Landlord not to blame for antisocial tenant
ALANDMARK ruling by the Private Residential Tenancies Board compelling a landlord to pay out €30,000 to residents as the result of an antisocial tenant is certain to open a can of worms where rental properties are concerned.
In this case it gives the impression that the landlord is totally responsible for the actions of an unruly tenant.
I think this is another copout. What happened to a person being responsible for their own actions? If a person is big and bold enough to rent a private property then they should be able to conduct themselves in a manner that shows consideration to those living around them. It is far too easy to blame a landlord who is simply the owner of the house, not the person causing the trouble.
It's not quite so simple as kicking a troublesome tenant out regardless what the neighbours might feel is the correct thing to do. If they are paying their rent and keeping the terms of their rental agreement then it's a mighty task to get them to move on.
Personally if I had a problem with a neighbour from hell and approaching them didn't work then I would think that the Gardaí are the next port of call. If antisocial behaviour is clearly happening in an estate then it can be reported and documented.
The landlord cannot force a tenant to behave in a specific way. I'm not for one minute saying they shouldn't be aware of what is happening at their property but that often it is not that easy when a tenant knows every trick in the book.
Regardless of tenancy agreements and what individual landlords specify there is no doubt that certain standards of behaviour should be maintained in any community.
Blaming the landlord is a copout when the tenant who is causing all the trouble should be penalised for their own behaviour.
In today's climate most landlords are happy simply to be able to find a tenant to rent their property and would be in dire financial straits without the rent they receive.
Again, this is not an excuse for any landlord to accept antisocial tenants but it makes it harder for them to give them the push when they depend on this income.
I feel that all too often the finger is pointed at the landlord as the root of all evil with little consideration given to adult responsibility and the fact that we should all be answerable for our own actions, not those of others.