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Help!! Mould And Damp In Property Im Renting Whats My Rights???

hi can any one help?
i am renting a three bed house i have only been there for three months and in this time my son has been ill with a bad chest asthma ect
well after 8 weeks we thought it may be something making him ill, so we toke a look in the loft to see if its damp and we were shocked to find not only damp but the whole of the roof the beams the floor covered completely in mold, huge amounts of mould!!
we thought it could be wet rot so we reported it to our letting agent sraight away! after several calls later they finally sent some one to look at it!
turns out there was a bad leak from pipes up there (before we moved in) which has caused rot mould ect....
there is also damp down stairs from crack in wall. so natrally i have asked for it to all be fix and sorted as it is a health risk and my son is no better also my baby is due in 12 weeks i really cant bring a new born home knowing whats above there rooms!!
also they were aware of the situation with the loft before we moved in.

the letting agentgs have told us its down to the land lord to pay but its going to cost alot so we will have to be pateint!!

is this right why do we have to pay so much rent each month for something that is not acceotiable we are in a years contract! what do we do???
if we have to move i need to know asap but they just keep telling us to wait to hear from the lanlord!!

also there is no partition in our loft so we share with the naighbour is this legal? surly they cant get that insured.

any avise will be a great help
thanks carly x:confused:
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Comments

  • shocked that e/a didnt check the place out properly, when taking it on..

    do you still have the original ad, was anything like this mentioned?

    check with CAB etc..

    may have grounds to withhold rent (but dont quote me!), until fixed.
    Long time away from MSE, been dealing real life stuff..
    Sometimes seen lurking on the compers forum :-)
  • Meatballs
    Meatballs Posts: 586
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    Also check with shelter and council's private rental person.

    I would have thought the landlord would have to pay out for somewhere for you to live somewhere if the place is a health hazard and un-inhabitable.
  • tbs624
    tbs624 Posts: 10,816 Forumite
    Ring your local council - you need to speak to the EHO(environmental health officer) and a tenancy relations officer from the Private Sector Rentals Team. They deal only with private tenancies and can liaise with your LL and even order him to complete certain work on the property.

    Don't withhold your rent without taking qualified advice.

    Take photos & your tenancy papers: ring and ask for an urgent appt or go and sit in their offices until you get seen.

    You have a right to a home that is free from mould and damp, and if the conditions are this poor and extensive work is required then you need alternative accommodation, particularly with a baby on the way. That means either an end to this contract and a new place or the LL pays for alternative accommodation of a similar sort until the work is completed.

    Don't let LAs fob you off .

    Make sure that your Health Visitor & GP know so that they can back you up if necessary.

    Let us know what response you get from the Council - it helps others who may have similar problems.

    As someone else has said you could also talk to Shelter - their lines are open 7 days 8-8,so you can talk to someone this weekend and talk to the Council on Monday with a clear idea of what your rights are. 0808 800 4444
  • HI
    thanks to everyone that replied very helpful indeed unfortunately its still not resolved!
    i got advice and was told the environmental health will give the land lord 28 working days to fix the problem otherwise court action will be taken.

    but its not quite quick enough its now affecting my health and my son is no better doctors have confirmed the conditions have made his asthma worse and thats why he is have trouble breathing.

    i will go to the council today to see if anything else can be done.

    i contacted the letting agent and they said yet again its out of there hands nothing they can do ect...
    i have told them they need to do somthing as they manage the property they then called me back to say " sorry carly but there is nothing we can do the land lord has been taken in to hospital and is very ill"
    apparently there is no one in the family to deal with it and the la will not pay for it as is very expensive!!

    what am i suppose to do now??
    i fear that the just keep fobbing me off as i'm only young i guess they think i don't know what i'm talking about, my partner may have to go in and speak to them but that means time off work which costs!!!

    help!!!
    carly x
  • oh also i found out from neighbor that they knew of condition before they moved us in!!!
    surly this is miss selling

    carly x
  • poppysarah
    poppysarah Posts: 11,522 Forumite
    So has the Env health actually given the landlord 28 days? You've got to go through that route whilst looking for somewhere healthier to live I think.

    Don't deal with them - do it through the env health/tenancy support now.
  • tbs624
    tbs624 Posts: 10,816 Forumite
    Carly -

    It' s helpful that you have the support of your doc, and good that you sought some advice. I'm not sure whether you have actually contacted the Env Health Office yet, or whether whoever gave you the advice is doing that on your behalf?
    If the EHO dept *haven't* been contacted you really need to get that moving..

    .s there a law centre anywhere near you? If the LL/LA definitely knew of the problem prior to your taking up the tenancy it would be useful for you to have some qualified legal advice.

    If you are on a limited income you can get help with costs - you could also contact Legal Services Direct on 0845 345 4 345.

    A local CAB may also be able to help,but do ask for someone with specific experience of housing issues/LL&T law.

    Also look at contacting your local councillors to lean on the EHO - they do have to give the LL a set period unfortunately, but your case should be prioritised because you are heavily pregnant and have a small child.

    If you don't know who your local councillor is you can find out by putting your postcode in here. Your councillor can come to your home to see the problem for themselves and help support you with all of this as you clearly don't need unnecessary stress and/or health problems whilst pregnant.

    Make a list of names , dates, who spoken to etc going back to the start of the tenancy and keep it updated in a file with photos etc.
  • boggie40
    boggie40 Posts: 140 Forumite
    they have to have time to put this right. i am sure if you provide medical evidence that this is causing ill health among your family they will let you walk away from the tenency with no penalties....
  • guppy
    guppy Posts: 1,084
    First Anniversary Combo Breaker
    Forumite
    boggie40 wrote: »
    they have to have time to put this right. i am sure if you provide medical evidence that this is causing ill health among your family they will let you walk away from the tenency with no penalties....

    And then try and let it to someone else in the same state :(
  • I am also in the same situation, i have been in my rented house for about 3 years now and it is covered in mold. In fact its that bad that its all over the clothes in the drawers! i also have athsma i have a 9 year old daughter that is allergic to mold i am allergic to mold and i am also 6 months pregnant. I am on the housing list and have been for the last year and a half but the chances of getting anywere with that are very slim. I would move to another private rented house but cannot afford the deposit and months rent in advance and am frankly at my wits end! So i know exactly what you are going through :mad: I cant see the landlord being able to do anything about it because part of the problem is there is no double glazing on the front of the house and i simply cannot afford to put the heating on. Lets hope there is hope out there for people in desperate times of need!
    !!!!!!!!Bingo Mad!!!!!!!!:beer:
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