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[Threshold]

Paddy, sorry if you've answered this before but have you contacted Threshold or opened a case with the RTB?

Hi Rara and thanks again.

Yep, I was in touch with Threshold last week. There's nothing they can do as regards my being evicted, as the termination notice is valid. The best they can advise is that I inform Dublin City Council (DCC) with regard to applying for Homeless Housing Assisted Payment (HAP), and see what they can do in terms of sourcing accommodation for me.

I spoke with a lady from the Simon Community yesterday and their advice was pretty much the same. They can't do anything themselves directly to help, as it is DCC which decides who is a priority case first. The housing charity Alone said more or less the same, and they can't do anything for me anyway, as they only deal with folk who are 60+ years of age.

The Dublin City councillor with whom I have been in touch with, has had no word back so far, as regards the letters he sent out in an effort to help me. Also, when I was in hospital in mid-November of last year, the social worker with whom I spoke to, said that she would refer me to one of her colleagues in the local primary care centre, to see if they could advocate for me in some way. As I have heard nothing back so far, I called into the centre yesterday, myself, and left my details for them to contact me. I'm not holding my breath while I wait for them to get back to me.

Trying to get any sort of meaningful help or support in this country, is like trying to light a match in a hurricane. 

At this point - with just over twelve weeks to go before my eviction date - I am quite frankly terrified as to what the future holds for me. Between the stress I have endured as a result of the NL's horrible treatment of me, and the impending threat of being made homeless, I am getting closer to the point, where a fatal heart attack, stroke or brain hemorrhage would be a welcome release from the daily misery that I am going through. 

With regards to the whole Rent Supplement fiasco - and the New Landlord's (N/L) role in it - while I am legally liable for the rent, the fact that he has failed - and, as of yesterday, now outright refused - to comply with the process, means that I could take a case against him through the Workplace Commission on the grounds of discrimination. (Because he is essentially denying me access to a social welfare entitlement.) But that would take a long, loooong time to be processed. To give two examples: the lady whom I spoke to in Threshold is currently dealing with a case dating from August of last year, and the chap in Citizens Information has been dealing with a case dating back to May of last year.

While technically the N/L could pursue me through the RTB for the back rent due to him - outside of my own weekly contributions - the CI guy thinks that I would have a defensible case, given that I have complied with all my obligations in terms of the Rent Supplement application process and the N/L has failed so dismally as regards his.

As regards my taking action against the N/L through the RTB, aside from if he refuses to pay me back my deposit, there's not much else they can do for me. It is possible that, because of the obnoxious attitude and behavior he has displayed towards me thus far, that the N/L might be seen to be in breach of the Residential Tenancies Act, as regards to my entitlement to Peaceful & Exclusive Occupation. But as there are no witnesses to what has happened, it would be very difficult to prove anything.

In the meantime - and as I predicted - the house has once more been turned into a building site, and I am again being subjected on a daily basis from 9-5, to the sounds of drilling, hammering, banging, angle grinding etc from the flat beside me, and also from the one across the hall.

Oh, and two weeks after I informed the N/L about the mice infestation, he has still done absolutely nothing about it. And I doubt if he has any intentions of addressing the problem either. (I could raise the issue with DCC but to be honest, by the time they get 'round to doing anything, I will most likely be either dead or out of here altogether.) As it is, I have now taken to just staying in my bedroom from about 9pm onward. The critters might well have found a new home since I saw them last week. (Scarily enough, I thought that I could hear them in the bedroom itself. It might just be my imagination over-reacting.) But considering the ever deteriorating state of my mental health, if I was to see any more of them scampering about the place, I think that what little sanity that I have left would desert me entirely.   

[Department of Social Protection (DSP)]

So things have just taken a decided turn for the weird, as regards to my ongoing struggles with the New Landlord (NL).

To briefly recap previous events.

When the original landlord informed me that the property was being sold, as I am on Rent Supplement from the Department of Social Protection (DSP), I specifically asked him if I needed to reapply for it, but was told no, I didn't have to worry about that. It would be sorted out between him and the N/L.

Fast forward seven weeks or so, to when the N/L asked me for contact details for the Rents Unit in the DSP. I asked him if he wanted to make contact with them myself, but he said no, he would organize that himself. He also took on the responsibility to order the application forms for the Rent Supplement, and to return the completed ones himself, as he was scanning them through by email.

When I was giving him my completed form as the tenant - along with the supporting documents that I had to provide, like proof of social welfare payments, proof of address, bank statements etc - I pointed out to him that the Rents Unit would need proof of tenancy, like a Tenancy Agreement and also proof of payment, as in bank statements showing payment to him or a rent book. He said that he would sort that out.

Around the second week of January, I received a letter from the DSP, saying that they had received the application and would get back to me in due course. As I mentioned in a previous post here, they subsequently rejected the application because, hey-ho, it did not include the documents which would show proof of tenancy and payment - the very documents which the NL had said he would organize!

So on the advice of the chap in Citizen's Information (CI) - , the N/L agreed to provide a Tenancy Agreement, which he duly did in a few days, and I ordered bank statements which would show my weekly contribution to the rent being paid out of my account. The most concerning thing I found in the TA was that the N/L was looking for a deposit that was five times in excess of that which I paid to the former landlord. As the N/L had already received that deposit from the former landlord - and by law cannot ask for more than a months rent as a deposit - the TA as it then stood would not pass muster with the Rents Unit. (And I was damned if I was going to put myself in hock for that amount to the N/L!)

Additionally, because my bank statements did not show who my weekly deduction was going to - and again on the advice of CI - I phoned the N/L and asked if he could fill in a Rent Book - which I bought myself - that would show proof of payments to him, and thus satisfy the requirements of the Rents Unit. He went absolutely ballistic! "This is going on too long! When am I getting my rent?! My mortgage is paying your rent!" I explained why the rent book was needed and asked if he could call by to fill it in. "I'm away this week. Fill it in yourself!" I pointed out that, as the landlord, he would need to sign beside the payments. "Sign them yourself! I don't give a fuck anymore! I just want me rent!"

Now as I have no experience as a landlord - and thus no idea what the requirements are when it comes to completing a rent book - I again sought advice from CI. Due to various delays - the CI officer's limited availability, the fact that he was also busy with other clients, and also because my earlier queries to him went unread into his spam folder - it was last Friday before the CI officer could fully clarify - in the form of an emailed letter to me - what needed to be changed in the TA, how I needed to fill in the rent book correctly, and the reason why it had to be the NL who signed off on the payments.

I promptly completed the rent book in as much as I could and forwarded a scanned copy of it to the NL, along with an explanation of what needed to be done and why. And in a separate email, I forwarded on the letter from CI to him, which demonstrated why the changes were needed and as proof of my efforts to ensure that the documents would meet the requirements of the Rents Unit in the DSP.

This morning I saw the N/L as he was at the house and asked if he had received the emails I sent him. He said that he had but did not understand what they were about. (It was pretty bloody clear and blindingly obvious what they were about!) On the off-chance that he had not gotten them, I had printed out the emails and attached documents, all of which I handed to him. He looked at me and the pages with other contempt and disdain, as though I had just handed him a pair of soiled jocks. "What's all this? I'm not reading through these. I'm just bored with all this now. You're going in June, aren't you? I think I'm just going to leave it now."

He then folded the pages in half and just walked away.

I wouldn't mind, but I have been sweating buckets for the last two weeks. I have been an absolute nervous wreck on account of all the stress this has been causing me. And the N/L did not show so much as a smidgen of gratitude or appreciation for the efforts which I had made on his behalf. After months of hassle and aggravation from him - without the slightest acknowledgement that he was to blame for the delay in getting the back rent - he has decided that he is not going to bother looking for the money anymore. He really is utterly impossible to deal with!

So now I'm going to focus all my efforts on finding somewhere else to live - no mean feat, given how things are currently in the rental market - and getting as far from that man as I can. To take a leaf out of his book, I don't give a fuck anymore, either.

Glad to hear that Tordel's is still with us, Sharky. Please pass on my best wishes and regards to him.

An early example of the dinosaur otherwise known as Edwardius Scissor-Handus. 

https://www.livescience.com/jurassic-worlds-bizarre-scythe-clawed-dinosaur-couldnt-have-been-a-slasher-study-confirms?utm_source=onesignal&utm_medium=push&utm_campaign=2023-03-03-Dinosaurs-scyth

Rara talks a huge amount of sense on this thread.

Sounds like you have a lot of pressure right now Tjm. Please keep us updated. We might not be able to help, but we can listen and support.
Same for you Paddy. Very dark times. I'd love to say something more helpful, but it would sound trite. Much love out to you.

Thanks for your kind words and support, Barrington. They are much appreciated.

And to TJM86, I hope that things will get better for yourself and your family in the near future.

Just when I thought that I had solved my rodent issue, tonight I saw TWO of the little bastards scurrying around, brazen as you like, with not a care in the world. So my flat is now officially infested! I've sent the landlord an email to let him know what the problem is, and I'm hoping that he'll have pest control out tomorrow. To say that I am fucking freaking out right now is an understatement. I can hear them scampering around behind the fridge and furniture as I type this out. When is this awful nightmare I am currently going through ever going to end?!

What a wonderful end to a day ... <scared out of his skull emoji>

Not pathetic at all, mate. If that creep is working for a bonafide charity - as opposed to some of they bogey ones that go around - then there should be a contact number on the bag. In which case you should call them ASAP and report him. It might soften his cough and make him think twice about any ill-intentions he could harbour towards you. Might be worth giving the cops a buzz as well. Hope you'll be okay anyway. All the best and take care.

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!

Thanks, Rara.

I at least managed to solve the problem with regard to my new and unwanted flat-mate. I bought one of those humane mouse-traps yesterday and set it last night. At silly'o clock this morning, I was woken up by the sound of the mouse going bonkers in the trap. So off I trudged out of the house and, at a reasonable distance away, I released the little git into the wild whilst humming to the tune of "Born Free". 

Obviously, Tharg felt that he had nothing to Loos.

Just to note that this pun was in reference to the latest Niemand story. Posted it before seeing the post above me. Sad news about Oli Frey and his partner, Roger Kean. May they RIP.

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? 

[Threshold]

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.

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.

It is surely only a matter of time, before prospective members of this forum are led into a room, placed on a chair behind a table - with a desk lamp shining upon their face being the only light source - while a moderator asks of them: "Are you now, or have you ever been, a member of the Megaverse?" 

Happy Valentine's Day, Paddy.
This is fucked.

You're not wrong there, mate. As the man says: "If it wasn't for bad luck, I'ld be havin' no luck at all!"

I've been a complete bag of nerves since yesterday. The Cit's Info guy will be calling me tomorrow instead. I really hope that this whole problem - which was not of my fault or making - can be resolved soon, as the stress which it is causing me is just bloody unbearable at this stage.

Thanks & Cheers - Paddy

Want to know what I received in the post on Valentine's Day?

A nice card from a mystery lady admirer?

Hand-delivered flowers or a box of chocolates?

Oh, no.

Instead, I got a letter from the Department of Social Protection, informing me that they were rejecting my application for Rent Allowance for a number reasons, but chiefly because the application did not include a tenancy agreement with the new landlord and also a rent book showing payments made by me to him.

I pointed out the importance of both of those documents, when I was handing him the other supporting documents for him to submit with the application to the DSP. He said that he would get those documents sorted out. Clearly he did not do so, which means that I am back to square one as regards getting the rent arrears cleared.

I contacted Citizen's Information and the nice chap whom I met with last week said that he will call me today. In the meantime, having finally come to the conclusion that my life is nothing but a sick and spectacularly bleak joke, I did the only sensible thing possible.

I went to my nearest pub and got horribly drunk.