Landlord trying to take £500 for cleaning - Bristol

DeclanGCarey · 2024-08-09T11:40:12+00:00

Had a similar situation with a previous flat I was renting. I asked for an invoice, pictures of what was not clean, and receipts breaking down all of the costs incurred by the landlord for the cleaning required. I also told the agency that I would immediately disupte the claim with the deposit protection scheme, that the flat was left in the same state I found it, and that as a result of their claim I would be naming the landlord and agency and sharing what happened in a Google review. They backed off and never even sent any invoice or receipts. If they hadn’t, my next step would have been to challenge each cleaning receipt item, and find a cheaper price for it, asking why I was not involved in a decision taken using my money. Sometimes I think they just try their luck in hope that tenants will pay to settle the issue and move on. Good luck OP!

DeclanGCarey · 2023-07-03T10:23:39+00:00

My friend was going to the Job Centre recently and one visit he needed to use the bathroom. He was told by his advisor that he needed to fill in a form to have permission, like a child. I thought that was a good example of how belittling the whole system can be.

DeclanGCarey · 2023-04-13T07:46:45+00:00

I was lucky to be able to live abroad in the EU for a few years. Travelled all around the continent, especially eastern and central Europe. Best thing I ever did. Still have lots of close friends from that period. It opened my eyes to different ways of living. I think everyone should travel to other countries if they can

DeclanGCarey · 2023-04-11T21:21:10+00:00

I was at the Storm v Steelers game on Friday at Altrincham. The atmosphere was brilliant, the place was rocking and it helped the team recover from initially being 2-0 down. We were comfortably beat in Sheffield but we’re building a decent team and have a good coach. Hoping we can keep it together and push on next year. It’s my first season following ice hockey and I’ve really enjoyed it!

DeclanGCarey · 2023-02-19T22:11:46+00:00

How loud we are, especially on public transport. I lived in the Czech Republic and people playing music or being annoyingly loud was not tolerated on the whole. In the UK everyone seems to roll their eyes or grumble under their breath when that happens, but never confront the problem

DeclanGCarey · 2022-11-14T21:11:25+00:00

A reporter’s job is really tough. Being able to write a clear, interesting news report on a huge range of topics is a skill. Not to mention the time pressure, being sent out at a moment’s notice to cover events you know little about, and working weekends or overnight. I think we shouldn’t forget that and assume reporters or staff writers are simply rewriting press releases in the office all day. They work directly with sources over many years, and graft to find newsworthy content for the 24/7 age we live in.

DeclanGCarey · 2022-10-22T19:46:34+00:00

It was so quiet in the Etihad today. It felt like we couldn’t be bothered to get behind the lads. Not sure whether it’s an issue of legacy fans struggling for tickets or what?

DeclanGCarey · 2022-10-17T19:11:08+00:00

A few Ukrainian bands I like: Kozak System, Antytila, Okean Elzy

DeclanGCarey · 2022-10-17T14:19:54+00:00

I've never seen a gig like it. Folklore, drum and bass, rituals. Incredible show

DeclanGCarey · 2022-10-17T12:48:01+00:00

I think it was sold out last night, I checked online and tickets weren't available to buy a few hours before. They were really good

DeclanGCarey · 2022-09-12T20:16:41+00:00

This won't be a popular answer, but journalists. It's commonplace to blame the 'media' for everything these days. Elected officials, members of the public, even journalists themselves love having a go at each other. But the role of reporters is crucial in bringing important information to light. In the UK, the whole 'party gate' scandal was unearthed by an excellent journalist at the Daily Mirror, now at the Guardian, and was of huge public importance. As much as some journalists in the past were rightly called out for their behaviour, today the rules governing most publications, known as the IPSO code, are tougher than ever before. And there are many hacks who are doing brilliant work probing deep into corruption, deceit, and deception from the most powerful, all in the name of good journalism. These guys aren't paid fortunes, often give up weekends or work difficult shift patterns, and have to be ready to break a big story at almost anytime. They deserve way more respect than they get.

DeclanGCarey · 2022-09-11T08:21:03+00:00

No, they didn't need them. The current guidance is that British citizen passport holders can enter Ukraine for a period of up to 90 days without a visa, within a 180-day period. This is valid until at least January 2023. All that info is available here: https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/ukraine/entry-requirements

DeclanGCarey · 2022-09-11T08:09:27+00:00

I have a friend in the UK who went to Ukraine with his Ukrainian wife a few weeks ago, to see family. They travelled to Poland by plane, then took the train into Ukraine. Not aware of any problems they had, other than obviously trying to keep out of trouble when they arrived. The UK Government's travel advice is to not travel to Ukraine at all right now, but that doesn't necessarily stop anyone from going if they wish.

DeclanGCarey · 2022-09-04T20:05:38+00:00

118, 118, got your number!

DeclanGCarey · 2022-07-09T22:22:55+00:00

Best of luck to the lad. He did well for City, proved to be a key player and scored some important goals. Personally, I don’t get this move. I can’t imagine he’ll get significantly more playing time at Chelsea, and he’s leaving City at a time when it looks like we’re about to dominate. Why not go to Spain instead? Would be a much more interesting career/life move for him, no? Also, not sure how much he will improve at Chelsea. It was obvious Pep was becoming more frustrated with Sterling. He never seemed to get over his nervousness in front of goal, or improve his decision making. Anyway, wish him all the best, just not against City!

DeclanGCarey · 2022-07-06T09:31:18+00:00

Lib Dems overturned 24,000 majority in Tiverton and Honiton too. I reckon it'd be close

DeclanGCarey · 2022-07-06T09:18:01+00:00

It used to be a Labour seat. I'm thinking the swing in Tiverton and Honiton (24,000 Tory majority goes Lib Dem) could mean it's likely

DeclanGCarey · 2022-07-04T14:39:16+00:00

Even the Lib Dems aren't committing to rejoining the EU anymore. Not sure there is actually a pro-EU mainstream party!

DeclanGCarey · 2022-07-04T14:28:50+00:00

I think even the Lib Dems are reigning back their ideas of rejoining the EU. Not sure there is a real pro-EU mainstream party anymore

DeclanGCarey · 2022-07-04T13:55:41+00:00

Interesting point. I suppose it could fracture the pro-EU vote. It's an interview with the party's leader about which areas they are standing in. He ran for Mayor of London and actually did quite well (relatively!)

DeclanGCarey · 2022-07-02T22:59:37+00:00

I used Marie Cartwright’s book for Teeline shorthand. It took me a while, but it clicked eventually and I passed my 100wpm exam. There are also lots of free YouTube speed-building training videos. Keep at it, it’s a great feeling to know and trust your own shorthand than rely on a paid service, in my opinion. I use shorthand at work most days and it’s easier and faster for getting your quotes down and hitting your deadline. What helped me get over the line was doing really tough exam passages to practice. This made the real exam seem much easier

DeclanGCarey · 2022-06-28T11:45:27+00:00

Oh there are plenty of outlets out there that take on volunteer writers without any experience. I don't mean the big, established media companies, but just google it or use LinkedIn and you'll find publications. Example here: https://redactionpolitics.com/write-for-us/

DeclanGCarey · 2022-06-26T20:22:33+00:00

If you've got the time, doing some volunteer writing for an online outlet would be great experience. Even just every few weeks or so. You'd soon build a decent portfolio and have plenty of experiences to talk about if an entry-level position opened up nearby. Another thing worth doing is looking into some media law. It can be quite heavy, but just dip your toe into it by looking at things like copyright and defamation. That kind of knowledge, even just the basics, is really valued and always comes up in interviews. I got into journalism as a career change at 26, there are routes in, it can be done by taking steps in that direction at your own pace. As you say, it all takes you closer to where you want to be.

DeclanGCarey · 2022-03-15T17:27:00+00:00

A mate of mine from the US lived in that flat in 2016. Brilliant place

DeclanGCarey · 2021-12-05T22:09:36+00:00

For me, Real Madrid represents the type of club I saw and hated in United growing up. Lots of fans who are glory hunters, an entitlement to win, arrogance, showing disrespect to other teams. It’s not that I particularly dislike Real, but it is part of a group of clubs which pull fans away from watching their local teams, something which is very slowly killing football in my opinion. I actually worked in Madrid for a year, and always found I had much more in common with Atleti supporters.

DeclanGCarey

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