Advertisement
If you have a new account but are having problems posting or verifying your account, please email us on hello@boards.ie for help. Thanks :)
Hello all! Please ensure that you are posting a new thread or question in the appropriate forum. The Feedback forum is overwhelmed with questions that are having to be moved elsewhere. If you need help to verify your account contact hello@boards.ie

Freezing Apartment

13

Comments

  • #62
    cnocbui
    Registered Users Posts: 19,651 ✭✭✭✭cnocbui


    Perhaps the government should make the tax on rental income of landlords, inversely proportional to the BER rating. The higher the BER, the lower the tax.


  • #63
    Gumbo
    Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 38,347 Mod ✭✭✭✭Gumbo


    cnocbui wrote: »
    Perhaps the government should make the tax on rental income of landlords, inversely proportional to the BER rating. The higher the BER, the lower the tax.

    Not a chance.


  • #64
    Ray Palmer
    Registered Users Posts: 8,345 ✭✭✭Ray Palmer


    Idbatterim wrote: »
    The previous house I was In and being gouged for , didn’t have any attic insulation. Like this place. It’s taking the absolute piss. At the very least , decent loft insulation should be law. Very quick , cheap , non invasive and effective ...

    Which is all expense and hassle to the landlord. If you want them to do it get the government to give tax breaks as the already take 51% on all rental income unless you are a REIT.

    You paid the market rate that is not gouging. If it was so cheap and easy to do why didn't you do it?


  • #65
    Idbatterim
    Registered Users Posts: 17,840 ✭✭✭✭Idbatterim


    Ray Palmer wrote: »
    Which is all expense and hassle to the landlord. If you want them to do it get the government to give tax breaks as the already take 51% on all rental income unless you are a REIT.

    You paid the market rate that is not gouging. If it was so cheap and easy to do why didn't you do it?

    I moved out of the kip! You think buying a few rolls of loft insulation and going up there and cutting them and sticking them down is much effort or money for the landlord or getting it spray foamed? Compared to that kip which is now renting for E2000 a month :rolleyes: The greed knows no bounds!

    Would you charge market rent to a tenant and not provide even the most basic easy to install insulation?

    Literally all my mates just moved back home to save and buy, renting here is comedy! the rents are obscene, the quality of the buildings is a comedy act!


  • #66
    Gumbo
    Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 38,347 Mod ✭✭✭✭Gumbo


    Idbatterim wrote: »
    I moved out of the kip! You think buying a few rolls of loft insulation and going up there and cutting them and sticking them down is much effort or money for the landlord or getting it spray foamed? Compared to that kip which is now renting for E2000 a month :rolleyes: The greed knows no bounds!

    Would you charge market rent to a tenant and not provide even the most basic easy to install insulation?

    Literally all my mates just moved back home to save and buy, renting here is comedy! the rents are obscene, the quality of the buildings is a comedy act!

    And that’s the choice you have.
    If enough of the bad stock is left then they will be forced by market conditions to upgrade.

    This reminds me of the old public sector V private sector threads on this board over the years. The same thing was said by the PS haters, market force decides the PrvS wages so let market forces decide rent.

    There should be tax breaks or grant schemes for landlords to upgrade but there’s not at the moment. If there was some form of grants or tax off sets then I’d guess many would upgrade.


  • Advertisement
  • #67
    Doop
    Registered Users Posts: 1,465 ✭✭✭Doop


    Ray Palmer wrote: »
    Which is all expense and hassle to the landlord. If you want them to do it get the government to give tax breaks as the already take 51% on all rental income unless you are a REIT.

    Eh...There are grants!!
    https://www.seai.ie/grants/home-energy-grants/insulation-grants/
    Who can apply
    All homeowners, including landlords, whose homes were built and occupied before 2006 can apply. Homes built from 2006 onwards should have been constructed to the 2003 Building Regulations and should not need significant upgrades. This is defined as the date your electricity meter was installed.
    Idbatterim wrote: »
    Literally all my mates just moved back home to save and buy, renting here is comedy! the rents are obscene, the quality of the buildings is a comedy act!

    Where exactly are your mates going to buy? seeing as all the buildings are a joke... must all be purchasing abroad...? :rolleyes:


  • #68
    Idbatterim
    Registered Users Posts: 17,840 ✭✭✭✭Idbatterim


    Doop wrote: »
    Eh...There are grants!!
    https://www.seai.ie/grants/home-energy-grants/insulation-grants/





    Where exactly are your mates going to buy? seeing as all the buildings are a joke... must all be purchasing abroad...? :rolleyes:

    most of the apartment buildings are comedy. they are buying houses. Given that its a total free for all here, when it comes to disturbing neighbours with noise or being antisocial etc, as if any of the authorities here will do anything about it. The sound insulation etc with apartments here is a farce, at least if you buy a house, the worst is noise from both sides, in an apartment, it can come from everywhere!

    lifts out of action, kids taking the piss in communal areas etc. Many not paying the management fee, the usual!


  • #69
    Seanachai
    Registered Users Posts: 2,536 ✭✭✭Seanachai


    Idbatterim wrote: »
    most of the apartment buildings are comedy. they are buying houses. Given that its a total free for all here, when it comes to disturbing neighbours with noise or being antisocial etc, as if any of the authorities here will do anything about it. The sound insulation etc with apartments here is a farce, at least if you buy a house, the worst is noise from both sides, in an apartment, it can come from everywhere!

    lifts out of action, kids taking the piss in communal areas etc. Many not paying the management fee, the usual!

    I've been through the wringer with noise issues, I think the culprit could be gone though, she hasn't been heard of for a month now, fingers crossed. My building is old but the landlord pays for the gas heating for the winter, it's cold in the mornings but not too bad in the evenings. I'm amazed at how cold and damp some of my friends modern apartments are though.


  • #70
    Idbatterim
    Registered Users Posts: 17,840 ✭✭✭✭Idbatterim


    Seanachai wrote: »
    I've been through the wringer with noise issues, I think the culprit could be gone though, she hasn't been heard of for a month now, fingers crossed. My building is old but the landlord pays for the gas heating for the winter, it's cold in the mornings but not too bad in the evenings. I'm amazed at how cold and damp some of my friends modern apartments are though.

    in general, you'd be off your rocker to buy an apartment in this country, unless you have no alternative!


  • #71
    Gumbo
    Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 38,347 Mod ✭✭✭✭Gumbo


    Newer apartments are not so bad. Especially with the updated sound regulations and sound transmission tests required.


  • Advertisement
  • #72
    Idbatterim
    Registered Users Posts: 17,840 ✭✭✭✭Idbatterim


    kceire wrote: »
    Newer apartments are not so bad. Especially with the updated sound regulations and sound transmission tests required.

    they have the regulations, but are they still working to self certification?


  • #73
    Gumbo
    Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 38,347 Mod ✭✭✭✭Gumbo


    Idbatterim wrote: »
    they have the regulations, but are they still working to self certification?

    Kind of.
    The developer still engages the professional for design, inspection and certification but they have to apply for a Completion of Compliance on Certificate from Building Control, and in Dublin, every multi unit gets inspected. Part of the CCC process is demonstrating compliance with various requirements and the actual sound test results are requested as part of that.


  • #74
    Deanzoggggg
    Registered Users Posts: 7 ✭Deanzoggggg


    cnocbui wrote: »
    Perhaps the government should make the tax on rental income of landlords, inversely proportional to the BER rating. The higher the BER, the lower the tax.

    Carbon taxes do that, but with less bureaucracy, which is why the technocrats encourage them.


  • #75
    s7ryf3925pivug
    Closed Accounts Posts: 4,007 ✭✭✭s7ryf3925pivug


    kceire wrote: »
    Are you even remotely aware of how much it would cost to bring a typical D rated dwelling up to a B rating?

    You cannot and should not retrospectively apply old regulations to home owners, private or landlords.
    I guess I’ll find out as I am now required by law to do just that if I want to extend my house the way I planned before I bought it.

    https://www.irishtimes.com/news/politics/new-energy-rules-for-home-renovations-and-extensions-1.4031816


  • #76
    L1011
    Moderators, Business & Finance Moderators, Motoring & Transport Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 67,520 Mod ✭✭✭✭L1011


    Alaric Enough Potassium wrote: »
    I guess I’ll find out as I am now required by law to do just that if I want to extend my house the way I planned before I bought it.

    https://www.irishtimes.com/news/politics/new-energy-rules-for-home-renovations-and-extensions-1.4031816

    I have a feeling the "or cost optimal level" thing is going to be a catch all get out on that.


  • #77
    Gumbo
    Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 38,347 Mod ✭✭✭✭Gumbo


    Alaric Enough Potassium wrote: »
    I guess I’ll find out as I am now required by law to do just that if I want to extend my house the way I planned before I bought it.

    https://www.irishtimes.com/news/politics/new-energy-rules-for-home-renovations-and-extensions-1.4031816

    Cost optimal.
    Anyone going to that amount of work are already most likely upgrading windows, boiler and fabric insulation so it’s not as big a shock as one would think.

    Remember it’s a calculation. If your agent can demonstrate the cost to upgrade is not optimal then it doesn’t need to happen.


  • #78
    Deanzoggggg
    Registered Users Posts: 7 ✭Deanzoggggg


    Alaric Enough Potassium wrote: »
    I guess I’ll find out as I am now required by law to do just that if I want to extend my house the way I planned before I bought it.
    It is a pretty wacky piece of law. It has been described by industry insiders as 'tragic'. Be as cute as you can. you might get some easy gains with LED lighting and easy to fill draughts in your hot press. Up your loft insulation to 400mm +. If you can get pics of your pipe system that can help. These are things that anyone can upgrade. If you get good airtightness you could get a decentralised heat recovery cheaply enough which would help and only once you nail invest in windows etc


  • #79
    fash
    Registered Users Posts: 2,271 ✭✭✭fash


    Now in order to achieve a rent increase above 4% in an RPZ one of the almost certainly necessary steps to making a"substantial change" to the existing accommodation is to increase the insulation (as part of increasing the BER). If the landlord increases the insulation outside of such a targeted attempt to achieve a substantial change- the landlord is likely to make it impossible to ever later be able to achieve a substantial change.
    In fact it would be a better approach for the landlord to remove any heating systems or even insulation and disimprove the existing situation to the maximum extent allowable by law - in order to make it easier to then make a "substantial change" easier to achieve.

    (Rent control creates lots of perverse incentives.)


  • #80
    Ray Palmer
    Registered Users Posts: 8,345 ✭✭✭Ray Palmer


    Idbatterim wrote: »
    I moved out of the kip! You think buying a few rolls of loft insulation and going up there and cutting them and sticking them down is much effort or money for the landlord or getting it spray foamed? Compared to that kip which is now renting for E2000 a month :rolleyes: The greed knows no bounds!

    Would you charge market rent to a tenant and not provide even the most basic easy to install insulation?

    Literally all my mates just moved back home to save and buy, renting here is comedy! the rents are obscene, the quality of the buildings is a comedy act!

    You have no idea if that landlord is meeting costs of providing the accommodation. Straight away more than half is taken in tax, would a mortgage have been greater than €1000?

    You talk of greed but expect a landlord to take added expense to make your heating bill cheaper! You were renting the place and knew the BER before renting and then greedily expect the LL to spend money so you have a higher BER that you didn't pay to have.

    Where do you think you are going to get a property that has the building standards you want? You can buy a new property but even then it probably won't match what you want. The vast amount of accommodation in Ireland does not meet current building regs. You want LL to provide a higher standard than their own homes and higher than the actual standard build here.

    I am a landlord and I have replaced the windows and put external insulation on the buildings. Great expense even with grants. When doing this one of the tenants insisted I put them up in a hotel. Politely informed them I will not do the work at all and evict them first then do the work if they would prefer. So you talk of LL greed I point to tenant greed.

    As some tenants were there a long time I didn't raise the rent. The government reward this by capping the rent. Not only that it means the property beside is charging more rent for a poorer quality property. So I will not spend any more money on the property as it is not financially viable.


  • #81
    katiek102010
    Registered Users Posts: 1,105 ✭✭✭katiek102010


    We have this with our rental, a house. There is no insulation in parts of attic and landlord not interested.

    Elec blanks on all beds and even on sofa. Heat just disappears when fire/heating is off


  • Advertisement
  • #82
    s7ryf3925pivug
    Closed Accounts Posts: 4,007 ✭✭✭s7ryf3925pivug


    Deanzoggggg wrote: »
    It is a pretty wacky piece of law. It has been described by industry insiders as 'tragic'. Be as cute as you can. you might get some easy gains with LED lighting and easy to fill draughts in your hot press. Up your loft insulation to 400mm +. If you can get pics of your pipe system that can help. These are things that anyone can upgrade. If you get good airtightness you could get a decentralised heat recovery cheaply enough which would help and only once you nail them, invest in windows which have mad embodied carbon anyway etc
    Well carbon in the windows is carbon that is not in the atmosphere, so embodied carbon is good rather than bad. Carbon emissions produced during production is damaging on the other hand, and would want to be less than the saved emissions from using the product.


  • #83
    s7ryf3925pivug
    Closed Accounts Posts: 4,007 ✭✭✭s7ryf3925pivug


    Ray Palmer wrote: »
    You have no idea if that landlord is meeting costs of providing the accommodation. Straight away more than half is taken in tax, would a mortgage have been greater than €1000?

    You talk of greed but expect a landlord to take added expense to make your heating bill cheaper! You were renting the place and knew the BER before renting and then greedily expect the LL to spend money so you have a higher BER that you didn't pay to have.

    Where do you think you are going to get a property that has the building standards you want? You can buy a new property but even then it probably won't match what you want. The vast amount of accommodation in Ireland does not meet current building regs. You want LL to provide a higher standard than their own homes and higher than the actual standard build here.

    I am a landlord and I have replaced the windows and put external insulation on the buildings. Great expense even with grants. When doing this one of the tenants insisted I put them up in a hotel. Politely informed them I will not do the work at all and evict them first then do the work if they would prefer. So you talk of LL greed I point to tenant greed.

    As some tenants were there a long time I didn't raise the rent. The government reward this by capping the rent. Not only that it means the property beside is charging more rent for a poorer quality property. So I will not spend any more money on the property as it is not financially viable.
    The mortgage repayment isn't all an expense, only the interest portion of it is. Mortgage interest is never going to be anywhere near 1k a month on a 2k rental.


  • #84
    Idbatterim
    Registered Users Posts: 17,840 ✭✭✭✭Idbatterim


    do you heat the apartment at night op? or just the bedroom etc?


  • #85
    Ray Palmer
    Registered Users Posts: 8,345 ✭✭✭Ray Palmer


    Alaric Enough Potassium wrote: »
    The mortgage repayment isn't all an expense, only the interest portion of it is. Mortgage interest is never going to be anywhere near 1k a month on a 2k rental.

    Not true, the mortgage is an expense to the LL regardless. Only the interest is allowed to be written off as an expense the landlord still has to pay it.

    Expecting a LL to incur extra expenses to lower the tenants bills is greed. They don't have to do it and why should they?


  • #86
    s7ryf3925pivug
    Closed Accounts Posts: 4,007 ✭✭✭s7ryf3925pivug


    Ray Palmer wrote: »
    Not true, the mortgage is an expense to the LL regardless. Only the interest is allowed to be written off as an expense the landlord still has to pay it.

    Expecting a LL to incur extra expenses to lower the tenants bills is greed. They don't have to do it and why should they?
    It's not an expense, you are paying off something you bought. No loss is incurred outside of fluctuations in the value of the property, which is how you chose to invest your money.


  • #87
    CosmicFool
    Registered Users Posts: 492 ✭✭CosmicFool


    So an update.. I contacted The Landlord and the Management company. The landlord came out and had a look at the attic yesterday. She was "shocked" that there wasn't any insulation. I had a good look around the attic and it looks like there was at one point some fibreglass insulation as there are little bits left all over the attic. We've come to the conclusion that either previous tenants have taken the insulation or it was taken out by builders or the landlord herself took it. Obviously that's my assumption. The management has yet to get back to me and the Landlord.
    Landlord was very sympathetic of the situation and said she'll try and solve the issue. She did mention how cold the apt was as I purposely left off the heating so she would feel how cold the place gets.
    I do think the landlord will do something. She did say she's not sure if it is herself or the management company that needs to get in insulation but she did say that she'll ring them first thing on Monday.
    Seems like she is legit and willing to help anyways but time will tell I guess.


  • #88
    antix80
    Registered Users Posts: 2,419 ✭✭✭antix80


    Good on you op

    I'll tell you story.

    When my gran died i bought out her house. I immediately regretted it as it was bloody freezing upstairs. The radiators upstairs barely heated the room and mildew grew on the walls. Which surprised me as i knew the wall cavities had been filled in her lifetime.

    Well, a plumber told me the heating system wasnt up to scratch and given the general disrepair of the place i decided to rewire, install insulated slabs on external walls, and replace the windows with triple glaze (plus. Converting a window to patio doors)

    When the door was cut, we realised there was no insulation in the walls. They drilled holes and pumped a tiny amount in, but just for appearances. My poor gran lived there from age 70-odd to 80 in freezing cold because some government scheme, run by the local council, decided to save a few hundred by turning up and doing a cowboy job.


  • #89
    CollyFlower
    Registered Users Posts: 5,987 ✭✭✭CollyFlower


    I remember, when I was a child we used to have an open fire in one room, they'd be 8 of us huddled around it, and that was the only heat we had in a 3 storey house.


  • #90
    Graces7
    Registered Users Posts: 32,634 ✭✭✭✭Graces7


    CollyFlower wrote: »
    I remember, when I was a child we used to have an open fire in one room, they'd be 8 of us huddled around it, and that was the only heat we had in a 3 storey house.

    That was how we grew up too. The only time there was ever any heating upstairs was if we were ill in bed.

    Central heating was unheard of.

    Even now I live with very little heating; a small pension breeds ultra care. Extra clothes.. hot water bottles.. When a rental has had central heating I never used it, nor storage heaters.


  • Advertisement
  • #91
    listermint
    Registered Users Posts: 33,548 ✭✭✭✭listermint


    Alaric Enough Potassium wrote: »
    Spray foam never finishes off-gassing. So if you have an attic full of it then it is continuously emitting formaldehyde. formaldehyde is a little denser than air so it falls down into your house.

    But it's not used in most spray foams these days.. did his come from Facebook ?


Advertisement