Please help

mumtobe25

thank you all for your help and advice the problems have now been sorted thank you to all

poppysarah

Ring shelter for your exact rights.

but if it says washer you should be able to use one.

Council will also have a private sector housing team (was it them who helped with deposit?) - who can help you re: problems.

They might need taking off the approved landlord list by the sounds of it.

clutton_2

ask the council private sector housing officer to write to your landlord for you with regard to the repairs - but also check in your tenancy agreement as to whether there is a "break clause" in there.... if you are not sure about a clause - post it up here we may be able to help

mbga9pgf

can you move in with your parents?

ANNEGEDDES

can your midwife referr you to housing scheme? ask her she will know

silvercar

I signed a years agreement but im going to have a breakdown if i have to stay there i know i will need to speak to council as they did the bond thing (even though im paying it back) but im in tears all the time - the problmes ive listed here are the main ones but it turns out there are more. but does anyone have any idea if i will beable to get out of the contract? I have been offered help by someone who has seen how upset iam and how badly it is stressing me out to pay the deposit on somewhere else but any idea if i will beable to get out of the contract - i have only been there two weeks this thursday.

You have to decide what you want. It seems that the landlord is sorting the problems but only slowly.

Before you demand to leave the contract, you need to investigate where else you would leave. Tenancies are not that easy to find, particularly when you cannot afford advance rent and will need somewhere that accepts HB/ LHA.

At the moment you have a 2 bed home for you and your baby. Not ideal as they are still sorting the problems. At least it is a roof over your head and a home you can make your own.

tbs624

Generally, if you have signed a year’s contract, with no specific break clause in the agreement , then you can only leave if the LL can get another Tenant to take over from you and he can ask you to pay his advertising costs plus you would have to continue with your rent payments until the new T moves in.

1. Unless you have anything in writing about there being plumbing for a washing machine then it will be your word against the LLs. Have you checked whether the LL would allow you to have the plumbing put in if he didn’t have to pay for it? If you are struggling financially there may be help available for this from local trusts/charities. The other alternative is that you get a worktop washer that doesn’t need to be plumbed in. In the meantime is there a local launderette?

2. With the heating/hot water - a week is too long for a T to wait for a LL to get someone out to make an initial check when a system fails. 48 hours max IMO. The LL is legally obliged to keep your hot water and space heating system in good, safe, working order. It comes under what is called his “repairing obligations” (under S11 of the LL and T Act 1985). He has to get things fixed within a “reasonable” period of time: if he can’t get hold of his usual heating engineer then there are plenty of other firms who have GasSafe registered workmen ( GasSafe have taken over that responsibility from CORGI). He can set the costs against tax.

3. Leaks - it’s good that they are dealing with this but the LL's workmen should not be leaving floors up, especially when there is a pregnant tenant, so you must insist that they make good asap.

4. Laminate flooring and noise transmission is the cause of much unhappiness for neighbours, but this one is not down to your LL unless he also owns the flat above you. As you say your neighbours are “lovely”, could you ask one of them to come and hear what it sounds like for you? They may agree to putting a rug down.

5. Bedroom window - again, under those “repairing obligations” a LL has to maintain things like windows. What do you mean by “isn’t sealed properly”? Do you mean gaps around the window frames or an opening part of the frame that doesn’t close properly? Does wind/rain come in? Have you checked the actual room temperature at different times of the day?

You can’t rely on gossip from a plumber about the Council’s view on particular letting company- if the Council was that fed up with the LL it would stop sending vulnerable T’s his way. You can, however, ask the local Council to assess the property under the HHSRS ( Housing Health and Safety Rating System) and they can , as Clutton has said, speak direct to the LL about repairs.

Your best option is to get in touch with the Private Sector Rentals Team ( usually have someone called a Tenancy Relations Officer or LL Liaison Officer): they are always busy so you will have to be persistent.

If there really are lots of ongoing problems with this property, you could also find out who your local Councillor is and make an appointment for them to call to see you or for you to go along to one of their “surgeries”. You can find out who your Councillor is by putting your postcode in here http://www.writetothem.com/

Have you got friends/family in the area who can give you some support, or can your GP or health visitor put you in touch with a local parent & baby group?