Damp problems in newly rented house - getiing no help - what can we do please?

talkhard

If you'd rather cancel the tenancy agreement, its always worth an ask.

We had kind of the same problem. We gained the keys to the property in the evening (big mistake!) and when we returned in the morning, there were several walls with damn patchs.

I was really annoyed to have to waste my time phoning people regarding it and after two days of ringing around and wasting my annual leave waiting in for builders and people to come and identify where the damp was coming from, we told the landlord to shove it.

We argued we never signed on for damp walls. On one of the walls, my partner put his hand on it and paint come off on his hand. The walls were literally dripping in our case.

The letting agency was more than happy to null and void the contract (with a small admin fee, nothing compared to the hell of living there) and handed the keys back.

Decide if you would like to stay or whether you want to void the tenancy and then negotiate from there.

Good luck with it all.

clutton_2

""is there any way we can get out of the 6 month Assured Shorthold Tenancy Agreement as to be honest I am really concerned for the health and welfare of my family. ""

short answer is no.... you have signed an agreement for 6 months , you are responsible for paying the rent for that period - if you leave before the end of the 6 months your LL can insist you pay the rent till the end of the 6 months of until he can f nd a new tenant - which ever is sooner

with regard to damp... open the windows and heat the property, keep lids on saucepans; open windows during cooking and after bathing and showering....

since you have only been there one month you have not given the LL sufficient time to make amends

every complaint you have needs to be in writing

look at Shelter website for repairs issues.....

During these last few snow-bound weeks, folks have, understandably, not been ventilating property properly - wait till the snows have gone and the temperature has risen before making any definitive decisions

having said all that it is a legal obligation for your LL to have provided you with a landlords gas safety certificate and an EPC (LGSC is not actually legally due to be given to the tenant till 28 days after it has been issued by the gas engineer)

For these reasons i am suggesting that you contact the LL directly.... if the agent is not fulfilling his part of the contract between LL and LA then the LL should be told about it ASAP to give him/her the opportunity to put things right

sunshine777_2

Thank-you for all your replies.

Our situation sounds very similar to yours, talkhard. As Tenants I feel we have done everything to remedy this, including heating, ventilation and using a good electrical dehumidifier so I think it is best we contact Shelter and take it from there

Thanks Again.

poppysarah

Britwife wrote: »

What do your windows look like? Are they covered in condensation?

If it's that bad, you should have noticed and smelled it when you first moved in.

I made the mistake of moving into a flat the landlord was just painting throughout.

I assumed he was a good landlord and repainted after every tenant to keep the place looking nice.

What I found out was it hid the mould and was less effort than cleaning it off and sorting out the problem.

Air bricks should be open - but it's a job the landlord should put right.

roger196

With the older types of gas boiler ( not room sealed) air bricks are essential to provide enough oxygen for the boiler to function safely. What gas appliances do you have on the premises. If you have the gas certificate, you could ring the gasman up and ask whether he was aware that the airbricks had been blocked up. A modern room sealed boiler usually does not need air bricks as they draw air in through a dual pipe flue. The manufacturers instructions (about 50 pages long obtainable from their website) will tell you the required ventilation area in square centimetres.

andrewb4709

Hi,

We have same problem. We moved into our end terraced home last year, just been decorated throughout, and LL advised had been problem with damp due to bad gutter and had rectified it, he said the patch should be dried out within a few months etc.

12months on and no change on the patch, tha same as it was, but also our sons room and our room have delveloped bad cases of damp on 2 of the 4 walls, reported to LL on numerous occasions last year and was told he would come out but still waiting, anyway we got a grant for some loft insulation in hope this would help, but after drying out ever so slighlty it is worse than before, we are all full of colds all the time and i think it is due to the house being damp and cold all the time, i did ask the LL for donation towards the heating to try save some money to recitfy having it on alot of the time to warm house up, but was told no.

We have no LA, so dont know like yourselves where we stand or what to do, as cant really afford to move?

Hopefully we can help each other...

Thanks,
Andy

BitterAndTwisted

Put any requests for repairs or remedial work to your landlord in writing, keep a copy and send by Recorded Delivery.

When does your rental agreement end?

andrewb4709

ours ends end of month.

andy

BitterAndTwisted

No, I meant how long is there to go until the agreement ends. Did you mean that your rental agreement finishes at the end of this month?

poppysarah

andrewb4709 wrote: »

Hi,
We have no LA, so dont know like yourselves where we stand or what to do, as cant really afford to move?

Hopefully we can help each other...

Thanks,
Andy

Ring shelter or find the council's private rented sector housing team... or environmental health.