Renting student house, what should there be?

raa_thistle

Hi,

I had a search through the forum and couldn't find anything relevant, but if I have missed it please point me in the right direction.

I have just moved in to my (3 bed) student house and I'm wondering what there should be from a legal perspective.

For example, in our previous house, every room had a smoke alarm fitted. In the new house there are two, one of which I don't think works, the other had no battery in so I can't check it atm. These are at the top and bottom of the stairs, but nothing in the kitchen.
Should there be a carbon Monoxide detector in the house, because there isn't.
There are two TV arial cables in the living room. One has no attachment on the end at all, so it is just copper wire, the other has a broken one. Should we fix it, or the landlord?
The cooker has broken, so that th oven wont stay lit, so you flood the place with gas if you use it (I think its just the pilot light), but thats surely got to be the landlords responsibility if they provided the cooker in the first place.
Also the shower isn't working properly.

Finally, is there any guidance on the maximum number of appliances that can be set up to run off an extension cable, because currently our cooker, fridge/freezer and microwave all run off on socket, with cables crisscrossing across the floor. Is that allowed or not.

There is probably something else I've forgotten, but those are the major ones.

Also as an additional question, what rights do we have if the landlord suddenly decides he wants to do building work on the house (effectively doubling the size of the house). Obviously this would cause a fair amount of disturbance. Can we not allow access to the property for electricity, water, toilet facilities etc. or do we have to allow access at the landlords request?

Sorry for the long post but there are a few problems we need to sort out.

Thanks

missk_ensington

I don't know about where you stand RE building work, although I do think you are legally obliged to allow access for emergency repair ie anything gas related/electrics/a flood etc.

Your Landlord is responsible for making repairs to oven etc, although I don't think a smoke alarm must be fited in all rooms I think there should be at least one in good working order.

If something is a safety hazard you should bring it up with your Landlord immediately, if after a few weeks he doesn;t repair it, you can repair it yourself and dock it from his rent (You must have proof of the work that's been done, and this only applies to hazardous/essential work)

lynzpower

have you seen the gas safety certificate? Sounds like the oven would not have passed the appliance test.

ABN

3 bed student house = HMO if the other rooms are let to other students.

Does not really sound as if you rlandlord as followed any of the required regulations.

Is he one of the new BTL brigade who's been watching to much property !!!!!!?

black-saturn

I would ring your local environmental health officer and ask him to come and take a look. I know that in a normal rented house it is not the law to provide smoke alarms at all (although most landlords do for their own peace of mind) but I'm not sure about HMO's.

Ask the landlord if you can see the gas safety certificate. He will have to have the oven and other gas applicances checked every year. There should be a copy of the certificate somewhere on the premises. Look on the back of cupboard doors because sometimes it's pasted on there.

If there are several appliances running off one plug this is also dangerous. An oven should be running from a special plug just intended for that. It can't run off a normal wall plug and also can't have other things like a microwave etc running from it. Also having wires all over the floor is a health hazard.

Make an appointment for an Environmental Health officer to come round. They will check the whole house over and write to the landlord. They will give him a timeframe to do it in (sorry can't remember what it is now) and if he doesn't comply he will be sent a court summonds.

Crispy_Ambulance

missk_ensington wrote:

I don't know about where you stand RE building work, although I do think you are legally obliged to allow access for emergency repair ie anything gas related/electrics/a flood etc.

Your Landlord is responsible for making repairs to oven etc, although I don't think a smoke alarm must be fited in all rooms I think there should be at least one in good working order.

If something is a safety hazard you should bring it up with your Landlord immediately, if after a few weeks he doesn;t repair it, you can repair it yourself and dock it from his rent (You must have proof of the work that's been done, and this only applies to hazardous/essential work)

Please don't do this without seeking professional advice. The first place you should go is your students union advice centre - they will have qualified, professional advice workers who will be able to advise you further. If you withhold rent, your landlord can evict you.

missk_ensington

CrispyAmbulance- Are you ridiculously pedanctic and overly cautious in everything you do? You are perfectly within your rights to withold rent to make necessary repairs if it poses a hazard.

In any event, the system for evicting anyone from a property is lengthy, expensive on the Landlords part and no judge would ever rule against the defendent if they have spent £100 fixing a potentially life threatening gas situation because the Landlord refused after several requests (including written requests with Recorded delivery and duplicates) to repair.

If you took Crispy Ambulances general MSE advice you'd spend your whiole life sat in the CAB office! Not sure if he/she advocates farting without seeking advice first!

black-saturn

It's only expensive on the landlord if they lose the case. If they win it's expensive on the tenant. If you let environmental health handle it they will cover all costs if he wins.

missk_ensington

black-saturn wrote:

It's only expensive on the landlord if they lose the case. If they win it's expensive on the tenant. If you let environmental health handle it they will cover all costs if he wins.

But he won't win if he has been negligent in following the Landlord and Tenant Act, and put tenants in a hazardous property then failed to make it safe when requested by the tenant. That is pretty cut and dry assuming the tenant puts everything in writing, obtains quotes for work and provides invoices for work done.

Don't see how a court can argue with a gas oven leaking gas everywhere into the property!

Tassotti

How many other tenants are there in the property?

If regarded as an HMO, then there will be other Health and Safety Issues to comply with, such as Fire Doors on all rooms, possible Fire alarms, Fire Escapes, and all sorts of other measures.

Check out Housing, Health and Safety Rating system

http://www.communities.gov.uk/index.asp?id=1152821

to see if the property complies.

First, speak to LL and see if he/she will correct all the problems. If not then get ENV Health in for a check.

Tass

Crispy_Ambulance

missk_ensington wrote:

CrispyAmbulance- Are you ridiculously pedanctic and overly cautious in everything you do? You are perfectly within your rights to withold rent to make necessary repairs if it poses a hazard.

In any event, the system for evicting anyone from a property is lengthy, expensive on the Landlords part and no judge would ever rule against the defendent if they have spent £100 fixing a potentially life threatening gas situation because the Landlord refused after several requests (including written requests with Recorded delivery and duplicates) to repair.

If you took Crispy Ambulances general MSE advice you'd spend your whiole life sat in the CAB office! Not sure if he/she advocates farting without seeking advice first!

Wrong advice is worse than no advice at all. When you are an expert in housing law, then please feel free to dispense your considered advice.

I spend too much of my time trying to sort out problems for people that have been made much worse by well meaning but inaccurate advice.

When a tenant has sufficient rent arrears (usually 2 months), the landlord can apply for an eviction and the judge has to grant it because it is a mandatory ground for possession. There is no defence.

I have not attacked you personally, even though you have been extremely rude to me and to other posters in the past.

No-one should consider withholding rent without speaking to someone who knows what they are talking about. And that is why I sugest that the OP speak to the free advice service that their students' union provides. They will be able to negotiate with landlords and will have much more helpful advice and information.