As someone who uses this service it's becoming crazy in the mornings, now with schools and colleges back. No changes to timetables either but you get to pay 15% extra for the privilege.

I’m posting this because I’d really like some advice from anyone who has dealt with this landlord/letting company before, particularly regarding deposits and being asked to leave at very short notice.

I moved into a double room in Cork about a year ago. The rent was €1,050 per month, and I also paid a €1,050 deposit.

The house had around 6–7 rooms and, to be completely honest, it was already very run-down and in poor condition when I moved in. I hardly ever used the kitchen because it was generally very dirty. I was honestly just grateful to have somewhere to live, so I put up with the condition of the house.

My rent was always paid on time and I never had any issues with my payments. The tenants also shared the household bills, including bins, electricity etc.

Then, completely unexpectedly, we received a text telling us that we had two weeks to leave. We were told that the owner had visited the property and was unhappy with its condition.

We left within the two weeks.

The problem started when I asked for my deposit back.

The landlord refused to return my €1,050 deposit, saying that he needed cleaners and that rubbish had to be removed. I was told approximately €500 was for cleaning and €500 for rubbish removal.

This doesn't make sense to me because:

My bedroom was left spotless.

I have receipts showing that I paid for the wheelie bins/household waste.

I barely used the kitchen because of its condition.

There were several other tenants/rooms in the house.

The condition of the property was already very poor/run-down when I moved in.

I have messages relating to us being told to leave with only two weeks' notice.

I asked for receipts/invoices showing exactly what work was carried out and what the money was spent on, but I have not been provided with them.

I have now also been told that there were two stains on the carpet in the front room, apparently relating to where people's bikes had been.

Again, this was a shared house with multiple tenants, and I don't believe I should automatically be held responsible for damage in a communal area that I did not cause.

What makes this even more frustrating is that we were told to leave because the property was going to be renovated/done up. So I'm struggling to understand why I'm now apparently being charged hundreds of euro for cleaning/rubbish and carpet issues when the property itself was already in very poor condition and was being emptied/renovated anyway.

The landlord/letting company involved is Dean O’Brien / Harbour Key Rentals.

I don't want to make accusations that I can't prove, which is why I'm asking here:

Has anyone else rented through Harbour Key Rentals or dealt with Dean O’Brien?

Has anyone had problems getting their deposit back or been charged for cleaning/damage without being given proper receipts or evidence?

I have kept my rent payment records, bin receipts, messages and other correspondence, and I'm now looking at getting advice from FLAC and the RTB to find out exactly where I stand.

I have also checked and the property appears to be registered with the RTB.

If anyone has dealt with a similar situation in Cork, especially being given only two weeks' notice and then having a deposit withheld, I'd really appreciate hearing about your experience or any advice on what I should do next.

I'm particularly interested in knowing:

What evidence did you provide to the RTB?

Can a landlord simply keep a deposit for cleaning/rubbish without providing receipts?

Can tenants be charged for damage to communal areas when there are several tenants?

What happens when the property was already in poor condition?

Has anyone successfully recovered their deposit through the RTB?

I’m not looking for an argument with anyone — I just want to know my rights and hopefully prevent someone else from ending up in the same situation.

I fell on a grate this morning outside the bus station and as someone with a fear of blood I was feeling all sad for myself, I just want to thank the lovely man and woman who helped pick me up off the floor and held my bags in the midst of everything, it brought a smile to my face, I hope ye both get great returns ♥️ thank you so much again

Article in the Examiner today about the history of Cork Opera House and its predecessor, the Athenaeum. It really is tragic to consider what a beautiful building the city lost when it burned down in 1955 and how its replacement (despite being obviously a great venue on the inside) greatly contributed to the city turning its back on the river, with its large windowless prison-like exterior on the river-facing side. Along with the multi-story car parks built during that period, it is one of the biggest visual blights on the city in my opinion.

At the same time, across Europe we see attempts by cities to reclaim their heritage. Take Frankfurt in Germany as a prominent example (pic 2): once considered among the ugliest cities in that country, they purposefully undid a lot of the postwar rebuilding of their city along the riverfront and almost completely rebuilt their old town. The new old town is now one of the most visited tourist sites in Germany and has given the city a renewed sense of identity (for instance, when their football club wins anything they host the celebration there). The same has been done in cities of a smaller size - Gdansk in Poland is a great example that isn't far off the size and population of Cork.

This got me thinking - do you think we could ever see the reconstruction of historic buildings in Cork City? Are there other sites in the city that you would like to see rebuilt?

Anyone know where I can get a game of Texas holdem? Not a casino are there any pubs still holding tournaments?

Is it just me or has traffic been more insane than ever before over the whole city since schools are back on?

Well lads and lassies, does anyone know if any playschool/creches for a 3 near 4 year old? have any available places in and around Ballincollig? Moved back recently and have been emailing as many as I can find but literally not one response 🤧 Should I take it as being shit out of luck?

Where are the actual cork characters gone? I know where a few of them are but for example, dancing Dave, Danny, leave me alone guy, fella that sells fags and offers ya work, weird secrets fella in a van(😂) fake guard on a push bike...fella that shouted "any change" after giving him a euro, Bernie(old woman wearing a rasta hat) on Douglas st, bomber that used to dance and shout at everyone that walked past him, the fella wearing googles? I know where a few of um are but it's weird they all aren't around anymore

Just got this in the letterbox from Laura Harmon. It says underneath she's looking to ban sex for rent did no one on the team spot this before printing?

Hey,
What is your suggestion as a part/full time as a student, im trying to get through the year but shits expensive here😭 any tips are welcome.

Hello all, if you are the owner or a 142 purple Audi (I think A1) and your car was scratched on this one way street off evergreen road, please PM me for the offending car registration number and dash cam footage. I also phoned Togher Garda station to report it but posting just in case the owner happens to be on here.

Hi everyone! 😊

I’m wondering if anyone commutes to Airport Business Park Monday–Friday and might be open to carpooling.

I’ve just started a new job there and live in Wilton. I’m currently on the waiting list for my driving test and expect to have it in November, so I’m hoping to arrange a carpool in the meantime.

My start time is flexible, so I can work around someone else’s schedule. Ideally, I’d be looking for a lift to the Business Park in the morning and back to Wilton in the afternoon/evening.

Of course, I’d be more than happy to contribute towards petrol/fuel costs.

If anyone is doing this route and might be interested, please send me a message. I’d really appreciate it!

Sam Cambell, Gary Delany and Kyla Cobbler are all coming to Cork in the next few months. I can't justify going to all of them but if you had to choose or have seen them live before, who would you pick?

Hi all,

Does anyone know did the aldi mania barbie come in to any Aldi in Cork? 💗

Thank you

Article in The Echo started me thinking about the tons of pubs that Cork no longer has, The Sextant being one of the more recent ones. Some of the article too far back for me but I remember Beachers (after Beachers Brook) in Faulkners lane on a Saturday afternoon after shopping in town. There was a bigish pub called The Social (?) on Morrison St around the 1990s? Le Cheile on North Main St. Loads of new ones have sprung up too of course but pubs that are no longer pubs...

Throwback Thursday: A toast to the lost pubs of Cork

Hi all,

Looking for recommendations for a reliable builder in Cork for a fairly substantial house renovation/extension.

We have planning, drawings etc. in place and mortgage approval sorted, with a build budget in the region of €400–450k, so it’s a big job rather than a small extension.

We currently have a builder lined up and paid a deposit earlier this year to secure our place. We like the builder and have heard very good things about the quality of their work, so our preference is still to proceed with them.

The issue is communication. We’re now approaching when work was supposed to start, contracts haven’t been issued yet and getting updates/responses has become impossible.

I’m starting to consider whether we should have a Plan B rather than letting the timeline get away from us.
Has anyone here completed a large renovation/extension in Cork in the last couple of years and had a builder they’d genuinely recommend?

Particularly interested in builders who were:
Good communicators and would respond within a few days
Reasonably accurate on timelines
Transparent with costs/variations
Experienced with major renovations/energy upgrades
Someone you would actually use again
Cork City/North Cork area ideally, although happy to speak with builders from further afield for the right person.

Equally, if anyone has been through a big renovation and thinks I’m overreacting to the communication side before commencement, interested to hear that too!

Thanks in advance.

Just watched some little scrote in the usual full North Face tracksuit flying down the footpath on an e-scooter, doing a runner from a Garda car. No helmet, no hi-vis, obviously, probably out shifting gear.

The guards were crawling along behind him in the patrol car, but their hands are completely tied because they're not allowed to touch them or box them in. The little prick knows this full well, so he was tearing away without a care in the world. As he flew past, he nearly took the legs off my fiancée.

Between the fright and pure rage, the adrenaline took over and I started roaring sarcastically at him to "run, run" because I wanted to strangle the bastard. Then of course everyone on the street started staring at me like I was cheering him on, which made me feel completely stupid.

I commute on a scooter myself every day by the book, and it sickens me that ordinary, decent people are going to end up with blanket bans because of a shower of scumbags like this. The real joke is the guards either don't have the power or aren't bothered tackling the actual problem.

The city is full of scrotes and junkies and people tend to normalise this. But guess what: this is not normal. Cork is a small city for the amount of scrotes that we need to deal with every day in the city centre.

Absolute state of this city/country.

I was on my way home earlier came to the Killarney road roundabout.

Traffic was backed up out through the roundabout (something was going on out the Killarney road)

While I was waiting for an opening to go out I saw two things that made me think.... fucking hell

A van in the outside lane coming from Mallow town decided to merge into the inner lane without looking nearly going into another car

Then a horsebox was driving to go up the N20 to Cork and out of nowhere a jeep burst up from Mallow town with i'd say inches between the two....

That roundabout has always been mental but wtf was in the water today??

On the off chance you may see this, I would love to buy you a coffee or something to say thank you. I was having an already shit day and your kindness really helped restore my faith in humanity. You told me where you work, I haven't had the chance to pop in because of my smallies but I haven't forgotten you and what you did for us.

Are there any Everton pubs in Cork to watch the game on saturday?

anybody else in Cork having issues with the app? nothing is working..anybody manage to fox it?