Tenants have indicated they're not going to pay the last months rent

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GirlTuesday

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I have a two bed apartment rented out. My tenants rang me today. During the course of the phone call they indicated that they're not going to pay the last months rent (due at the end of September) unless they were going to get their deposit back when they move out at the end of October. They also said that there's quite a bit of damage to the apartment but this was normal wear and tear and they "know their rights". Now I am very concerned. I had constant phone calls from the property management company about these lads having parties and making noise. If damage is done, and they don't bother to pay the last months rent, is there anything I can do? Will I be left high and dry? Does anyone have any advice? This apartment was my PPR until I rented it out last October and was immaculate. It had been newly painted and the furniture was perfect. Thanks.
 
My advice is you're going to have to accept it. You have my sympathies.

Here's plan 2.

Assure them they'll get the deposit back and you totally understand that wear and tear is normal, and see how that goes. Be very light in tone.

Plan 3

And if you really really want to shame them:

Make sure you know their name and address, home address, work address, college address. And threaten them with informing mum and dad, college, work. And be sure to be quick and change the meters and inform ESB of their forwarding address. DON'T do this before they leave or they might thrash the place.

I've never done any of the above except tell the ESB as my logic is that run away tenants cost the rest of us higher esb bills.

Anybody else with better ideas !
 
Thanks so much Bronte. This is really a bitter pill to swallow as I've been more than fair to them. The rent was never, and I mean never, paid on time. There have been a number of other issues that I let slide also. The apartment was immaculate when they moved in. They seemed like nice, polite lads. I know where they go to college and work. I have one of their dads mobile numbers in fact. I had tenants falling over themselves trying to rent my apartment at the time but gave it to them as they seemed decent. More fool me.
 
Tell them you want to [broken link removed].

You would then be able to assess whether it's wear and tear or whether you need to get the Gardaí involved.
 
I would agree with Paid (sorry, I can't find the accent on my tablet) that you should do an inspection. It could be a normal inspection or a pre-exit inspection where you can indicate anything that should be rectified before they vacate. It will give you a better idea of any damage there may be.

For your next letting, I would suggest that you insist on 1.5, 2 times or even 3 times the rent as a deposit, as some landlords are now doing.

I have always said that a landlord renting out his property should not expect to get it back in the same condition as when rented out. In my opinion, fair wear and tear is very much on the tenants' side. Exceptionally few home owners will repaint their property every other year (and many landlords do this on a near yearly basis where tenants vacate at the end of the first year.
 
Páid said:
Tell them you want to [broken link removed].

You would then be able to assess whether it's wear and tear or whether you need to get the Gardaí involved.
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How does that work, ie it doesn't work. The Gardai will do nothing. You'd need to have an axe murderer before you'd even get the Gardai to call. They dont' want to know a) civil matters b) parties c) unsocial tenants - and we're not even at that level, not at all.

Good suggestion about an inspection, maybe it will spur them into at least cleaning it.
 
facetious said:
. In my opinion, fair wear and tear is very much on the tenants' side. Exceptionally few home owners will repaint their property every other year (and many landlords do this on a near yearly basis where tenants vacate at the end of the first year.
Click to expand...

Hope you're keeping well Facetious.

That's interesting landlords are now requesting higher deposits. On the continent it's 3 months at least. And you actually do get your property back in the condition you let it in. An unheard of concept in Ireland. My Irish walls have layers and layers of paint.
 
Bronte said:
How does that work, ie it doesn't work. The Gardai will do nothing. You'd need to have an axe murderer before you'd even get the Gardai to call. They dont' want to know a) civil matters b) parties c) unsocial tenants - and we're not even at that level, not at all.

Good suggestion about an inspection, maybe it will spur them into at least cleaning it.
Click to expand...

I was just trying to illustrate both ends of the spectrum - normal wear & tear vs complete destruction of the apartment.
 
My sister was told something along the lines of what you were told and handed their email to her solicitor. She got her apartment back in the condition she gave it, got her last months rent paid and was treated with great respect by the students and "their parents" Total cost of the solicitor and his letter was less than €100, but don't know the exact amount.
 
GirlTuesday said:
Thanks so much Bronte. This is really a bitter pill to swallow as I've been more than fair to them. The rent was never, and I mean never, paid on time. There have been a number of other issues that I let slide also. The apartment was immaculate when they moved in. They seemed like nice, polite lads. I know where they go to college and work. I have one of their dads mobile numbers in fact. I had tenants falling over themselves trying to rent my apartment at the time but gave it to them as they seemed decent. More fool me.
Click to expand...

Missed this earlier. Don't beat yourself up we've all been there.

And clever you, you have dad's phone no. I'll come back on this tomorrow.
 
On the rent question, you'll know for the next time...come down hard straight away. Dont accept late payment or it'll only get worse.
 
a quick text to Daddy might not be any harm. If he's a student then its probably daddys money anyway. If nothing else, it might make him look at what his little boy gets up to.
 
I think a chat with Dad is in order, be polite and clear as to what his child is up to. I'd go and see the damage first though - and you need permission for this. They are right uppity students with their 'rights' . If it's not going well with the parent, which I'd be surprised at, remind him that you took on the students because you were being kind and they had been so sincere and you felt sorry for them and you didnt expect this. Any self respectign parent would be appalled at this behaviour. Doubt very much the parents know about it.

I wonder too if you mention to the tenant that you'll contact Dad if they don't pay next months rent, that might work too. And tell them you'd like to visit the place. Perhaps arriving on the doorstep would be a good idea. No chance to say no like there is with a phone call.

The only tenants I will not have is students.
 
No doubt the students are second year law students. I remember the day when we used to not allow law students (not actually telling them btw) in the comapny I worked for years ago. They always thought they knew it all. Firstly tell them you know your rights and if they don't pay the rent for the final month they will be in breach blah blah blah. Then organise an inspection before they leave and tell them you will be in contact with their Doddy to repay the deposit.
 
Do the inspection without delay. If they don't pay the rent at the end of the month, follow the procedure for rent arrears - [broken link removed]
 
Thanks so much for all the replies. They've said they're going to pay. We'll see when the rent date rolls around! I'm going to get two months rent in future as suggested also. These guys are unreal. At the start of the summer one of them rang me and said that he was going to Germany for the summer so wasn't going to pay "his part" of the rent but not to worry, he'd be back in October and resume paying rent. I rang the Da (father of one of the other ones) and told them I didn't take to kindly to them trying to pull a fast one on a woman who'd recently given birth. I told him if the rent wasn't paid in full by them whether yer man was in Germany or not they'd be deemed to have broken the lease early and would have to get out and I'd retain the deposit. Needless to say the rent was paid in full albeit not ever on time. These lads will not be getting a reference from me!
 
Is there a website where such tenants can be named and shamed?
Basically such website would be useful for landlords
 
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