Guess whose back!? The Return Diary

CAFCGirl

Sorry to hear you're not feeling 100% Bella, hope it clears up soon, so take it easy.
What you fancying for saturday night then?

Just had a call from our letting agent, saying that they have to wait for the building company to get back in contact, before they can do anything as the unit is still under guarantee. I did point out to her yet again that this wasnt our problem,we're losing property, potentially going to start getting ill, we've had the windows open every evening that we're home, the vents open all the time, we dont dry any clothes on an airer anymore, the fan is always on when we're cooking, so we're doing pretty much everything we can, and they have known about this for a year so what we want is release from our contract, but she cant/wont contact the landlord to enquire until the build company have got back to her.
I know exactly what will happen though, the build company will blame it on us, and say its condensation, well im sorry but there is no way this level of mould/damp is caused by condensation and we've done everything we can.
So Im really stressed and aggreviated by the whole thing now.

Dont really know what else we can do, as we just keep getting told its got to go through this person and that person!

ARGH!!!!
Going to try and write a letter later about getting compensation for the damage to our property.... but I cant bet that wont go anywhere, oh well.

Just too annoyed to know what to do with myself today, had plans to be all ultra productive and get the cleaning done etc, but I just want to scream at someone right now! ARGH! Deep breaths....

My Dooyoo however is going very well and Im nearly at 25k

bella2121

HEY CAFC!!!

Sorry things arent goin great with the letting agents! there is a post on this forum about someone with a similar issue http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=1227129 might be worth a look it talks about contact enviromental health office at your local council?

Well done on the dooyoo, i'm still not motivated enough lol!! have been comping lots and lots!

Not sure what i fancy for saturday night? they way i look i can either let OH spend say £5 on some meat or kebab type things from the market or £17+ on a takeaway! gonna take LO to the chocolate stall let him pick what he wants, its also the christmas lights switch on in our town tomorrow so might have a look at that, no one exciting switching them on i'm afraid just some soap stars and unknown bands!

xx

CAFCGirl

Sounds like a nice market to go too. Im dead jealous of the LO and the chocolate stall!

Am just firing off a letter to the letting agent about this situation, which I cant figure out if it is damp or condensation, and its driving me insane!

bella2121

Its not a bad market! lots of little bargain stalls ie the chocolate stall lots of little choc bars 10 for £1 etc, lots of meat stalls and fish market yummmmm might get some cockles???

I would deffo get in touch with councils enviromental health see what they say, private rentals have regulations which have to be followed and i'm sure they would be able to give you some advice! xx

CAFCGirl

Heres the letter Ive written but if anyone has got any advice, or if ive forgotten something, let me know

14th November 2008
Ref: Damp issue in rented accommodation.
To whom it may concern;
On Thursday 13th November my husband and I visited the Canterbury branch of Sandersons to follow up on a damp/mould situation which had been highlighted to the Canterbury branch on numerous occasions.
A member of the Weston Homes team has been out to the property and given it what is in my mind an unsatisfactory inspection.
The advice we have been given on that day, and with a leaflet which followed was to ventilate the property, ensure it is heated adequately, have doors open to allow air flow, use the extractor fan when cooking, have the bathroom fan on when using the shower/bath, and to clean off the mould currently in the property.
On the day the mould was given a rough clean on the window sills and parts of the skirting boards. A product was also put over a large damp patch which was on the internal wall.
Even before this visit from Weston Homes, we were aware of how to combat condensation in properties and had done these steps before this problem became as serious as it is now.
We have continued with these measures and since the visit from Weston Homes, the mould/damp/condensation has become even more serious.
We had an inspection in the property three weeks ago by an agent of Sandersons, and the extent of the problem was explained. Admittedly the agent did seem quite concerned for our situation, and promised to call me back regarding this on the following Monday. We received no further communication, hence our visit to the branch on the 13th.
We have raised our concerns about this issue time and time again and we strongly believe that this issue is being passed backward and forward, with no one taking responsibility.
A vast amount of our property has been damaged beyond repair because of this issue and therefore we will seek compensation for this from Sandersons, who our agreement is with. Should Sandersons then choose to seek reimbursement of this compensation from Weston Homes/The Landlord then that is their responsibility. We signed a tenancy agreement on the understanding that the property was sound, safe and adequate for habitation.
The risk to our health is becoming much more serious the longer that this issue is ignored by parties concerned. Therefore a copy of this letter has been sent to the Environmental Health Office at Canterbury City Council, along with photographic evidence, which has also been provided to Sandersons Property Management.
We have already asked that the landlord be contacted in regard to this situation, however from a conversation today with the Maidstone office, this will not be done until Weston Homes have responded.
Yet again I reiterate my previous point that we should not have to endure these conditions whilst the “buck” be passed amongst the parties involved.
We have done everything within our means, at a cost to ourselves to stem this problem, and had we been responsible for this, we would hold our hands up to it.
We have done everything that has been suggested and that we have been asked to but this problem is not going away.
As tenants we do not see why we should be expected to live in substandard conditions which shortly will have greater impact on our health. We have asked Sandersons to contact the landlord regarding releasing us from the contract so that we can seek alternative accommodation which does not pose a significant health impact, or present damage to our property.
So far we have had to replace property to the value of £259.99, replace clothing and footwear stored in an in-built wardrobe to the value of £194.79, and damage to other property which has had to be cleaned repeatedly due to mould spores, at a cost of £17.99 to ourselves.
Following the explanation of this situation we require the landlord to be contacted immediately and the situation explained fully, and early termination of the tenancy agreement to be authorised with the return of the full deposit paid within 7 days of us vacating the property. We would also like an offer of compensation for the above detailed damages to be presented in writing also.
We would like to leave the property by the 20th December and all further correspondence for legal reason to be done in writing.
Regards

clearmydebts

Phew, no messing with you CAFC!!! I think the letter is excellent. I would put in a bit about the impact on your health from mould so it strengthens the case a bit more. Apart from that there is nothing I would change.

Edit: what I meant was a bit more about how mould can affect your health!

CAFCGirl

clearmydebts wrote: »

Phew, no messing with you CAFC!!! I think the letter is excellent. I would put in a bit about the impact on your health from mould so it strengthens the case a bit more. Apart from that there is nothing I would change.

Edit: what I meant was a bit more about how mould can affect your health!

I got what you meant

bella2121

thats great cafc!

I would stress you have researched the implications of mould on your health etc !!!!!! them up a bit lol!!!

xx

CAFCGirl

Yeah think i might throw a few more bits in there, about what health risks we are facing if the problem isnt dealt with.

Quite frankly all I want now is release from our contract. DH said we should just leave anyway, find a new place, and move out. But that would mean paying 2 rents for one month, but then he said we should just leave now and leave them our deposit, but our deposit is more than the one months rent so its all confusing me a bit.
I would love for them to give us early release, and give us back our deposit as we havent damaged the property in any way. We've got 2 viewings for new places on thursday so would be really good if either of those came up trumps.... just have to wait and see I guess.

bella2121

I'm sure i've heard somewhere you can withold your rent and not pay with things like this?? maybe it was a dream lol!!

I'm sure you'll get it sorted