Done up like a Kipper! Too Nice

Mips

I was the tenant from hell recently

I would have got environmental health around, threatened them with legal action, witheld rent...

It worked for me .. I got out of the Assured Shorthold Tenancy from hell.. however.. you obviously like your flat

Out,_Vile_Jelly

The flat must be unimaginably awesome for anyone to put up with not having a proper water supply for two years.

00ec25

if you are angling for compensation for the obvious distress you have siuffered for the last 2 years (and are confident the installations are illegal) then sue the LL

if you are acting in the best interests of future tenats then contact the council and then move on, its not your problem

mlz1413

Future tenants are not your issue they are the LL's.
You could leave a note in the flat saying the water pressure is a problem but the LL is likely to throw it away as soon as he sees it.

Remember the next lot of tenants will probably not be as tolerant as you so the LL may have to put up with a quick succession of exits or withheld rent which may well push him to re-plumb the whole building (but I'd doubt it).

Re compensation have you ever asked for this previously? Do you have it in writing? If so take the LL to the small claims court. The only thing that I can't understand and may be questioned is that you still want to live in this flat, YOU are unhappy about having the tenancy terminated which would suggest to me that the water problem can't be that bad.

Re-correction of the problem I'm surprised a header tank can't be installed or the boiler moved to the top so that gravity is working with the water flow rather than against. But again this is the LL's problem and after 2 years and a lot of specialist I'd say move on, just remember to run the shower when you view the next flat!

Soot2006

I don't want some other poor sucker to give
hundreds and hundreds of pounds rent for crap
service.

So you'll continue to pay it in the meantime?
That doesn't make any sense.

Sounds like horrible living conditions

needsomeclarification

The Pump is extra dodgy, and will be looked into.
It's basically dangerous.

As for the two years., how did i put up with it?
why pay all that money. Well, the flat was nice,
very nice, that's why we were paying all that
bloody extortianate money!Beacuse it
was a nice flat.That was the point of renting it.
Nobody talked to us about plumbing problems.

The water started out intermitently,
and being new tenents we didn't want to
start blowing steam about something as
soon as we got in.

We wrongly thought it was a neighbourhood
water pressure thing at the outset.

But the neighbours didn't have the same problem,
that was after 3-4 months. Then we called the agents
who after dithering pulled a plumber in .He said it
was the bioler and pipes. So he went, they got a
second plumber opinion-he siad the same thing.

Just to check it wasn't the local water pressure they
got a guy specifically to check the water pressure
(because if it was -then thames water would
be liable for the correction of it at a certain pressure).
He confirmed local pressure was fine, it was the
bioler and pipes. This is now 8-9 months in.
He says he'll send a report.

Then the manufacturer bioler guy is sent,to
check the bioler.He does an indepth look at everything.
Confirms it's the bioler and pipes.
He will send the report on.

So after the new year began the provaractaing,
missed calls, emails, odd plumbers come to "fix
the problem" and eventually add a dodgy pump.

That's how you waste 2 years
And being good tenents, we paid
our rent all the time.

If we were told at the beginning that the water was
a nightmare, then of course we would have been idiots
for renting it, and putting up with it.We had to
discover it ourselves over a long period in yes,
a very nice flat.

I will see the council.
I will get some one to find out if they
applied for planning permission for the
dodgy pump and wiring and got a proper
registered electrician.

We put up with so much crap in this country
, got to do something about it, that's the whole
point of these forums after all. The above problem
was there for years and probably why
the last tenents left and what the next tenent will get.
This walking on the other side of the street
while someone is getting beat up or hurt new british
attitude isn't for me.Sorry, otherwise I wouldn't
have posted.

need some clarification

franklee

needsomeclarification wrote: »

.3

How to fight the termination of the contract, which is based we think as another way of avioding legal obligations of the landlord to provide adequate water and heating

needsomeclarification wrote: »

We put up with so much crap in this country
, got to do something about it, that's the whole
point of these forums after all. The above problem
was there for years and probably why
the last tenents left and what the next tenent will get.
This walking on the other side of the street
while someone is getting beat up or hurt new british
attitude isn't for me.Sorry, otherwise I wouldn't
have posted.

This is a good point, as one tenant moves on it is often obvious that a brand new tenant is going to walk into the same problems.

If you report it to the council then hopefully they can follow it up although I don't know if they can do that when a property stops being let for a bit while the landlord changes tenants. It does seem to me that with an assured shorthold tenancy where the tenant can easily be given notice to leave that a landlord can simply evict the tenant to avoid doing repairs and then a new tenant does get the same problems. With the law as it is I don't really see there is much that can be done about this.

It would be nice if the proposed landlord's register could deal with these kind of persistent problems, perhaps barring the one property from being registered rather than just dealing with the landlord himself being registered or not as the current plans seem to be doing. But I really doubt that we will ever get anything that "joined up" so in the end walking away is the pragmatic option.

The other thing you can do is write to your MP and/or visit him at his surgery. MPs do deal with a lot of housing and tenancy issues. You can write explaining your case and ask him what can be done to protect the next tenant once you have been evicted for complaining. It will not change things in one go but the more letters an MP gets the more ammunition he has to raise the issues.

Shelter are also aware of so called "retaliatory eviction" that is the use of the Section 21 notice to evict a tenant who complains about disrepair. Again you could email your case to them and again this can be added to their evidence to campaign against "retaliatory eviction". As the law is now there is little if anything you can do to fight a S21 apart from delay things for a short while, so long as the paperwork is in order you will be evicted regardless of the disrepair issues as the S21 does not need reasons.

None of this will change things overnight but every little helps

clutton_2

i also cannot see why you would have stayed for 2 years, nor why you would not want to leave now.

if you take any court action - a judge will ask you these questions

(i am an LL)

and

i do not condone your landlords actions

may i suggest that fighting future tenants issues is not your concern ... philanthropic as it sounds//

i think the problem may that the LL has converted a property into flats without complying wiht building regs - andn it also sounds as if he has not used the correct bore-sized pipe work - or used such old pipes that they are clagged up inside with years of gung and now have an even small central bore area for the water to get through.

if you are detemined to put your energies into this current landlord, rather than find yourself somewhere nicer and better to live - then check first of all wiht planning, as to whether these flats are seen as separate addresses, and also chekc with Planning as to whether a Building Regs Cert was issued on conversion

i would find myself a nicer place to live if it was me ....

dont cut off your nose to spite your face - this bad LL is not going to change overnight and spend thousands on a new boiler and new system just because you make a few threats is he ?

franklee

needsomeclarification,

On Retaliatory Eviction, This page has details about the campaign, it says people with experience of retaliatory eviction, particularly tenants, are welcome to make contact and pass on their experience, see here:
http://nearlylegal.co.uk/blog/2008/11/retaliatory-eviction-campaign/

Shelter on Retaliatory Eviction:
http://england.shelter.org.uk/news/previous_years/2007/june_2007/one_million_live_with_eviction_fear

Also to contact your MP try:
http://www.mysociety.org/projects/writetothem/

parkysaves

I totally sympathise with your situation (my OH being in the letting agency business sees some sights from both sides) and it's very easy for those on the outside of a situation to offer advice which, if you're already in a fragile state about it all can be seen as personal criticism - indeed we are all allowed an opinion. I just hope this doesn't add to your woes as it's not what you need right now.

I wonder, if you do decide to move on, where you stand legally posting the address on this site!!! Think how many people read these forums and how many potential tennants this LL would lose!!! :T

OBVIOUSLY, I'm not actually suggesting you do the above as I have NO IDEA if you would be breaking any laws etc. But it's worth thinking about - a name and shame forum, not just for companies.

I hope you get it sorted, and for what it's worth, there are so many other properties out there, I think I may be thinking about moving on and letting bygones be bygones now.