Holding fee paid, but the house is still a MESS!!!

trinity77

Help!

Ive never done this whole rent through an agency before. Ive lived in MOD property for the last 11 years.

I found my dream home right outside the kids school so there is no way i can be late!

Paid my holding fee of £400 to secure the property...don't all jump me but i did this beofre id veiwed the property. Its in an excellent area and is big for my city, the agents made out like it had already been viewed loads and was on the verge of being snapped up so i slapped my money down quick before anyone else could.

Well, on viewing the house i can see why why none of the other viewers snapped it up before me. Its a mess, not a major problem becuase i really like diy and decorating ect so i can sort it myself....however there is no heating, no fires nothing! no central heating in this day and age!! I was gob smacked....again tho not a major issue i understand there are grants for that sort of thing.

The things that is really bothering me is the fact that the garden has been used as a dumping ground over the years for all sorts of crap, the landlords and ex tenants.

Now ive asked that the hosue be given a deep clean before i move in, it stinks by the way, of dead dog...its more than bad! It awful, even the kids were nearly sick.

I also asked for the rubbish to be moved, there is washing machines, bathroom suites, cookers, doors, massive skip sized bags of god knows what! ect..

Where do i stand for getting rid of all this rubbish if its not done by move in. I guess what im worried about is, is that the LA is just going to give me the keys and not do anything???

Trinity

casper_g

I'm sure others will offer detailed advice, but just wanted to let you know you should absolutely not have to put up with this. It is not your responsibility to clear up others' rubbish, and it's certainly not up to you to chase after grants so the landlord can have heating installed! Be clear that sorting out this property, if it's in the state you say it's in, could well cost you more than £400, especially taking account of your time.

It sounds like the landlord and agent are fully willing to take advantage of you. Don't let them. Communicate with them formally, in writing, so that you have a paper trail. Tell them calmly but clearly that this is unacceptable. Do not sign a tenancy for this pit if you haven't already done so.

clutton_2

Absolutely agree... DONT sign an agreement - as a LL i have been here on MSE for years and have heard far too many horror stories of bad landlords - if they offer you the house now in this condition - nothing will make them sort it out for you once they have your rent in their pocket... please... find somewhere else... it may be convenient but it will cost you an arm and a leg in heartache grief and frustration as well as fuel bills and time effort and decorating for the LLS benefit .... dont do it....

ANY landlord who offers a property without heating in this day and age is a dinosaur of the worst order....

i doubt they will let you have the £400 back either.. but a small price to pay to escape.. take photos and then threaten to sue them for the £400 in the small claims court (all can be done on line) - i bet you get it back then....

I doubt they will supply you with a Landlords Gas Safety Certificate either.... or an EPC (energy certificate) - both of which are legally compulsory


how to rent... find an agent who is a member of ARLA, look at house FIRST, sign application form, put down smallish fee for reference checks and credit searches, sign tenancy agreement (IF all repairs are done - if not - dont) pay first months rent upfront, plus deposit (one month or 6 weeks rent). Some agencies do want a holding deposit - but dont pay it until you have in writing their T&Cs which say it is deductibel from the rent if you take the house and/or non refundable is the reference/credit checks come back to be unacceptable

good luck

MissMoneypenny

You might want to read the two renting stickies at the top of this board, to make sure you don't rent a lemon.

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/937335

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/1377883

Also be aware that just because you spend money on DIY, you don't get to stay there. We see many threads where people have done this (after being told by the landlord he wants long term tenants), only to find out that they are then forced to move out. The renting laws in the UK are not as good as some of our European neighbours.

WYSIWYG with renting. If the landlord hasn't sorted out the property before you sign, then they won't do it after you sign.

As to the LA making you believe the property was about to be snapped up, Letting Agents and Estate Agents lie. Their cut is more important to them than the tenant/buyer.

I agree with clutton about not signing a contract for the rental of the property and also trying to threaten them with court for the refund of the £400 holding deposit.

clutton_2

MissMP - you and i have not always seen eye to eye but i think we do here...

Re letting agents... this week, i have been contacting letting agents as i thought i might move.... and to my disbelief... only 2 out of 10 i phoned have emailed me with their T&Cs.... says it all really.. if they are this slipshod prior to my becoming a customer, what would they have been like afterwards....

the dreadful thing about all this, is that Agents can, sometimes, give such a bad service to the tenant (and the landlord does not necessarily know anything about that ) that the tenant then assumes that the LL is just as bad as the agent ... which may or may not be the case.....

all the good landlords i know manage their own property... no one looks after your own business as well as you do.... - or they have had the same agent for years and years.. and they each work from the same legal and moral hymn sheet.

i sometimes use one agent to find me tenants.. she is excellent and does not charge tenants huge fees and will not recommend a tenant to me if she has any misgivings at all... that way she knows she will get repeat business.... which she does

moving home, whether as a tenant, or as a home-owner, is about 3rd on the list of lifes most stressiest experiences.. its no wonder we all get het up at times about it all...

PasturesNew

As a rule, in rented places, you're only guaranteed to be there a few months (12/6 month ASTs, or periodic) so investing your own money in DIY might be wasted. Also, you'd need the LLs permission to have it done.

Most LLs, seeing your posting that you were going to do DIY, redecorate and get a central heating system in, would have probably had a heart attack.

BitterAndTwisted

Doubtful about the heart-attack. They'd be more likely to be doing a dance of joy. Then once the work is done they'll issue a S21 to get shot of the current tenants and rent the property out at a higher rent.

I sincerely hope that the OP has decided to walk away from this one

jockosjungle

Walk away, chalk the £400 down to experience. My LL was more than happy for us to put our own mark on the place as well, feel free to decorate it, etc. A friend of a friend rented an old lady house (sorry for want of a better term, horrid carpets, etc.) and actively encouraged her to do it up, she put down laminate flooring, redecorated, etc. He then decided it was so nice and modern he would put up the rent £100.

The main benefits of renting in my opinion, when other people are on the ladder so to speak, is that when your boiler breaks or you need a new washing machine, your landlord pays for it.

R

clutton_2

how cynical you guys are... i have a few tenants who have redecorated several times to an incredibly high standard, they have recarpeted twice and did not expect me to pay - but i did.. they have improved my property and it has been their home for nearly 8 years... long term good tenants are worth their weight in gold.. and good landlords will keep rent increases to a fair inflation amount in order to do so....

not all landlords are nasty blood sucking millionaires you know... - this one on this thread certainly is a blood sucker.....

""Walk away, chalk the £400 down to experience" NO NO NO NO NO

letting landlords like this get away with this.... means he will do it again.. as i said before threaten small claims and then go for it.. all online... easy...

lynzpower

The bottom line is without heating, there is a massive issue there.

I have no central heating and I was lucky to survive last winter, balmy as it is now, I can still rmember the sharp pain of cold from last year and Im not in ill health/ vulnerable to being young or old/ etc

Its arguable that the property would be of significant interest to your local environmental health department.

I suggest you ask them to refund the holding deposit "as I had a vague conversation about it to the local environmental health people and they sounded very concerned" they sohuld give you the money back. If they dont, let EH know and they should go round and assess and basically enforce the repairs and improvements if the LL isnt going to do it.

Sorry but this sounds terrible, and I share the concerns of others over electrical and gas safety.

clutton_2

i could not agree more with LynzP