Property Clinic | Property Questions

Illegal dumping can be more prevalent in developments with a high proportion of rental properties and unrestricted access. Photograph: Getty Images

Post-Christmas illegal dumpers are plaguing our apartment block

Property Clinic: CCTV and proper lighting of bin shed areas are essential to deter and identify offenders

My gas boiler is old and expensive to run. Should I upgrade or change to solar?

Property Clinic: Expert advice from chartered building surveyor Fergus Merriman

My neighbour’s tree is posing a threat to my home. What can I do?

Property Clinic: Good relations are key when it comes to the issue of overhanging branches

I thought I had fixed a leak, but the water has returned. What should I do?

Property Clinic: An inspection by a building surveyor should help diagnose the problem

My tenant is subletting without my agreement. What can I do?

Property Clinic: There are two aspects here, the legal and the practical

How can I go about installing solar panels for my apartment block?

Property clinic: I am wondering about the pros and cons and whose permission to seek

Can I get my block insurance details if I don’t pay my apartment management fees?

Property Clinic: All owners must contribute to the operating costs of their development

We’ve discovered our bathroom has no foundations. What should we do?

Property Clinic: For safety’s sake and peace of mind an inspection should be carried out

If I sell a vacant mixed use building must I pay 7.5% commercial stamp duty?

Property Clinic: In the case of mixed use property the stamp duty is separately assessed

Our neighbour’s garden room overhangs our property, what should we do?

Property Clinic: The guttering is still not up and the rain runs down our side of the fence

Can I rebuild my shed as a workshop/office and stay exempt from planning?

Property Clinic: I also want to install a wood-burning stove and toilet in the shed

The ‘For Sale’ sign has damaged the wall of our new home. Who is responsible?

Property clinic: Public liability insurance and an experienced sign erector are crucial

Lots to love at former Dalkey council house with extensive garden for €1.045m

Former council house in the south Dublin coastal village is now a spacious family home

My neighbour is using a lane I own to access his house. What can I do?

Property Clinic: Even with title deeds, issues can arise if land isn’t used for several years

How can I stop children from playing in the courtyard of my apartment complex?

Property Clinic: Your questions answered

Our landlord has asked us to leave, what happens if we don’t move out?

Property Clinic: Your questions answered

After spending €10k to improve my energy rating it has not been upgraded. Why?

Property Clinic: Your questions answered

A surgery attached to a house is adding €27k to the stamp duty, what can we do?

Property Clinic: The house we are buying is registered as a commercial property

Can I extend a tiny cottage I’m thinking of buying?

Property Clinic: A good designer will be key to help unlock the property’s potential

Should I be worried about cracks in our walls that are not worsening?

Effect can occur for many reasons including materials drying, settlement and temperature variations

Would planning permission add to the value of a site for sale?

The plot should be subdivided to maximise value, writes Paul Stack

Is it safe to go with ceramic tiles for underfloor heating?

Property Clinic: We’ve been advised to use a ceramic floor but the research is confusing

Should I buy a property with a shared driveway and septic tank?

Property Clinic: Red flag issues require good legal, surveying or engineering advice

Buyers have pulled out of a property we were underbidders on, can we avail of their survey before buying?

Property Clinic: If the inspection is recent there should be no need to revisit the property

What will the council look for when inspecting a rented property?

Property Clinic: Purpose of inspection is to ensure property complies with Minimum Housing Standards Act

Are repairs made prior to a first letting tax deductible?

Property Clinic: Also, how close to the start of being rented does that work have to be done?

Our neighbour says he has permission to build on our boundary wall. Can he?

He has also cut some of my patio to connect to my sewer pipe, without permission

We are sale agreed, but the seller is now caught in chain. What can we do?

Property Clinic: We signed contracts but now seller is delayed in securing their own home. Can I push to close the sale?

Our tenant refuses to move from our holiday home – now we can’t use it

Property Clinic: Covid-19 has complicated the whole area around fixed-term leases

No rent from hairdresser tenant since March. Is the lease broken?

Try and engage with tenant to reach agreement on the past and future rent

Property Clinic: What is causing creaky floorboards in my house?

If materials move against each other, the friction produced will result in house noise

A neighbour has taken over a farm road on my land. How do I prove ownership?

You and your neighbour should work together because you may discover that the farm road is shown common to both

My landlord threw me out in March. How do I get my deposit back?

Property Clinic: He has now blocked my number. What can I do?

Why is my apartment’s €3k management fee the same as for commercial premises?

The annual charge seems on the high side but one would need to see the annual budget

My neighbour has built on our party wall without consent. What can I do?

The best option for your overall wellbeing would be to attain a sense of Zen-like calm

Why have our limestone floors started cracking?

Property Clinic: Underfloor heating is a common cause of problems in rigid tiled flooring

My grandmother is muscling in on property our mother left us

Property Clinic: Grandmother also put a shed on the property and now wants it back

I’m worried that my neighbour’s extension will damage our retaining wall. What can I do?

Property Clinic: Nobody can encroach on your property without your consent

Should we hand over the deposit for a house before getting all the documents?

Property Clinic: The vendor should give you all relevant documents before you agree to buy

As apartment owners, what should we look for in our management company’s accounts?

Property Clinic: My husband and I are wondering where to start in relation to this

We want to split our house into two units. Can you give us a ballpark cost?

Property Clinic: The plan is to split the deeds of our three bed semi and turn it into two

We’ve gone Sale Agreed. Can we keep the buyer’s deposit if they pull out?

Property Clinic: Should sellers not receive the deposit, to ensure buyers fully commit?

Does my tenant have to notify me of their plans before one-year lease expires?

There is still some confusion in relation to leases and the 2004 Tenancies Act

Mould has appeared on our guest bedroom wall. What should I do?

I’ve always worried about what might be happening inside the dry lining all these years

Can I put up a fence and force my neighbour to spend on a survey?

Property Clinic: The approach you propose seems rather hostile and inconsiderate

If the bank valuation drops on a house we want to buy, will the seller negotiate on price?

Property Clinic: As of yet, there is no evidence of a negative impact on house prices as a result of the pandemic

Who is responsible for repairing a dangerous boundary wall?

Property Clinic: Wall divides me from my neighbour’s house, in a different housing estate

Can our neighbour use the boundary wall as part of his extension?

Property Clinic: We are concerned this may cause issues if we ever want to sell our house

‘I’ve found a derelict garden in an estate. How do I go about buying it?’

Property Clinic: Reader hopes an apparently abandoned garden might be a site for a home

Water from the apartment above is leaking into mine, what can I do?

Property Clinic: A key starting point is to check the lease agreements for the development

My tenant’s notice was up in May, when is he obliged to leave?

Property Clinic: Covid-19 emergency measures suspended all eviction notices

Should I be worried about cracks in my concrete floors?

Property Clinic: Measure the cracking to find out the level of repair required

The tenant I have sublet a room from wants to throw me out. Can he do this?

Property Clinic: Under Covid-19 emergency legislation, evictions are not permitted

We are living in hell with a terrible landlord. We don’t even have a fridge

He refuses to fix anything so we have had to pay ourselves. He has even raised the rent

What’s causing a wet patch on my internal walls?

Property Clinic: How do I get rid of the damp patches in my granite cottage?

Coronavirus: Can we get a caravan park fee refund because of closure?

Failure to open park might be considered fundamental breach of licence terms

Coronavirus: Am I entitled to a rent holiday from my shop lease?

Whether you are eligible for relief during the pandemic will largely depend on your lease

Can receivers clean up and sell the unsightly house next door?

Property Clinic: The house has a large waste dump in the back garden among other issues

Potential buyers are questioning our pre-coronavirus house valuation

Property Clinic: We have been in the process of selling a property for the last two months

There’s an unpleasant smell in my garage. How can I fix it?

Property Clinic: I have been unable to determine what is causing this smell

Are we obliged to paint our rental property because the tenants request it?

Property Clinic: We refurbished before a recent changeover of tenants

We have gone sale agreed on a house, but should we go through with it?

‘If you like the house and have outgrown your apartment, it may be time for the next step’

We are mid-refurb – can work on our house be deemed essential?

Property Clinic: We could become homeless as we have to leave our rental

What are my rights in relation to the installation of an electricity pole on my land?

ESB compensation payment is not applicable to single wooden poles

I fancy a garden office. What’s involved? Do I need planning permission?

Property Clinic: I’m thinking of about 40sq m and might even add a games room

How can we get our neighbours to maintain their side of our shared fence?

Property Clinic: Chartered surveyor Sarah Sherlock offers her expert advice

Our neighbour is using his van as a shed on our shared parking space

Property Clinic: The van hasn’t moved in five months and is a health and safety hazard

Coronavirus: What if my daughter can’t meet her Hap scheme rent top-up?

Property Clinic: Contact your landlord and have an open conversation about it

Coronavirus: My highly paid tenants have temporarily left – can I still ask them for rent?

Property Clinic: The rent-a-room scheme is a flexible arrangement

Coronavirus: My tenant wants a rent freeze but what about catch-up payments?

Property Clinic: Many landlords have agreed temporary reductions with individual tenants

Coronavirus: Does my son still have to pay for accommodation if the college is closed?

Property Clinic: Do utilities have to be paid even if students are no longer living there?

Coronavirus: ‘What is an acceptable amount of rent to pay during the crisis?’

Property Clinic: ‘Our rent is €1,400. I earn €370 a week but can no longer go to work’

We have an order to remove an antisocial tenant. What can we do now?

Property Clinic: He only pays half the rent and has verbally attacked neighbours

Coronavirus: Do we have to pay the balance of our son’s Erasmus accommodation?

Property Clinic: Coronavirus landlord/tenant questions answered

Coronavirus: Will tenants have to prove they can’t pay rent?

Property Clinic: Landlords should look for proof if tenants apply for Covid-19 rent freeze

I rely solely on rent for my income, what are my options?

Property Clinic: I am a landlord with no other money coming in

What happens if a tenant can’t pay rent during the Covid-19 crisis?

Property Clinic: A temporary rent reduction or pause in payments may be options

The lights dim when our shower is on, and it’s making our guests anxious

Property Clinic: Voltage drop is normal but should not be at a level that causes nuisance

We live beside an ugly vacant site. What can we do to improve it?

Property Clinic: Many laws assist you but approaching owner informally is always best

Do I need permission to move a shared drain in my back garden?

Property Clinic: Your questions answered

Should we reinstate a fourth bedroom before we sell our house?

Property Clinic: There is no doubt a fourth bedroom makes a significant difference to the asking price

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