damp

annoyedtenant_2

Hi there I'm having some problems with my landlord. When i looked at my flat before moving in it was a building site but was assured that this would be sorted by the time I moved in. WHen I turned up 4th Sep this was not quite the case. I was told there was a minor leak before I signed the tenancy. This leak however has not been fixed properly depsite numerousphone calls water continues to come into my house. I am told repeatedly that they have fixed it. There is mold growing that I clear up but it just grows back. Shoes and clothes ahve had mold growing on them. Electrical goods have stopped working and it seems too much of a coincidence that is alone called by the mold. The sofa they supplied had pubic hairs, the bedside cabinet had beer cans, there was crap all over the ktichen despite being told it would be cleaned. The boiler has broken today, the plaster off the ceiling has started to fall down and I have to vacuum. THe air is damp and my new sofa always feels damp. I can't bring work documents home as a few days means they start to coil up. Clothes never dry. I was provided with a dehumifier which reduced the problem. But I simply can't afford to run it 24/7 along with extraheating. They haven't sorted out the leak which is now all over the firealarm. They came and painted over some mold without actually removing it. Despite me asking for myself to be rpesent when they come around, and them agreeing, they arrive and do not tell me beforehand. I turn up at home to find jobs I wanted to supervise just done (well half done). The damp is making me cough, making my clothes smell, and affecting my work. What can I do?

annoyedtenant_2

I'm also very sorry. I can't seem to format the text in paragraphs

anselld

I would probably contact the Environmental Health department at your local Council. They have the power to enforce improvements where there are issues which make the property unsafe (which includes cold and leaks/damp). If the property is as bad as it sounds there will probably be other issues with fire safety, gas etc which you may not even be aware of.

Council might sound scary, but they are usually very helpful to tenants in such situations.

Jowo_2

Look on the landlordzone site for their pdf document about mould which should give some tips how to minimise it or treat the items it affects.

Ask the landlord for a rent rebate/compensation for the period in which the heating/hotwater is not available and the extra energy the issue is causing you to consume, ask him to supply fan heaters if the boiler can't be promptly fixed.

Have you been given a gas safety certificate for the boiler?

See the Shelter website about repairs and record keeping - always report the problems in writing and keep a copy.

You are entitled to quiet enjoyment of the property, according to housing law - write to the landlord to remind him that he must give notice and receive consent to enter the property. If this persists, change the lock barrel and change it back when you leave.

annoyedtenant_2

I have been given a gas safetycertificate. But it lists the wrong address (same road, but about 50 houses along with no flat number). Ive been told they simply listed the wrong address. its something I am now following up.

adg1

Speak, now, to the local councils health and safety inspectors/private rental teams and report your problems. You are living in a major health hazard.

Get a valid gas safety certificate now. It is a legal requirement. Make sure it is YOUR boiler they inspect and make sure it is done straight. A GSC can be done for less than £60 - not a lot of money for your landlord.

Send a letter recorded, listing your problems to your landlord and inform him of the actions you have taken to ensure YOUR safety.

adg1

annoyedtenant wrote: »

I have been given a gas safetycertificate. But it lists the wrong address (same road, but about 50 houses along with no flat number).

Wrong address, wrong boiler.

annoyedtenant_2

I'm sorry to drag up a thread from so long ago. THanks for all your advice.

I have now had the leak from upstairs fixed and the house has dried out substantially. However one electrical fault is still not been done. I have also finally got a gas safety certificate. The landlord came around at the end of November and said they wouldn't pay back rent but would give me rent rebate. It didn't happen in December despite a phone call and it hasn't happened this month despite another phone call and a couple of texts.

The house also still *stinks*. I clean the mold off regularly but it grows back. I also keep finding it in new places. For instance my job doesn't require me to wear a suit or smart shoes very often and when I got one out recently it was just covered in mould as were the shoes. I've had to spend a small fortune dry cleaning this stuff and have taken anything vaguely expensive away such as books, electrics as I am worried that they will bepermamently damaged. I hadn't quite realised how bad the smell was until I went away for Christmas and came back but it is pretty musty

I believe that this is still the cause of the recent leak. I keep the place well ventilated (windows on latch during the day), I have the heating on in the morning and evening. I also move the sofa and the bed away from the sides of the rooms as often as possible to ensure damp doesn't get in there. I am also not a heavy user of the shower (short sharp) and only dry one load (may be two) of washing a week in the house. I also remove the mould reguarly when I find it.

So whilst I have seen improvement it is not ideal really. Yet the landlord seems to be dragging their feet and the implication is I am doing something wrong.

What I would like advice on is a) am I in a position to take them to small claims court for the state of the property in the last quarter of 2009 and b) given that the leakage has been fixed who is responsible for the removal of the mould.

clutton_2

i think yo need to write a recorded delivery letter to your landlord, explaining that while the leak has been repaired, there are still serious issues with mould and that you would like a site meeting with him to show him the problems and to discuss the solution.

you cannot take anyone to court until they have made every attempts to get this put right

look at Shelter website where you will find the procedure you need to adopt about repairs .... yo have to do things by the book

the first stage is to start putting everything in writing to the landlord as above

let us know what he says ....

annoyedtenant_2

thanks, i will do. i wrote to them previously giving them 14 days to sort this situation out which detailed what I thought would be reasonable given the situation. That seemed to solve some problems so hopefully a second letter may well sort the rest of the situation out.

annoyedtenant_2

I spoke to my landlord today. They've offered 300 compensation (rental value about 500 a month). This seems a bit low given the expenses that have been incurred and the time wasted and the fact that some problems still haven't been fixed. The damp was pretty signifcant for three months and totting up in my head what its cost in terms of dry cleaning, replacement of electricals etc means that once this has been covered the compensation for the rubbish state of the property works out as less than 100 pounds.