Rented house, builders been there 8 months, any rights?

youknowwho

Hi all,

I guess I'm just looking for a bit of advice.

I currently live in rented accommodation, its a 4 bed house and each room is let seperately.

8 months ago, the landlord decided to have some builders in to upgrade bathrooms, knock down walls, re -build new walls, move bathrooms - quite alot of heavy work.

These 8 months have been hell, builders practically living there too! I have had no reduction in rent, except for month where she gave me half back but then increased it from the next month!. I have been in the house two years and haven't signed a contract for about the last 6 months (just due to landlady not briging one round etc) but I have maintained all my payments plus the increase within this time. I have had no written confirmation of the increase, he just told us to increase our standing orders.

I feel my privacy has been invaded, builders have been outside my bedroom window while i slept putting cement (or whatever it is) on the walls outside and I woke up to him right outside my window and he could see me sleeping. I work 1-9 and the builders come around 8.30, and wake me up with banging. They also have their own key, and I can be sat in the front room and 3 men might just walk in and start work. I once had a gas man knock my BEDROOM door at 8am asking me to shopw him where the boiler was, he had let himself in and I was the only person in at that time. I can't go downstairs in morn and make cuppa as the builders are all in there reading the paper mostly and drinking tea and I feel intimidated, so I just stay in my room until I go to work.

I know it's been a rant but is there anything I can do, they have nearly finished now so it will only be another month. But can Landlorg get away with treating his tenants like this? I have approached and expressed my opinions and all he says is " I'm doing the work so you have a nicer place to live" Hmmm! Not trying to increase yourhouse price and keep your income going by letting us live in it then...

Can anyone give me any legal adivce, is this allowed?

Thanks for reading.

poppysarah

Ring shelter.
But I'd have moved some time ago.

Jowo_2

No, tenants are entitled to quiet enjoyment of their property (assuming you are a tenant rather than a lodger with a live-in landlord).

This means that you are entitled to refuse to have people enter the property without notice AND your consent. It's rare for a landlord to make improvements with tenants in situ - they are only legally obliged to keep the existing infrastructure in good repair.

By the sounds of it, it is too late to start asserting your rights. Nothing to stop you from asking for further compensation or getting all tenants to put their foot down and or insisting to your landlord that he gives notice and waits until you've given assent in future.

And if he doesn't comply, change the locks but make sure you change them back when you leave.

youknowwho

Jowo wrote: »

No, tenants are entitled to quiet enjoyment of their property (assuming you are a tenant rather than a lodger with a live-in landlord).

This means that you are entitled to refuse to have people enter the property without notice AND your consent. It's rare for a landlord to make improvements with tenants in situ - they are only legally obliged to keep the existing infrastructure in good repair.

By the sounds of it, it is too late to start asserting your rights. Nothing to stop you from asking for further compensation or getting all tenants to put their foot down and or insisting to your landlord that he gives notice and waits until you've given assent in future.

And if he doesn't comply, change the locks but make sure you change them back when you leave.

Thanks, I have told a few friends and they think the LL is completely out of order. The problem is, there are three other tenants who don't want to make a fuss and just live around it, I dont think I can convince them to stand up to him. Also changing the locks would be costly and I would have to get everyone a spare key and they would say I'm over-reacting.

My friend is training to be a lawyer and she said about thebuilder outside my window is breaking an article in the Human rights Act "To be allowed to live in privacy". Also can he legally up the rent without asking me in writing? Also for part of the time the builders were here, I didn't have 100% access to the house as they were using some of it (garden still full of their equioment), should I really have had a rent reduction while this was happening?

youknowwho

poppysarah wrote: »

Ring shelter.
But I'd have moved some time ago.

i had a quick look at their site but I love in Wales, and I think the site is for England. Know one that is for the ~Wales?

Catblue

This is the Shelter Wales website.

http://www.sheltercymru.org.uk/shelter/home/

Jowo_2

There is a set process a landlord must follow to raise the rent. This should be on the Shelter site.

Changing the locks isn't always costly assuming that you have the standard yale and mortice, it only takes 10 minutes, a screwdriver and about £30 if you buy the same size locks, plus a few quid per key. Anyway, your problem is that the other tenants won't support you, not the expense.

A rule of thumb, not sure its a legal obligation, is for a landlord to compensate tenants by the approx percentage of the property that the tenants cannot access for the duration that they cannot access it. As far as I am aware, that's informal guidance.