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First time renter Advice

  • 14-01-2020 9:49am
    #1
    Registered Users Posts: 17


    For various ongoing reasons myself and my family need to rent a property in the very short term (3 months). We have finally found somewhere after many disappointments. We have never rented before. Should we expect that the property be satisfactorily cleaned before we move in? (it seems to me the landlords still hold most of the cards - eg high prices, no call backs, requests to refurbish while we live in a property, increasing rent as we only require a short term, very limited number of properties on the market)

    I am trying to be very open minded about the whole process but frankly it has been so stressful. I just want a clean place, can I discuss this with the letting agent?


Comments

  • Registered Users Posts: 1,238 ✭✭✭The Student


    For various ongoing reasons myself and my family need to rent a property in the very short term (3 months). We have finally found somewhere after many disappointments. We have never rented before. Should we expect that the property be satisfactorily cleaned before we move in? (it seems to me the landlords still hold most of the cards - eg high prices, no call backs, requests to refurbish while we live in a property, increasing rent as we only require a short term, very limited number of properties on the market)

    I am trying to be very open minded about the whole process but frankly it has been so stressful. I just want a clean place, can I discuss this with the letting agent?

    The property would/should be clean if the landlord is a good landlord. However most people will clean it themselves once they get in (for their own peace of mind).

    As a landlord myself if a new tenant started making demands on me before they moved in I would not offer the property to them. I am not saying you are making demands but if the property is just untidy rather than dirty then your own clean should be enough.

    I did have a prospective tenant looked for new carpet and curtains throughout. This was before they were in the property. I politely declined them and they did not get the property. They wanted them replaced because they did not match.

    Ironically, if they had been with me a couple of months and there were no issues I actually would not have had an issue with replacing the carpets and curtains.

    All I would say is to thread carefully in what you look for from the landlord. If it is not unreasonable than a decent landlord should not have an issue with it.


  • Registered Users Posts: 17 Envelope436


    You see this is what I mean - I am actually talking about somewhere just being cleaned, nothing to do with fixtures and fittings. The landlord is providing a service and it is terrible to think you have to tread carefully what you ask them when you are paying such huge amounts of money to rent. The landlord holds all the cards.


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,238 ✭✭✭The Student


    You see this is what I mean - I am actually talking about somewhere just being cleaned, nothing to do with fixtures and fittings. The landlord is providing a service and it is terrible to think you have to tread carefully what you ask them when you are paying such huge amounts of money to rent. The landlord holds all the cards.

    I responded to you with some advice from a landlords perspective. You have gone on the defensive despite the fact that I just tried to put my response in context.

    It would appear you did not hear what you wanted to hear, so with this I will bow out of any further post in this thread.


  • Registered Users Posts: 17 Envelope436


    I am just stating fact. Your advise was be careful what I ask for. I asked if cleaning was ok to ask for. You mentioned curtains and carpets.


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,622 ✭✭✭Baby01032012


    Why is there a thread on this. Why make an issue. It’s not a perfect situation for anyone renting.

    You are lucky enough it’s short term. Suck it up and get on with life and your long term future. Life is too short to dwell on the minor inconveniences.


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  • Registered Users Posts: 8,029 ✭✭✭SusieBlue


    When your paying that much of a deposit & rent up front, being leased an "untidy" house that needs to be cleaned is unacceptable.

    Any landlord with any bit of respect and courtesy for his tenants would ensure the place was spotless before new tenants arrived.
    Its almost comical that this could ever be perceived as an unreasonable or demanding request.


  • Registered Users Posts: 13,863 ✭✭✭✭Dav010


    As a general rule, a Landlord will require that you leave the property in the condition you found it in when first renting. So yes, you can expect/demand that it is clean. Having said that, different people have different standards of cleanliness, so don’t be surprised/disappointed if you need to clean it to your own standard.

    And I would not agree that LLs hold all the cards.


  • Registered Users Posts: 377 ✭✭Saudades


    For various ongoing reasons myself and my family need to rent a property in the very short term (3 months). We have finally found somewhere after many disappointments. We have never rented before. Should we expect that the property be satisfactorily cleaned before we move in? (it seems to me the landlords still hold most of the cards - eg high prices, no call backs, requests to refurbish while we live in a property, increasing rent as we only require a short term, very limited number of properties on the market)

    I am trying to be very open minded about the whole process but frankly it has been so stressful. I just want a clean place, can I discuss this with the letting agent?

    Yes the landlord does hold all the cards initially as the contract is written by them; so rather than any negotiations (like most business deals) about rent, deposit, fixtures, fittings etc, the landlord will dictate price and other details such as if you can smoke, have pets, which electricity/gas company you must be registered with etc.
    But once you have your foot in the door, things start to even out as you gain your tenants rights.

    In my experience, if you really like the place, just suck it up and clean it yourself. If the landlord gets a sniff of a possible demanding tenant (even if the demands are reasonable), they'll mark you down as a possible annoyance and won't offer you the place.

    If you only want to rent for 3 months, your options are going to be severely limited. Most leases are 1 year.
    So I'd perhaps look at airbnb too as you can pick your exact arrive and leave dates.


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


    I seem to remember the advice is to take photos of the place when you move in to avoid issues when you leave? Last private rental I was in I failed to do that and was accused of leaving it dirty and untidy when it was far cleaner and tidier then when I moved in


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