Landlord replaced broken freezer with an ice box/tiny freezer - is this allowed?

my_gorgeous_ellie-belle

Ok, fridge freezer initally went to pot 7 months ago - long story but it never got fixed properly and we had to chase and chase the estate agent to get the landlord to replace it....

Well this morning we have had a fridge freezer delivered however i'd hardly call it that - it is more like a fridge with a tiny square freezer box above.

Now i was under the impression that as it was an item included in the property he'd have to replace it and have the decency to do so like for like.

Our big problem is we are a family of 4 now so this is just ridiculous to expect us to use. It'd only be suitable for one person, maybe 2 at a push.

Does anyone know where we stand? The estate agent seems to think we are being picky about it.

Many thanks in advance!

PasturesNew

No idea .... but families did used to live OK without any freezer... in fact I don't think we got one until I was 15.

My pure guess is he's wrong and he should have replaced it with a "like for like" unit. It's not as if it's a unique item that he'd have trouble sourcing. However, maybe the LL's strapped for cash (not your problem, you deserve a proper freezer!)

my_gorgeous_ellie-belle

Thanks - well my big problem is i'm breastfeeding and storing milk so i can return to work and have a supply for my son - looks like i'll have to give up on that, as the one he's bought fits 2 bags of frozen veg and 2 lots of meat (mince in the plastic trays) and nothing more and thats at a push. It's not like we want to fill it with crap just now we have a freezer's worth of food that's going to go to waste as it can't fit in. When you are strapped for cash yourself a freezer is pretty important IMO!

Our big problem is the landlord is trying to sell the property so he doesn't want to replace or repair anything (including our heating and some dodgy electrics that smell of smoke if anythings plugged in) - however as we are still under a rolling contract i thought it was his responsibility to do so while we are paying him rent. The estate agents have basically told us to buy our own freezer - which pee's me off as we got rid of a £600+ perfectly working fridge-freezer as he wouldn't move his heap of crap when we moved in.

To be honest i think i will go to CAB regarding the fact he is neglecting alot within this house which is actually potentially very dangerous (dodgy electrics)!

ItMightBeUsefulOneDay

Vote with your feet and find somewhere else to rent. I know it's a huge hassle but it sounds as though your time there is limited anyway if the LL is trying to sell. The lack of a big freezer with tiny ones is major and will cause all kinds of teeth grinding annoyance.

it won't get better, if he's trying to sell there'll be viewings and NOTHING will get fixed unless it's water flooding the living area. Everything else will just be covered up and hope the prospective buyers don't notice.

Colincbayley

The landlord is not obliged to replace like for like. If there was no inventory saying that a fridge/freezer was supplied in good working order, then he doesn't have to replace/repair it at all.

Saying that, from a Moral point of view, I would have it replaced.

One question ( and I did this a year or so back ) I had a fridge/freezer pack up at one of my rental properties, ordered a new one for the tenants off the net and got it delivered. The item was a heck of a lot smaller than it looked on the webpage. Maybe, just maybe this is a simalar situation.

geoffky

with such a large family you will soon find out that it will not cover your needs...you need to start squealing and get something done....plenty of rentals with motivated landlords out there....find one..

hermum

If he won't sort out heating & dodgy electrics go to your LA private sector dept, he has a legal obligation to provide heating & hot water.
I would be far more concerned about that than a too small freezer. Inconvenient but not likely to kill you, unlike bad electrics.

my_gorgeous_ellie-belle

Colincbayley wrote: »

The landlord is not obliged to replace like for like. If there was no inventory saying that a fridge/freezer was supplied in good working order, then he doesn't have to replace/repair it at all.

Yep it was on the inventory. I argued this but to no avail! To be honest the estate agent are just as bad as the landlord.

Seriously need to find a new property, just getting fed up of everywhere we move the LL always decides to sell up due to financial difficulty shortly after we move in :mad:

Stuck between a rock and a hard place - renting privately is like throwing money away

my_gorgeous_ellie-belle

hermum wrote: »

If he won't sort out heating & dodgy electrics go to your LA private sector dept, he has a legal obligation to provide heating & hot water.
I would be far more concerned about that than a too small freezer. Inconvenient but not likely to kill you, unlike bad electrics.

Thanks, yeah the buck just keeps getting passed around - the estate agents keep telling us they'll contact the LL, they then tell us he's due to call us himself and then further down the line we get told the contractors will contact us....and they never do :mad:

Colincbayley

my_gorgeous_ellie-belle wrote: »

renting privately is like throwing money away

Well to us LL's it's like money for old rope, so i guess I must agree ( Sort of )

What part of the UK are you in? There are a lot of decent professional, portfolio LL's out there, the trouble is finding 'em

poppysarah

Move.
Or buy your own.