Landlords

susi22 · 25-09-2014 7:49pm #1

Ok, tell me this - are ALL landlords really difficult or have I just had really bad luck? I said to my partner after yet another terrible run in with a previous landlord, "Why does this always happen to us? We're good people, and always pay and leave the houses well, how do they find stupid, tiny things to complain about?"

His response was that this happens everyone, people just don't really talk about it much. But is this the case??

irlirishkev · 25-09-2014 8:05pm

No. There are good and bad landlords.
Good and bad tenants too.

susi22 · 25-09-2014 9:28pm

irlirishkev wrote: »

No. There are good and bad landlords.
Good and bad tenants too.

Of my last six, five were awful. I've been a good tenant.

makeorbrake · 25-09-2014 9:33pm

What exactly is your complaint?

susi22 · 25-09-2014 10:02pm

makeorbrake wrote: »

What exactly is your complaint?

I'm curious about the general experiences people have with landlords to see if they are overwhelmingly positive or negative.

irlirishkev · 25-09-2014 10:05pm

susi22 wrote: »

I'm curious about the general experiences people have with landlords to see if they are overwhelmingly positive or negative.

If you do a search on the forum, you'll find mostly negative threads.

But not many people post on forums about their landlords, unless it's to give out about something or other.

murphaph · 25-09-2014 10:07pm

susi22 wrote: »

Of my last six, five were awful. I've been a good tenant.

In your opinion I'm sure you have.

You do appear to be the common factor though. Sometimes people don't even realise they are doing something wrong.

susi22 · 25-09-2014 10:10pm

murphaph wrote: »

In your opinion I'm sure you have.

You do appear to be the common factor though. Sometimes people don't even realise they are doing something wrong.

I can assure you, it only appears that way. I think, were the problem recurring, I might have figured it out by now, no?

makeorbrake · 25-09-2014 10:21pm

susi22 wrote: »

I'm curious about the general experiences people have with landlords to see if they are overwhelmingly positive or negative.

Ok, I thought you were going to detail the issue you had (or issues if you want to go back on the other experiences with the previous landlords).

I've no doubt that there are LLs who are complete b***ards. By the same token, the same can be said for tenants.

Not sure what your thread is going to achieve otherwise though....?

handlemaster · 26-09-2014 7:57am

The OP needs to outline each issue with previous LL or there's no point. Hé could be the tenant from hell.

The_Conductor · 26-09-2014 8:11am

I would ask all posters to be cognisant of the fact that this forum is for the enjoyment of all posters- tenants, landlords, owner-occupiers- and indeed those who are none of the above but enjoy dipping in from time to time.

If this thread veers towards a landlord bashing thread- a thread bashing social welfare recipients- or indeed any other unacceptable direction which is unfair and is not cognisant of the all-inclusive nature of this forum- I am not going to issue warnings on thread- I am going to ban people- period.

Deal in facts- not prejudices.

This is the one and only warning on thread.

Regards,

The_Conductor

Ave Sodalis · 26-09-2014 8:23am

It really depends on the landlord I've had two who are complete opposites of each other. The first one was horrible. He tried telling us that a break in didn't add up and therefore must just have been us who threw a brick through the kitchen window and stole our own stuff. He would also walk around the bedrooms without permission. Getting the deposit back was a nightmare, and he turned quite nasty.
On the other hand, the second landlord (or landlady rather) was a saint. She couldn't do enough for you and we'd often invite her to stay for tea when she was collecting rent, which she was never in much of a hurry to collect. It was more like she had the house as just an extra thing to have. You'd be shocked at how much more inclined you are to treat the house really well when the landlord is nice. I know the lads before us cleaned out all the guttering and roof and all for her before they left, and we had the house practically sterilized before we left.
It really just depends OP. It would be great if they would all give you the benefit of the doubt and treat you as though you were a nice tenant but that's not always going to happen, especially when a landlord has had a bad experience in the past.

Arcto · 26-09-2014 8:59am

My current LL is pretty good. I've met him once, he lives 200 miles away. I've never been late with rent in 2 years (direct debit).

Anything ever goes wrong in the house I give him a call, either fix it myself and send a bill for parts or get someone to fix it and send bill for work. Few days later a cheque will arrive for the amount.

Moving on in a few weeks so be interesting what happens with deposit as some of them can be dicks whwn it comes to that point.

drumswan · 26-09-2014 9:33am

My last landlord was excellent, did everything by the book, a consummate professional. My current landlord is the usual type, doesnt understand the law, his responsibilities, hasnt registered the property etc, He doesnt cause me any issues though, so I just get on with it. The guy previous to these was an absolute cowboy.

With my last two I had the luxury of 'interviewing' the landlord and turning down many properties which were obviously being let by cowboys/borderline criminals. Unfortunately with the shortage of properties at the moment, this is not an option for some.

_oveless_ · 26-09-2014 11:29am

My landlord is a nightmare to deal with, doesnt answer her phone and rarely answers her door (she lives across the road, she's answered her door to me 3 times in the last 2 months). She's supposed to have electricity and laundry cards for the washer and dryer but has run out and no one can do their laundry now and she has no idea when she's getting more. Trying to find someone to assign this place to but I feel guilty as I know they'll have just as hard a time dealing with her as I do.

gaius c · 26-09-2014 12:12pm

drumswan wrote: »

My last landlord was excellent, did everything by the book, a consummate professional. My current landlord is the usual type, doesnt understand the law, his responsibilities, hasnt registered the property etc, He doesnt cause me any issues though, so I just get on with it. The guy previous to these was an absolute cowboy.

With my last two I had the luxury of 'interviewing' the landlord and turning down many properties which were obviously being let by cowboys/borderline criminals. Unfortunately with the shortage of properties at the moment, this is not an option for some.

That's the key problem. With more stock, the cowboys would be out of business very quickly but instead we have legions of "accidental" landlords who simply haven't got a breeze what their obligations are and treat their tenants like a cash cow to be milked, rather than as a customer.

handlemaster · 26-09-2014 12:56pm

As a landlord and also a tenant a balance has to be observed and common sence.

ABajaninCork · 26-09-2014 2:19pm

My landlord is a dream to deal with. Issues are promptly dealt with, and anything we've had to do to the property, we always let him know first and get the go-ahead to sort it out. We normally deal with it, give him the bill and knock it off the rent.

But we do our part too. The place is kept clean, rent paid on time, and the neighbours have never had any cause to call him.

Magicmatilda · 26-09-2014 2:28pm

I've had about 10 landlords and only 2 were bad and they were both a bit dodgy, rent paid in cash, no lease or weird lease.

Generally I find that if they are willing to take payment via bank transfer, give their PPS and have the property registered then tey are fine. If they are difficult with any of these they are dodgy and should be avoided.

That said I have never in 14 years of renting paid rent late. I have also kept the house/flat in good condition and contacted them if something broke, which was not very often. I am of the opinion that the less contact I have with a lanllord the better.

I have heard of people wanting landlords to change lightbulbs and ridiculous things like that. I have kept contact to a minimum.

john kinsella · 26-09-2014 2:33pm

Ive rented 3 properties over a 8 year period as a tenant.

2 have been through a letting agent and the other one was direct.

I have never had a single issue with a landlord or agent. In fact in my current place I have never actually spoken to the letting agent since moving in 3 years ago.

Pay rent on time, treat the place like it is your own and I cant see how you would have problems.

syklops · 26-09-2014 3:00pm

john kinsella wrote: »

Ive rented 3 properties over a 8 year period as a tenant.

2 have been through a letting agent and the other one was direct.

I have never had a single issue with a landlord or agent. In fact in my current place I have never actually spoken to the letting agent since moving in 3 years ago.

Pay rent on time, treat the place like it is your own and I cant see how you would have problems.

Wait til something breaks and see does the letting agent return your calls. In the middle of the big freeze in 2008 the central heating packed in. 36 phone calls later I eventually got someone sent out to me who replaced the broken part in the boiler. A week with no heating and no hot water when there is snow on the ground outside. Not nice.

ronano · 26-09-2014 5:01pm

The nature of message board would skew it towards negative experience I'd imagine. Personally of the three landlords, 2 have been dreadful, my current has been great.

Potatoeman · 26-09-2014 5:20pm

I think peoples expectations and comunication play a large part in this. Small things can ruin the relationship between both parties.

I had a landlord that would arrange things and contact me last minute. A small bit of planning would have gone a long way but he didnt see it as a problem as it would not bother him.

I had a friend move into a place another friend moved out of. The first tenant never bother to report problems but loads of small things built up so the new tenant had a huge snag list and the ll thought they were the problem.

That said I wouldnt want a ll contacting me all the time either. If they want to inspect or do maintenance they should try and arrange it at the same time.

SMJSF · 26-09-2014 6:13pm

mine (2nd time living in his rent out property 2012, and then again this year) is fine, lovely, very understanding, and gives everyone a chance, accepts rent allowance, but just don't pee him off!!
he's a little slow on getting things done, and not always "above board" (broken window, fire alarms, etc)... So a good enough landlord, but pity about timing and upkeep of the property.

Other landlords (support accommodation 2013-feb) were a shambles.. Never let you know about increase in rent, bills, miscommunications, etc.
And it got worse when they put someone in with me who had no idea about living skills...
They knew it was a mistake very quickly (fires, parties, drugs...)

Stepping Stone · 26-09-2014 8:34pm

I have been renting for 13yrs. One awful landlord (first year of college), the in between five were a dream and the current one is a pain in the ass.

Had a positive relationship with the last ones (bar the first who was a cowboy of the highest order). My current one is a complete idiot. Boiler is leaking, they are delaying getting it fixed cos they don't have the money. Fridge is giving trouble, they don't have the money. If you ring them, you get a story about how they invested every cent they had and cashed in their pensions to buy this place during the boom. One more month and I am gone. Hoover doesn't work (I bought my own), the kettle that came with the place doesn't work. Think they will replace them?

One more month until I have a fridge that doesn't go through cycles of defrosting and then freezing randomly.

I keep my home very, very clean, warm, dry, ventilated. I know the neighbours and keep noise to a minimum. Rent is paid in advance (which I had to prove to these fools), and always communicate any neighbourhood issues to my land. I have gotten excellent references from the other landlords. I am not holding my breath here. I suppose that in previous cases, I had professional landlords who recognised the benefits of investing in their property and relationships with tenants.

Diane Selwyn · 26-09-2014 8:44pm

I must have had something like 15 different landlords but wouldn't say any were particularly 'difficult'. Although some were certainly better at it than others - I never had an awful experience, never had a deposit not returned and always got a good reference if I asked for one. I found that dealing directly with owners generally proved preferable than having to go through agents. Obviously you have to be a bit discriminating yourself in that regard. Generally you can get a feel for which LL's are going to be approachable and willing to deal with repairs etc. early on and go from there.

R.D. aka MR.D · 27-09-2014 6:34am

Only 1 I've had was really terrible. She would enter the apartment at will and took our entire deposit. She saw 2 college girls and knew she could take advantage of them.

The best Landlord I had was a lovely middle-aged woman who was the only landlord who returned my entire deposit. She said 'I can't believe it, the place is cleaner now than when we rented it.' It meant a lot to me that she saw that. Other landlords seem to always keep money for 'cleaning' despite the fact that I usually kill myself cleaning before they come.

I had a great landlord for one year. Money went straight in to his bank account and we never saw him. Then his sister decided she wanted to move in and we had to leave and for about a month before she was constantly at the door looking to measure for curtains etc and then complaining that the place was dirty. It was right in the centre of Dublin (old damp building) and the 'dirt' was mold that we cleaned every single week and tried to manage. She was a bit of a witch but I don't hold that against the actual landlord. He was a nice guy.

The_Conductor · 27-09-2014 11:08am

irlirishkev wrote: »

If you do a search on the forum, you'll find mostly negative threads.

But not many people post on forums about their landlords, unless it's to give out about something or other.

In an identical manner- if you do a search for tenants- you'll find mostly negative threads about tenants.

According to psychologists- people are over 10 times more likely to report a bad experience on the internet- than they are, a good experience.

In an Irish context- we have a large number of amateur landlords- who are unfamiliar with the law, what their obligations are- and what the obligations of tenants are.

We also have tenancy law which overwhelmingly favours tenants- albeit written to right previous wrongs perpetrated on tenants of yesteryear. We have a relatively toothless PRTB- which moves at a glacial speed, and isn't viewed as effective by either tenants or landlords. And then we have residential rights- where it can take literally years, to legitimately evict antisocial or delinquent tenants- irrespective of whether or not they are paying their rent.

Its a bit of a recipe- for shenanigans on the part of both amateur landlords- and tenants who would rather abuse the system (in the knowledge they can get away with it).

In this context- the manner in which NAMA are selling off whole blocks of properties to investors who will manage them properly- can only be a good thing for the industry as a whole- tenants can rent in the knowledge if something goes wrong- it will be fixed or repaired within a reasonable timeframe- the landlord's themselves- can rest in the knowledge that any delinquent tenants will be evicted post haste........ Bringing professionalism into the industry- is a prerequisite to having a functioning rental market- and towards this end- there should be a concerted effort to get amateurs out of the market on the one hand- and to strengthen laws so disputes are resolved satisfactorily in a reasonable time frame.

The big issue at the moment is good decent landlords and good decent tenants- of whom there are a majority in both categories- are getting abused by a sizeable minority of scumbags from both camps. I know calling bad landlords and bad tenants scumbags- is risable- and to be honest- I don't particularly care. I personally believe that people should be honest, forthcoming, and moral- in their dealings with others- and I don't care whether people are landlords, tenants, shopkeepers or fishermen- if you do not keep your dealings with others in an upfront and forthright manner- your actions are reprehensible- no matter who you are.

The PRTB as it stands- is not fit for purpose- for either tenants or landlords- because it moves at a glacial pace- and even when it does issue judgements- it can take literally years to enforce them (if ever). It doesn't work for anyone. The 2004 Act- meanwhile- despite having the best of intentions- has been shown to be severely deficient- and needs to be rewritten. Meanwhile- the Revenue Commissioners in their actions- are making it increasingly uncompetitive for landlords to enter the market and let out property- how many tenants are aware than often a landlord may loose over 60% of the rental income in various taxes, rates, charges, contributions etc?

Prices are such that investors have by and large abandoned the market- despite rents being where they are- its not possible to make a profit.

Until such time as the entire market is restructured- which should include the letting of unfurnished property, the establishment of a body for holding deposits, the normalisation of between 2 and 6 months deposit as the norm for residential properties, the repainting and redecorating of properties between tenancies, the inspection of every rental property by councils prior to the commencement of each tenancy, long term tenancies being more normal, higher density developments in the urban areas- with proper facilities and amenities, fairer taxation systems for owner occupiers, tenants and landlords etc etc etc- we have trouble.........

Thoie · 27-09-2014 3:34pm

I'm not renting any more, but I only ever had good landlords. Some were more professional than others, and better at keeping paperwork, but none of them were bad, all respected my privacy and dealt with things in a mature manner.

I have a friend who used have constant trouble with landlords, and to be honest I was very sympathetic the first few times, but came to realise he was bringing some of it on himself. A really stupid example - the handle on my wardrobe door gets a little loose from time to time. Every few months I take a screwdriver to it and just tighten it a little bit - half a turn or so, and I've never had any problems with it. This friend had a similar problem with a kitchen cupboard handle. I'd mentioned it to him a few times that it was loose and needed a quick tighten. I even offered to do it for him. Of course, x months later, the handle fell off, broke something underneath, then he lost the screw, then...

It ended up in an argument with him and the landlord - he wanted all the handles replaced (so that they'd all match again), complained that the landlord wasn't fixing the cupboard door, crap landlord, blah blah. 5 seconds of prevention a few months earlier would have avoided the entire issue. Even if for some weird reason he didn't want to tighten the handle or let me do it, if he'd let the landlord know in the first instance, the rest of the problems wouldn't have happened.

xxtippchickxx · 28-09-2014 8:32pm

First apartment we were in the agency was grand handled every complaint fairly fast, our second LL was right lazy we rented there for 5years before we asked him do anything for us....he had a manky carpet that was down in the sitting room about 10years and when we asked him could he lay wooden floor we even offered to pay ourselfves he refused,wouldnt drop the rent when we asked him too we were paying 800e a month for a cold house he hadnt us registered either with PRTB moved last november to our third place and i really cant highlight how brill the letting agency are, anything breaks within a few hours theirs somebody round to fix it,LL we havent met barely know his name or anything about him but im sure if hed have any problems with us hed be knocking or ringing

shruikan2553 · 28-09-2014 9:14pm

I haven't had too many bad experience. Mostly I would rate the LLs I dealt with as positive experiences. The LLs I dealt with directly could be slow but would eventually fix any issues.

The estate agents would put anything off unless it meant the house would collapse and then required me to send a copy of the RTA 2004 to get my full deposit back. At least once I showed I knew what I was doing any deposit issues were resolved quickly.

I do feel that there is a lack of professionalism and regulation among some. Many are chancers and while you get that from tenants as well I expect better from people who are running a business.

Landlords

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