landlord doing nothing

purple-smartie

What can I do about my landlord? No matter how many times I complain no one comes out to fix any problems. when I first moved here over 3 years ago I noticed a leak coming through my kitchen ceiling. when I reported it she just said it was probably my kids splashing water over the bath in the bathroom above. 2 and a half years later after lots of leaking and complaining the ceiling finaly fell down but at least she sent someone out to find the leak and put up a new ceiling.

My kitchen is also full of damp up the walls. shes told me to paint over it and it will finally go away.

The light bulbs in my hallway, stairs, and landing only last a week before they blow, sometimes they have flown out of the bulb holder and shattered so i just have a lamp at the top of my stairs as im fed up of hunting about in the dark trying to put new bulbs in.

I have out of control ivy growing up the front of my house which she promised in the summer someone would come and cut it, this never happened and it eventually grew in my windows causing them not to shut. she kept saying she forgot and would get someone out but it never happened and I ended up asking someone myself.

I have a bad draft coming in through the skirting board under the window in my living room window. this i pointed out to her last month when she came for the rent but no one has been(again) so ive rolled up a quilt cover to use as a draft excluder for now.

the wall under my living room window is also damp and so is a corner of my bedroom. ive noticed too that these 2 damp walls sound hollow and if i bang them they move like plaster board. My house is freezing and im putting the central heating on from getting up to going to bed and im putting £30 a week in my gas meter but its still cold.

There is also a big fat gang of slugs living in my kitchen walls so once it goes dark I cant turn the kitchen light off or they would all come out to play and no matter how many i throw outside more just come back the night after.

I guess avoiding paying my rent is a bad idea and im worried if i complain to someone she will evict us as there is no houses empty and we are only 51st on the council house list and the housing association only has a hand full of houses and no plans for any coming empty.

This is making me depressed now and im ashamed to have people come round because of the black damp walls and cold rooms so ive started hiding when people knock on the door. im also worried that when i do finally move she will refuse to pay back my £550 deposit. Anyone got any ideas what i can do that doesnt give her a excuse to kick me out. thanks.

black-saturn

Send a letter stating all this by recorded delivery (if you havn't already done so). Give her say 6 weeks to do something satisfactory about it.

If she doesnt go to your Environmental Health office who will come round and access it. They will then write to her and give her 6 weeks. If nothing has been done by them they will start court proceedings on your behalf.

Beware though as this can backfire as your landlord may think it's an easier option to have you out and put the house up for sale. But dont be bullied into putting up with the faults because of this.

purple-smartie

No i havent wrote to her yet ive just mentioned it when she comes for the monthly rent. im just about to look on the web site for enviromental health, see if theres any options there. When i complained once before she got someone out to value the property which i think was just a excuse into worrying me. shes left a message today saying shes coming for the rent tuesday I think i will try and get a appointment with CBA before to see what they advise.

Dora_the_Explorer_5

This may help a little bit with the damp, and it's only a suggestion. Open a window in the kitchen and bathroom to let the steam out and give them a good airing. Painting over will not cure the problem but washing the damp areas with diluted breach will kill the existing spores but they'll come back again if the cause of the damp isn't identified and fixed.
Damp and mould spores may have an effect on your childrens health, why not talk to one of your practice nurses about it? If the childrens health is being effected you may get moved up the council's housing list.

black-saturn

You need to put it in writing, send it by recorded delivery and keep a dated copy. Otherwise she will deny you ever mentioned it. Even if she comes for her rent and you mention it you still need to send the letter.

Try not to worry about threats. She's just worried incase she will have to fork out some money instead of rake it in all the while for doing nothing.

It sounds like EH will have her working for her money if you go to them. No one should have to live in sub standard living conditions. It's not the Victorian times.

purple-smartie

ive already been washing the walls down with bleach but its not getting rid of all the damp and the walls are stained black. the damp in the corner of the bedroom is right near babys cot and the room is a strange design and theres no other placo to move the cot to. I will do the letter and get one sent out. even if she signed for a letter could she still not deny she received one and make out it was something else i sent her in the post?

ive also just filled in the form for the warm front grant but i did this last year and never heard anything back so i might be better of phoning. Im not sure how they would get to my loft though as my loft hatch as been took away and a piece of plaster board put over the hole. im beginning to think the whole house is made of plaster board

indiegirl_2

Do you rent directly through your landlord, or through a third-party agency (if so, get in touch with them too - by telephone then follow it up with letter).

I agree with black-saturn - you need to put everything down in writing, keep copies, and if you telephone her - take a note of when and what was requested. Keep a diary of everything - from what happens in the house (ie something falling down, new mould appearing) to when (and how) you contacted your landlord. This could be invaluable evidence against her...

Have a chat with the CAB as well, they may be able to advise of other living options (if you're made homeless doesn't that force the council to do something?? I might be wrong there though)...

Most importantly - keep smiling - as hard as it can be - don't let this landlord think she's won - from your description it's an appalling living situation and no-one should have to put up with that.

Best of luck.

Savvy_Sue

purple-smartie wrote:

even if she signed for a letter could she still not deny she received one and make out it was something else i sent her in the post?

No, because you will have your recorded delivery receipt, and you can track on the Royal Mail website when it was delivered and signed for.

Another useful lot to contact or look at website are Shelter. This is the page I found about repairs!

Alleycat

Hi,

Your landlady has a legal duty to keep the property in an acceptable state of repair. You may find that your local housing advice service has a department that deals specifically with landlord tenant issues in the private sector, if not follow the above advice and contact Environmental Health. They can visit and inspect the property and should be able to try and negotiate with your landlady to get the repairs done. If she refuses they can eventually get a court order and fine her upwards of £300 (this will depend on where you live I think).

Yes, she could end up evicting you which is a risk you may have to take, but if she issues you with a notice to quit she would have to go to court for possession. In the paperwork she would have to give her reason for eviction and may have to provide proof that she has put the house on the market (you can go to court for the possession hearing and say she isn't really selling if she says she is but isn't).

Once the environmental health have been out, if they deem the property to be uninhabitable, I would suggest you contact your local housing advice team for assistance. They would give your landlady sufficient time to carry out repairs but if she did not do this they may be able to assist with temporary accommodation. If your landlady goes through with her threat and does start eviction proceedings, you can have a homeless assessment and if found to be homeless or facing homelessness within 28 days, in priority need (with kids you would be) and unintentional (again, you would as its not your fault the repairs haven't been carried out) they could assist you with temporary accommodation (if necessary) and give you priority to be rehoused by the council/housing trust.

At the end of the day, you shouldn't be expected to live in such squalor but unfortunately this type of thing crops up all too often. Shoddy landlords thinking they can get away with fleecing tenants. I know it may seem scarey having to go through all of this, but hopefully the situation can be resolved.

Good luck!

Alley

purple-smartie

Thanks for all your advice. Ive found a sample letter that I can use so i will make 3 copies, one to hand to her tuesday, one i will post to her and the other to keep for myself. I dont rent through a agency its directly through my landlord and its a assured shorthold tenancy. the shelter web site looks interesting. I havent had a proper read yet but ive noticed things like if paying rent weekly they have to supply a rent book. Ive never had a rent book in the 3 years ive lived here, she just writes the date and how much rent i pay on a envelope.

Also the name on my tenancy agreement isnt hers, its in her partners name who ive never met so I will name the letters to him. I know she isnt going to be pleased as they have their own "friend" who services their tenants boilers. she told me he was corgi registered but I asked to see his card when he arrived and he admitted he wasnt registered so I refused to let him in. She did get a registered gas checker out but she also decided to put my rent up from £85 to £95 a week.

lush_walrus

Sounds awful, but out of curiousity why stay there, personally if I were you I wouldnt be encouraging a landlord like that by staying there for 3 years, or indeed any longer. Can you give notice and move to a new nicer place? I know its a hassle, but surely if you have got to the stage where you are embaraced to have people come around then its time to move on. Regardless of what happens with your complaints at the moment and if eventually you get the landlord to get the work done, surely you will find yourself in this position with them again and again.