Landlords are a race apart. Hoped it was just Ireland. Seems not sadly.

Need to add to the old adage re dogs and horses and guns, warning re landlords.

Blessed here finally with a good one.

C; maybe still try the CAB as there may be housing resources thay can access faster. I went to the Irish equivalent re a tree issue here and in half an hour she got further with the council than I had in weeks simply because they have official status.

Oh no so sorry to hear this! I hope it all works out in the end.. One thing I've learnt in life is that (unfortunately) there's never a period where everything is 'finally sorted', there's always something that's changing. I've made peace with that now and will just go with it, making the best out of every situation. But I understand how hard it must be for you right now. I hope you will find a better and nicer house soon or that you can stay in this one even though it gets sold. x

Thanks everyone, having your support and somewhere to rant really helps. Xx

Well I'm a bit further on now. A very nice housing officer has informed me that it is against the law to only give us one months notice from when they get a buyer. We give them one months notice if we want to move out but they have to give us two months notice from the day the rent is due. Then after that time, if we haven't been able to find a suitable home, they have to apply to the courts to get us evicted and that usually takes at least six weeks. We pay our rent mid month, so even if they give us notice tomorrow, which I can't see them doing, we would could have up to four months until we would have to leave.....and who knows if a buyer would want to wait that long, I don't know. She also advised me not to tell them that I know that encase they chose to give us our notice now rather than wait for a buyer.

We are still going ahead looking for another place but it gives us some time to wait for tax credits decisions, housing benefit decisions (which looks like it's unlikely we'll get that) and get some help from the Rent and Deposit Scheme, which I have never heard of before but would be fantastic if we can use because it's the short term raising the deposit and first months rent up front that looked absolutely impossible previously. We have deposit held for this house but, in the three years since we've lived here, the amount landlords want for a deposit seems to have doubled...especially if you have dogs.

Yes, dogs or cats always make for a higher deposit. The bigger, the higher, as well. Which means with Remus clinging to your heels, your deposit is likely to be large indeed (just a little cheesy humor to lighten the mood)

Glad you got the legal advice, it will help you if they decide they are super bada$$ and try and force a move on you. Hope everything is all right. I know about the housing benefit thing

Always something. Hang in there and good luck!

Pleased to hear you are somewhat less stressed after receiving advice. I mean you have children as well as dogs don't you? I'm sure they can't just 'put you out on the street'.

And everything I hear from a 'landlord' point of view is that it takes FOREVER to get tenants out - even bad ones and even if they've hardly ever paid any rent!

My son and his wife were in much the same situation a couple of years ago. Renting privately - owner residing in Canada and given the impression he would never return so could be theirs for almost forever.

Then they suddenly are informed they have 3 months notice to quit because owner hadn't been paying his mortgage (even tho' they'd been paying 800 a month rent for well over a year and the house was going to be repossessed by the lenders! This was just a few weeks after their 4 yr old son was diagnosed with kidney cancer on the same day their youngest was born!

It ended up doing them a favour as, because of their circumstances, the council looked upon them more favourably than before and they gained more points to entitle them to a council house and in the same area so the older kids didn't have to change schools. Also he wasn't a good landlord - had never done any repairs that became necessary and they'd had to replace the cooker and fridge themselves because his 'bloke that looked after it' just never got around to it.

But at the time it just seemed like 'what on earth more could go wrong NOW?'

I do hope you continue to get good advice and that you eventually end up somewhere nicer than you are now with a bit more 'long term security' to it.