Rent Review form problems

N

Nineteen Ten

Guest
Hi all, I am having some problems with my landlord and this form. If anyone could help or advise I would really appreciate it.

I recieved my Rent Supplement Review form last week and asked my landlord to come out to sign it. He didn't come on the day he said he would, he came the next day when I was out. He signed the form at the current figure when obviously the point of the form is to confirm that the rent has been lowered to within the new maximum levels. I wasn't there to try to renegotiate the rent. A friend of mine even suggested that the landlord was waiting for me to leave so that he could then enter the property and sign the form without me having the chance to renegotiate. I didn't want to believe that, I was thinking that surely it was just a coincidence.

I've been ringing him to ask him to come back and review the form but he's not answering his phone or ringing me back. Now I'm worried that he will refuse to lower the rent as I have only been in the property for 4 months. What will my course of action be if this is the case? I guess I will be told by the CWO that I simply have to move to somewhere that will comply with the new regulations. Unfortunately it's not that simple for me to just move. I have considerations that make finding a suitable property very difficult. That's why I put up with things like the landlord letting himself into the property whenever he feels like it, or not collecting the rent on the agreed upon date, on one occasion he called around for his rent 22 days after it was due.

So what is my next move, do you think? I will have to bring the form back on Thursday so if I can't contact the landlord will I bring it back and tell the CWO that I can't contact the landlord, ask for more time? And then what should I do if the landlord continues to evade me?

Forgive me for rambling on bit, I'm just really worried.
 
If there are issues regarding suitable property, you should discuss them with the SWA officer who deals with your Rent Supplement claim - in certain circumstances, the rent limit can be exceeded. An example would be where wheelchair-accessible accommodation is required and isn't available at or below the max limit rate.

I'm not sure that landlords have the right to come and go in their property without advising you beforehand - someone else here will advise you of your rights in this regard.

As for the landlord ignoring your calls/texts - what happens if there's an emergency at the property?
 
Thank you for your response gipimann. To answer your question, the landlord doesn't generally ignore my calls, just since the Rent Review form was signed. I don't ring him to carry out repairs usually, I would only ring him if it was something big that I couldn't fix myself.
 
If he is refusing your calls, then you could put your request for a review in writing.

If your landlord won't reduce the rent, and if you believe that he is charging more than the market value for the property, you can refer the matter to the Private Rented Tenancies Board www.prtb.ie

You should bring any difficulties in contacting your landlord to the attention of your rents unit/CWO. You cannot (or should not at least) have your claim stopped because someone else is not co-operating. You can however have your claim stopped if you haven't provided the information they have sought.

Ultimately if the landlord will not reduce rent, you could be asked to move to alternative accommodation. But this is not automatic. Engage with your SWA officer and with the PRTB if appropriate.
 
Nineteen Ten said:
. He signed the form at the current figure when obviously the point of the form is to confirm that the rent has been lowered to within the new maximum levels. .
Click to expand...

Did the landlord know you were going to reduce the rent?
 
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