The Black Dog Thread

[Rara Avis]

Thanks Paddy, I know I'll be ok in a few months but just have to go through the next few months.

[paddykafka]

Well, just when I thought that things couldn't get much worse - they have.

As I am on an Invalidity Pension, the bulk of the weekly rent - which I had been paying to the former landlord - was covered by what is called the Rent Supplement Scheme. (The rest was covered by myself through a weekly contribution from my pension.)

For whatever reasons, it took the new landlord (NL) about seven weeks before he got around to reapplying for a new rent supplement (which was necessitated by there being a change of landlord). It took him the same amount of time before he came looking for the same weekly contribution from myself. (I had wisely set aside this amount each week, and duly paid him a lump sum to cover said costs. I also, at his request, set up a standing order to pay him that same weekly contribution on an ongoing basis.)

It was near mid-December, before NL finally submitted the completed forms to the Department of Social Protection. And it was not until the second week of January, that I received a letter from that same department advising me to apply for what is called the Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) from Dublin City Council. So I filled in my application form, which the landlord submitted with his own, as he said he needed to speak with the HAP office first himself beforehand.

Yesterday I got a call from the HAP office to clarify a couple of details, mainly in relation to the amount of rent that I had been paying. I got another call from them this morning. It turns out that, because the amount of rent which the NL is now looking for per week is almost double what I had previously paying, and therefore well above the 2% Rent Pressure Zone (RPZ), that HAP cannot accept the application. They suggested that I call Threshold - a Housing Advice organisation, to get a figure per week from them that will be within the RPZ limits and to see what my options are.

When I rang him today to give him the bad news, the NL went ballistic and is now insisting that I personally have to pay him the 3,000 euros that he figures is owed in rent arrears. (It seems that my honesty in stating what my former rent was, when HAP phoned me, contradicted what he had put down on the form which he submitted.) He made it clear - in very strident terms! - that he will not deal with Threshold and what he thought of them. He started ranting about how he has staff and a mortgage to pay and his own pressures to deal with. There was even mention made by him of getting solicitors involved!

So because of delays and screw-up's that were not at all of my making - and for which I am not at all at fault - I am now going to be hounded by the NL for the three grand. And I'm still not in a position where my weekly rent situation has been even sorted out going forward. The NL said that he's going to drop by in a couple of days to discuss the issue. Needless to say, my already preexisting anxiety levels have now gone through the roof!

As if I didn't have enough worries to be dealing with already. All that I am going to be faced with now is ongoing and horrible stress and conflict with the NL. Honestly, if Euthanasia was a legal and viable option in this country, at this point in time, I think that I would happily take it. 'Cause my rotten excuse for a life just seems to get worse by the day and not worth the bother anymore. 

[JohnW]

I'm no one to give advice, Paddy, but if the NL is being cavalier with the state bureaucracy, then I would think you have good grounds to withdraw behind your health issues and let the landlord do his 'discussing' with your solicitor.

Stay in the fight, because sometimes the fight is all there is.

(I feel a fraud intruding on this thread, but your post has been up for bloody hours and you deserve better than silence.)

[JayzusB.Christ]

Well, just when I thought that things couldn't get much worse - they have.

As I am on an Invalidity Pension, the bulk of the weekly rent - which I had been paying to the former landlord - was covered by what is called the Rent Supplement Scheme. (The rest was covered by myself through a weekly contribution from my pension.)

For whatever reasons, it took the new landlord (NL) about seven weeks before he got around to reapplying for a new rent supplement (which was necessitated by there being a change of landlord). It took him the same amount of time before he came looking for the same weekly contribution from myself. (I had wisely set aside this amount each week, and duly paid him a lump sum to cover said costs. I also, at his request, set up a standing order to pay him that same weekly contribution on an ongoing basis.)

It was near mid-December, before NL finally submitted the completed forms to the Department of Social Protection. And it was not until the second week of January, that I received a letter from that same department advising me to apply for what is called the Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) from Dublin City Council. So I filled in my application form, which the landlord submitted with his own, as he said he needed to speak with the HAP office first himself beforehand.

Yesterday I got a call from the HAP office to clarify a couple of details, mainly in relation to the amount of rent that I had been paying. I got another call from them this morning. It turns out that, because the amount of rent which the NL is now looking for per week is almost double what I had previously paying, and therefore well above the 2% Rent Pressure Zone (RPZ), that HAP cannot accept the application. They suggested that I call Threshold - a Housing Advice organisation, to get a figure per week from them that will be within the RPZ limits and to see what my options are.

When I rang him today to give him the bad news, the NL went ballistic and is now insisting that I personally have to pay him the 3,000 euros that he figures is owed in rent arrears. (It seems that my honesty in stating what my former rent was, when HAP phoned me, contradicted what he had put down on the form which he submitted.) He made it clear - in very strident terms! - that he will not deal with Threshold and what he thought of them. He started ranting about how he has staff and a mortgage to pay and his own pressures to deal with. There was even mention made by him of getting solicitors involved!

So because of delays and screw-up's that were not at all of my making - and for which I am not at all at fault - I am now going to be hounded by the NL for the three grand. And I'm still not in a position where my weekly rent situation has been even sorted out going forward. The NL said that he's going to drop by in a couple of days to discuss the issue. Needless to say, my already preexisting anxiety levels have now gone through the roof!

As if I didn't have enough worries to be dealing with already. All that I am going to be faced with now is ongoing and horrible stress and conflict with the NL. Honestly, if Euthanasia was a legal and viable option in this country, at this point in time, I think that I would happily take it. 'Cause my rotten excuse for a life just seems to get worse by the day and not worth the bother anymore. 

#

Oh man, I'm so sorry, Paddy.  I wish I knew how to help you but I don't.  Things are spiralling out of control in this city - the fact that landlords can get away this this kind of bullshit is terrifying.  I've said it before but I really, really hope things work out for you.

[The Legendary Shark]

I feel your pain, Paddy, having endured a somewhat similar situation. It was a terrifying time (coming after a decade of being a "depression and anxiety" shut-in) and my choices were also die, give up, or fight. You know which one I chose, you know how hard it was, and you know I "lost." I still think I chose the best option, though, and I'd choose it again in a heartbeat.

The point is that I found reserves of strength in me underneath all that socially imposed "you're worthless" bullshit that I never knew I had. You have those reserves, too. We all do. Tap into them, if you can, and raise your head high enough to look the world in the eye. Just doing that is enough for a start. You can build up towards telling it to "f*ck off" later.

All power to you, Mate. You got this.

[Rara Avis]

Don't despair Paddy, you don't need to deal with him you or feel threatened. You can open a case with the RTB and they can deal with it. They have a rent calculator on their website and you can use it work out exactly how much he is allowed to increase your rent by. The max he is allowed to increase it by was 4% but this is now linked to the rate of inflation so it may be lower. Don't deal with him in person unless you can record the conversation as he may try and bully you into accepting this agreement or threaten eviction (I'm not sure what the legality of recording conversations is in Ireland but I think it's allowed). Keep all your correspondence and submit it all with your case. Try and get everything in writing.

[The Legendary Shark]

Rara gives good advice. I'd always be up front about recording; no recording, no interview. If they won't say it on tape, they'll have to say it in writing.

[paddykafka]

Thanks once again for all your support and advice, folks.

I've spoken to a chap in Citizens Information, and it seems that I will be able to claim back the rent arrears through either the rent supplement office or community welfare. It might take a bit of time for the process to go through, but as I've stated, the delay was not of my making - the fault with that lies entirely with the new landlord - and the CI guy confirmed that I am not personally liable for the arrears. Whether the prick of a landlord will be content to wait for that due process to take place is, of course, another matter...

In any event, I've a meeting with the CI guy this week and he is going to advise and assist me with the process. I can also reapply for the Housing Assistance Payment, albeit at the rent level which I was previously paying, and not the inflated figure that the NL was looking for. He probably won't be too happy about that either but that's his tough luck. The law is on my side in this instance.

(Interestingly enough, I had a conversation a couple of days ago, with a guy from the local branch of the Community Action Tenants Union. It turns out that they have had previous dealings themselves with the creepy NL and they too agreed that he is a nasty piece of work. Anyway I am now a paid up member with them so they will be a good resource to call upon if needed.)

Fingers crossed this whole business will be sorted out soon. If I could get out of this place tomorrow and away from that nasty, manipulative swine of a landlord, I would happily do so. Anyways, I'll keep ye all updated as things develop. Cheers again to ye all!

[JayzusB.Christ]

Was just about to check in on you here, Paddy.  Glad there's some kind of chink of light - onwards and upwards. 

Of course, not all landlords are wankers (without wishing to rub it in, mine is an absolute gentleman), but it seems a disproportionate number of them are.  Hope you can get some distance between yourself and this prick as soon as possible.

[paddykafka]

I just learned today that both the chap in the flat across from me, and the young lady in the flat beside me, have both found alternative accommodation, and will be gone from here in a couple of weeks. (In his case, it means moving into an even tinier flat than the one he is currently in, and the lady herself will have to flat-share. She's not mad about the idea but given how things are in the rental market at the moment, she feels that she doesn't have much choice).

So if previous history is anything to go by, in a couple of weeks time, this house will once more be turned into a building site, as refurbishment and renovation of the two flats takes place. Which means approximately two months of yours truly being subjected to the noise of drilling, banging, angle grinding and all the various sounds associated with the process. (It was bad enough when the work was being carried out on the basement and top flats. This time 'round it will be right fucking beside and across the hall from  me!)

That's going to do wonders for my profound noise-sensitivity and intolerance issues.

Whilst I am happy that both people have found somewhere - hopefully more secure - to live, on a personal level, I am absolutely dreading the two months of daily disruption and aural torture that lies ahead of me.

[Rara Avis]

Paddy have you contacted Threshold and / or the RTB?

[paddykafka]

Hi Rara. Yeah, the last time when the the renovations were ongoing - and I was trying to confirm the validity of the termination notice (which Threshold confirmed was valid*) - I asked the lady whom I spoke to in Threshold if he could legally do all this work in the house, while us tenants were still there. She said that he could do as he liked with the vacant flats. So then, as with the immediate future, we had, and will have, no choice but to put up with the noise and disruption.

In other news, a housing charity called Alone that I recently made contact with, rang today to inform me that there was nothing they could do to assist me. As I'm still under sixty years old, I don't qualify for any direct help which they might be able to offer. The nice lady whom I spoke with, did give me the contact number for an official in Dublin City Council's housing allocations office. She suggested that I give him a call, explain my situation and also to mention my mental health issues and the impact all this stress is having upon me.

The thing is though, when I spoke with another official some time back in DCC, with regard to my placings on the three area lists, I specifically asked if those same issues might have some bearing on my ranking - as in pushing me up on the list - and was told that they would not. Apparently, I don't meet the criteria for being considered as sufficiently disabled enough in their eyes, so as to be given extra consideration.

Before Xmas last year, I was in touch with a DCC councellor - with whom I am vaguely acquainted- and he said that he would see what he could do with regard to my situation (something about sending off letters and updating me when he heard something). I called him again recently but he still had no news for me. So it's really just a waiting game at the moment, the uncertainty of which has my nerves in tatters.

As regards getting the rent arrears situation sorted out - which, it is worth remembering, was not in any way my fault and completely outside of my control - I finally got the necessary documents from the landlord. I'm hoping that will be sufficient to satisfy the folk in the Department of Social Protection as to the legitimacy of my tenancy and that they'll pay the amount due. When I meet up with the chap in Citizens Information next week I'll have a better idea. He seems confident that will be the case, but I'll rest easier when I get confirmation from the DSP themselves.

Assuming that the news is good, I can then set about reapplying for the Housing Assistance Payment to cover the ongoing rent costs (with all the fun and games that entails, lol.) In the meantime - more out of hope than expectation - I'll give the official in DCC - who Alone recommended - a call to see if there's anything that can be done in terms of sorting me out with a place to live.

Quite honestly, with all the stress that I have been under these last few months, the current worries that I have, and the ever-approaching prospect and fear of being made homeless, it is a wonder that I have not completely cracked and wound up running naked around the streets, while babbling and screaming hysterically.

*According to one of the other tenants, a solicitor for another charity who Alone put him in touch with, seems to think that - for complex legal reasons which I neither understand nor could explain -the termination notice which we all received, might not actually be legally valid. If that was indeed the case, then I assume that the landlord would have to issue us all with a new and legally valid one. Which, I presume, could only be effective from the date it is issued (thus effectively giving us all an extra few months of tenancy time). Time will tell what the story is with that issue.

[paddykafka]

PS & Apols for the double post.

As if I didn't have enough to be dealing with, in the last few minutes I just discovered that I have a mouse in the flat. There I was, watching the snooker, when I spotted the little fecker scuttling under the telly. I thought at first that I was having hallucinations from the anxiety medication that I'm on. But no, there he was, as large - in as much as a mouse can be considered large - as life and scurrying away into hiding.

The curious thing is, I have recently been creating a D&D character with the Urchin background, who has a pet mouse called "Benjy".

And who says that the Universe does not have a sense of humour? 

[Funt Solo]

[Rara Avis]

Morning Paddy, I don't envy you this all sounds incredibly stressful. At least it sounds like you've got things under control. Keep the chin up!