i dont know what to do, renting and nothing being fixed etc

rach!_3

hi everyone,
we are renting and paying £500 a month never a late or missed payment in the 12 months we have been here.
when we moved in applied for warm front(we have storage heaters 2 of which are broken) who were going to replace the dodgy heaters and put in a new boiler and re-insulate the loft, they contacted LL 3 times and all 3 times were ignored.
Weve had several things go wrong since we've been here and fobbed off with i'll contact you after the weekend etc etc, so now we have been here 12 months and always paid the full rent on time.
a 3rd heater has stopped working, we have 2 leaky taps, a leaky toilet and a broken toilet seat(which i dont mind replacing) also several broken window handles and nothing being done about anything.
so is there anything we can do?
the taps are bothering me as on is the hot tap and its an emmersion heater so the hot is constantly on the boil.
other than move(which is what were planning) but til we find somewhere else is there anyone we can contact to get help with these things?
(p.s. we would have fixed taps ourselves too but stoptap is stuck)
also one more thing im told our deposit should have been put into a safe account? dont know name now, we have never had anything to state this was done. what should i do about this?
thanks and sorry for long post

Gorgeous_George

Warmfront will not normally fix central heating in a private rental - it is the LL's responsibility.

I'd find a better LL.

GG

scottishblondie

Your deposit should be held in a deposit protection scheme. There are only 3 of them, I don't know the names, but you can contact them directly and ask if they are holding your deposit.

Other than that, he sounds like a rubbish landlord. Move as soon as you can

rach!_3

they said as we didnt need much they would replace the 2 dodgy ones.
but she hasnt replied to them
and yeah thats what we plan on doing, but its proving hard to find another suitable property for a similar amount.
thanks for your reply

Fire_Fox

Have you written to the landlord by recorded delivery detailing the problems with the property and requesting repairs?

rach!_3

is this deposit protection scheme by law as such or arent LL's obliged to do it?

rach!_3

Fire Fox i dont have my LLs address only a mobile number and a number for the P.A.

foxy-roxy

I am in the same boat, we have the very old fashioned boiler where you have to put the heating on for about 2 hours to get hot water, we have a horrid bathroom with NO shower, carpets are ruined and we had to put down new ones out of our own pocket because LL was never going to replace them, (they even had paint spilled all over them from previous tenants). fence in garden is broke, skirting missing in kitchen, i could go on but don't want to depress myself,
but my point is some LL like ours will never invest money into these properties so you will either have to do it yourself or find somewhere else.

I do the jobs myself now as i can't really move as i have 2 dogs which LL is ok with (suprise suprise) but am struggling to find anywhere else that allow them.

G_M

Have you reported all these faults to the LL in writing? Did you send the letter(s) by recorded delivery (so as to have proof that he knows of the problems)?

If not, do so immediately. A letter listing all the faults and reminding him of his obligation to fix them. Sent by recorded delivery to the address given on the tenancy agreement.

Give him a time limit to fix them (be realistic - but for urgent things like heating, given that it's winter, 5 working days).

Ultimately if he refuses to repair, or fails to repair, you can get the repairs done yourself and deduct the cost from future rent BUT you MUST follow a procedure. Failure to do so would put you in the wrong through rent arears.

See Shelter's advice here.

princeofpounds

You need to learn how to rent. You clearly have no idea of your rights (there are responsibilities too mind) or how to enforce them.

There is a wealth of information on the repairs issues here on the boards. To type it all out again is a bit of a waste of time, but I can tell you what to search for, here and on google.

Lee-Parker vs Izzet 1971 - the court case that established the tenant's right to repair and reclaim from rent. Strict procedure, shelter explain it all below however. This is your most likely method of sorting things out.

http://england.shelter.org.uk/get_advice/repairs_and_bad_conditions/repairs_in_private_lets

Section 11 - this is the part of the landlord and tenants act which details the landlord's duties to repair. You can sue the landlord in the small claims court to enforce repairs (though in reality you would use the procedure above unless it was an inaffordable repair or you were unable to guarantee enough tenure to reclaim the cost).

hhsrs - the housing health and safety ratings system. You can (and should) contact your council's environmental health unit, who use this procedure to inspect private housing on request. They can put repairing orders on hazards (which include things like heating and hot water), and these are legally binding and the council will prosecute for you if they are not carried out. Often the mere threat of an inspection gets results.

So, after researching write a letter to your LL. Point out their obligations under Section 11, and state that you will call on environmental health to inspect and/or use the process above to fix problems and recover from rent. Give a short time limit for a reply and send recorded delivery so you have proof.

Your problems will be fixed one way or the other.

rach!_3

foxy roxy yeah we too have 2 dogs which LL is ok with,
and its that that is making it hard to find elsewhere
and we really cant afford a plumber to come out otherwise id be doing it all myself, i have a DIY book which tells you all the step by step guides to diy but its the stop tap that isnt budging thats making it worse than everything else for me right now, and yep carpets are the same was going to decorate after xmas but we wont be staying too long hopefully.