to address it?

Looking at the OP

I did insist that she organise to have external lights put in as we live in the country side and its pitch dark- I think that's basic and safety and that she is required to do that really

I must admit, were I in the landlords shoes my first thought wouldn't be "I must rush out and organise lights".

davindub · 29-11-2018 1:54am

Graham wrote: »

Looking at the OP

I must admit, were I in the landlords shoes my first thought wouldn't be "I must rush out and organise lights".

I know, but when you calmed down and had a think about it?

Silane · 29-11-2018 2:14am

When I go to look at a place to rent I'm looking for what the house/apartment has and what it doesn't have and deciding if the price is appropriate based on that.
I wouldn't accept to pay a certain amount for the place and then look for upgrades when I moved it. The only thing I've ever asked for was anew couch and I only asked because the landlord said he was putting up the rent.

Brbiyer · 29-11-2018 7:38am

Just to clear a few assumptions people have made

1. I have always requested nicely, you know...please, thank-you , I have 2 young children...you can understand...etc
It has only resulted in my requests being ignored for 2or more weeks
2. Texts are the landlords preferred method of communication- not an easy person to reach by phone or set up a meeting with
3. At the start, she also indicated that any repairs and maintenance will need to be notified to her and not taken upon ourselves
4. I know that the external lights are debatable- in my mind they were essential. Having never lived in a rural area before I hadn't factored the external light situation.
5. Yes it is the hard water affecting the showers- I have gone through many bottles of vinegar since we moved here

I amazed by this whole attitude towards tenants- shut up and put tup!!! This house was not given to us freely on good will. I pay rent-more than the market price mind you. I suppose we had been living in our own house for over 10 years andI really had forgotten the experience of living in a rental.
On the other side of the coin- we have rented our our house. I would be very aware of another family having to struggle to find suitable accommodation before i serve them a notice. Having a safe and warm place to live is a basic need. If you cant see that why be a ll? Clearly repairing and maintaining a house on a regular basis is much more economical than waiting to see the place fall apart- basic common sense really
Someone so easily - you moved once and you can move again. Ours was a long thought out and considered move- on the basis that we are staying long term (when we were looking at this house to rent, the ll clearly said she is looking for long term tenants). Moving children on a regular basis is not a great idea. The last few weeks they have been anxious about this whole thing and its showing indifferent ways.

The Student · 29-11-2018 9:25am

Brbiyer wrote: »

Just to clear a few assumptions people have made

1. I have always requested nicely, you know...please, thank-you , I have 2 young children...you can understand...etc
It has only resulted in my requests being ignored for 2or more weeks
2. Texts are the landlords preferred method of communication- not an easy person to reach by phone or set up a meeting with
3. At the start, she also indicated that any repairs and maintenance will need to be notified to her and not taken upon ourselves
4. I know that the external lights are debatable- in my mind they were essential. Having never lived in a rural area before I hadn't factored the external light situation.
5. Yes it is the hard water affecting the showers- I have gone through many bottles of vinegar since we moved here

I amazed by this whole attitude towards tenants- shut up and put tup!!! This house was not given to us freely on good will. I pay rent-more than the market price mind you. I suppose we had been living in our own house for over 10 years andI really had forgotten the experience of living in a rental.
On the other side of the coin- we have rented our our house. I would be very aware of another family having to struggle to find suitable accommodation before i serve them a notice. Having a safe and warm place to live is a basic need. If you cant see that why be a ll? Clearly repairing and maintaining a house on a regular basis is much more economical than waiting to see the place fall apart- basic common sense really
Someone so easily - you moved once and you can move again. Ours was a long thought out and considered move- on the basis that we are staying long term (when we were looking at this house to rent, the ll clearly said she is looking for long term tenants). Moving children on a regular basis is not a great idea. The last few weeks they have been anxious about this whole thing and its showing indifferent ways.

You need to accept that at its most basic level this is a business transaction pure and simple. I appreciate you don't see it that way due to the stress caused in moving your children etc.

Perhaps you need to review your situation. You mentioned that you had a property rented out. (I did not read all of the posts so don't know your financial position on it). Maybe you should consider selling this property and purchasing a property similar to the one you are renting to meet your needs regarding location/size etc.

At the moment it is a landlords market (to a certain extent). The property sector is broken and we are all suffering because of it. The Govt are not fulfilling their role in the sector on a number of fronts, building social housing, enforcing legislation to deal with unruly tenants, allowing competition in the banking sector.

By the way I am a landlord and see it from both sides.

Fol20 · 29-11-2018 10:25am

Brbiyer wrote: »

Just to clear a few assumptions people have made

1. I have always requested nicely, you know...please, thank-you , I have 2 young children...you can understand...etc
It has only resulted in my requests being ignored for 2or more weeks
2. Texts are the landlords preferred method of communication- not an easy person to reach by phone or set up a meeting with
3. At the start, she also indicated that any repairs and maintenance will need to be notified to her and not taken upon ourselves
4. I know that the external lights are debatable- in my mind they were essential. Having never lived in a rural area before I hadn't factored the external light situation.
5. Yes it is the hard water affecting the showers- I have gone through many bottles of vinegar since we moved here

I amazed by this whole attitude towards tenants- shut up and put tup!!! This house was not given to us freely on good will. I pay rent-more than the market price mind you. I suppose we had been living in our own house for over 10 years andI really had forgotten the experience of living in a rental.
On the other side of the coin- we have rented our our house. I would be very aware of another family having to struggle to find suitable accommodation before i serve them a notice. Having a safe and warm place to live is a basic need. If you cant see that why be a ll? Clearly repairing and maintaining a house on a regular basis is much more economical than waiting to see the place fall apart- basic common sense really
Someone so easily - you moved once and you can move again. Ours was a long thought out and considered move- on the basis that we are staying long term (when we were looking at this house to rent, the ll clearly said she is looking for long term tenants). Moving children on a regular basis is not a great idea. The last few weeks they have been anxious about this whole thing and its showing indifferent ways.

OP dont get me wrong. Not being able to have a shower is a basic requirement and is meant to be fixed within a week of notice. If it is dragging on for much longer after that without any effort from the ll. This is the ll fault.

I think we got side tracked for the light issue and are making it bigger than it really is so don’t worry about it.

I have never had issues with hard water so don’t know much about it, is there any permant fixes that can be implemented.

I wouldn’t take any of it personally. It’s your home I know but at the end of the day, the ll isn’t your friend so I would think about purely as a business transaction, nothing else. It’s the same for tenants. You might be good to tenants for a while until the bite you in the face for something small so it’s best to be objective in this and not let your emotions get the best of you.

Iscreamkone · 29-11-2018 12:40pm

At the moment, Landlords are in the driving seat. This hasn't always been the case and will change again down the line.
Tenants need to protect the roof over their head. Protect themselves from eviction and from poor references.
Once tenants get a roof over their head they should do everything to make the landlord's life as easy as possible.
This may not be fair - but at the moment it is necessary as the alternative is not worth the hassle.

Graham · 29-11-2018 1:06pm

Mod Note

Several posts deleted.

Any more sweeping generalisations about landlords or tenants will not end well.

Obvious Desperate Breakfasts · 29-11-2018 1:31pm

Fol20 wrote: »

I beg to disagree, if anything it should go the other way, Why do ll need to provide a microwave sure? The food a microwave cooks with isnt healthy in any way. I would prefer if we used the american/eu model where the ll provides nothing and the tenant needs to get their own washing machine,couch,bed etc. The tenant can paint the walls whatever they want, put stuff on walls etc as long as they bring it back to the original state when they leave. This allows tenants feel more at home, have more control over their house yet at the same time, stops ll from being pestered for small stuff and they are no longer required to provide crap they would prefer not to buy. More often than not it would guarantee longer tenusre as tenants will move less due to extra costs of moving yet at the same time, turnover costs are less for ll. I think its a win win for both sides, but i doubt it will ever happen in my time.

What? Reheating a healthy meal in a microwave renders it unhealthy? Food actually cooked in a microwave will be less palatable but no less healthy.

On the outdoor lights issue, I’m surprised that, as a rural house, it doesn’t already have an outside light fixture. Grewing up rurally myself, good outdoor lights were considered to be very important.

Graces7 · 29-11-2018 2:36pm

Fol20 wrote: »

OP dont get me wrong. Not being able to have a shower is a basic requirement and is meant to be fixed within a week of notice. If it is dragging on for much longer after that without any effort from the ll. This is the ll fault.

I think we got side tracked for the light issue and are making it bigger than it really is so don’t worry about it.

I have never had issues with hard water so don’t know much about it, is there any permant fixes that can be implemented.

I wouldn’t take any of it personally. It’s your home I know but at the end of the day, the ll isn’t your friend so I would think about purely as a business transaction, nothing else. It’s the same for tenants. You might be good to tenants for a while until the bite you in the face for something small so it’s best to be objective in this and not let your emotions get the best of you.

re hard water. Yes it can damage a shower, a central heating boiler etc
One house I rented he had had a well dug but not fitted water softener facility. The water actually also stank of sulphur.
He had to replace the boiler, and I gave up trying to get the shower to work.
Environmental health were there once checking the water after a neighbour dumped slurry near the well and he said it had t be brought up to standard.

Graces7 · 29-11-2018 2:43pm

Fol20 wrote: »

OP dont get me wrong. Not being able to have a shower is a basic requirement and is meant to be fixed within a week of notice. If it is dragging on for much longer after that without any effort from the ll. This is the ll fault.

I think we got side tracked for the light issue and are making it bigger than it really is so don’t worry about it.

I have never had issues with hard water so don’t know much about it, is there any permant fixes that can be implemented.

I wouldn’t take any of it personally. It’s your home I know but at the end of the day, the ll isn’t your friend so I would think about purely as a business transaction, nothing else. It’s the same for tenants. You might be good to tenants for a while until the bite you in the face for something small so it’s best to be objective in this and not let your emotions get the best of you.

re hard water. Yes it can damage a shower, a central heating boiler etc
One house I rented he had had a well dug but not fitted water softener facility. The water actually also stank of sulphur.
He had to replace the boiler, and I gave up trying to get the shower to work.
Environmental health were there once checking the water after a neighbour dumped slurry near the well and he said it had t be brought up to standard.

At a previous rental with a private well in a hard water area, we added water softenr to the well head every week,

Landlord being difficult- considering rtb adjudication

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