Suggestions Please!

[Marks]

As some will know I take a £100.00 security deposit on all bookings. Unfortunately I've had a guest leave recently having smashed the ceramic hob (how I don't know), covered it with a couple of tea towels and left before my agent arrived at the agreed time to collect the keys. Not only that, they did not pay for the cleaning/laundry charges nor the travel cots we hired in for them.

So, after replacing the ceramic hob the guests owe me about £120.00. I sent an email straight away telling them that I would be charging them for any additional costs over and above the £100.00. I sent a registered letter with an invoice and copy of the email which they have signed for. Today is the deadline for them to pay. I will send a further letter at the weekend giving another 14 days in which to pay.

To complicate matters the apartment is in Spain, I am in the UK and the guests are in the Republic of Ireland.

I don't think I can use the County Court (small claims) as the guests live in Ireland so I would be grateful to hear any suggestions to recoup my money. OK, £120.00 is not a great deal in the scheme of things but it is the principle. They caused damage which they tried to cover up and left before my agent could get there, didn't pay other charges and left the apartment in a mess which meant the cleaner was there for an additional 90 minutes - at my expense.

And of course there has been no response from the guest, not even to deny doing the damage

[Ju]

I'm sorry to say I think I would write this one off as a bad experience.

I don't know anything about the law in Ireland, but I would have thought that trying to fight anything involving three countries would not be worth £120.

Ju

[roxytoo]

I haven't looked if this covers Ireland but I have used it here in the UK twice and has worked wonders!

https://www.moneyclaim.gov.uk/csmco2/index.jsp

[enid]

I agree with Ju on this - but the annoying thing is that they tried to cover it up - it's the dishonesty that would rankle with me. good luck whatever you decide to do.

[Rocket Rab]

How annoying for you, Mark! I can well understand you wanting to recoup your costs, but I'm not sure whether it would be worth the effort of chasing this through the usual channels. You may be forced to put it down to experience.....

....unless, that is, you have the means to shame your guests into repentance...

By that I mean an email address which is obviously a work address. Then it should only take a spot of googling to find someone suitable within the company to write to.... I think if you mention this possibility to your guests, you might find they cough up fairly quickly. I would give them every chance to pay, though, before you take this last-resort action. I have used this tactic once in my professional past (not for holiday rentals) with excellent results.

[LaLuz]

Are you not covered on your household insurance for the ceramic hob?

I ask because we once dropped a jar out of a cupboard (it's surprisingly easily done!) and broke ours and we did claim on the insurance

[Hells Bells]

Probably not covered if it was damaged by paying guests/tenants though.

[la vache!]

Hi Mark,
you could try this?

You have their name and address, the fact you don't reside in Ireland shouldn't make a difference. If I had the same situation, I would raise a small claim against a UK guest even though I live in France (as long as I had all the proof).

[Normandy Cow]

Probably not covered if it was damaged by paying guests/tenants though.

Not necessarily true - we use Intasure for our holiday home buildings/contents cover and for an extra £25 it does cover us for all damage done by paying guests (albeit with a £150 excess - hence the necessity to take a security deposit to cover us for the difference).

[Hells Bells]

I'm not sure I can use Intasure, one of the UK based companies won't cover properties in the Alps. They think we will be destroyed by avalanche .

[olive]

Roxytoo ("I haven't looked if this covers Ireland but I have used it here in the UK twice and has worked wonders!") -

https://www.moneyclaim.gov.uk/csmco2/index.jsp)Money Claim "Online is suitable if:
.....................You have an address in England or Wales where documents can be delivered
All defendants have an address in England or Wales where documents can be delivered"

[Marks]

Many thanks for all your suggestions. I have today written again giving a further 14 days in which to pay and have said that if payment is not received then I will take him to court via the Irish small claims system.

It may seem petty but it is the principle. If the guy had the guts to say "sorry, we've caused some damage" then I might have a different view.

Thanks once again to all.

[la vache!]

Good luck Mark - and please let us know the outcome.

[Giddy Goat]

Yes, I sympathise, and wish more people would pursue this course of action, but it's often the time and aggro involved when you'd rather put the episode behind you that is the deterring factor.

As I grumbled on another thread this week, people will happily own up to breaking glasses as they have a pretty good idea these won't be charged for; they rarely report any other kind of damage/breakage unless it's so major there is no way of hiding the fact, even with a mega-sized tea towel!!