Bad fridge and sofa in new rented flat

germanjulian

Hi,

as soon as I moved in 1 week ago I complained that the fridge was not working properly and that the sofa is ripped, has no cushion and stinks to high heaven (did not see that as previous tenants had a cover over it and as the flat smelled anyway I could not tell).

Now after what I thought was validating with the property management company that the old fridge is most defiantly not working (won't go below 9C) and that the sofa is in a bad state the management agency called the Landlord apparently and left him a voicemail but he still has not replied for 2 days.

Now I have this funny feeling that this not well know management agency is playing game with after all the bull they have given me the last 3 days (not mentioned here) I was wondering if there is anything I can do/should do in the next 3 days if the Landlord still does not “reply” or more likely the management agency does nothing

BitterAndTwisted

The management company can't do anything without the landlord's agreement as they are not authorised to incur any expenditure without their consent, even if they held funds to do so , which is unlikely in any case.

Put your observations to the LL in writing if you haven't done so already. Meanwhile keep an eye out on your local Freecycle for a fridge and sofa

germanjulian

BitterAndTwisted wrote: »

The management company can't do anything without the landlord's agreement as they are not authorised to incur any expenditure without their consent, even if they held funds to do so , which is unlikely in any case.

Put your observations to the LL in writing if you haven't done so already. Meanwhile keep an eye out on your local Freecycle for a fridge and sofa

thats what I though. Money is no problem I might just buy a new sofa if by Wednesday I dont hear anything.

its just annoying

BitterAndTwisted

Don't chuck out the manky old one without your landlord's permission or you could find yourself at the end of your tenancy being charged for a replacement!

bitsandpieces

BitterAndTwisted wrote: »

Don't chuck out the manky old one without your landlord's permission or you could find yourself at the end of your tenancy being charged for a replacement!

And somehow the kind of landlord who'll expect tenants to live with a manky old sofa seems more likely to try (even though this isn't allowed) to take the full cost of a very nice new one out of the deposit :eek: Likewise, you shouldn't bin the knackered fridge without permission.

clutton_2

i doubt anyone will do anything over the next few days... its bank holiday

g_attrill

Is the old sofa labelled as meeting fireproofing regulations?

tbs624

It's important, as B&T says, that you put your comments *in writing* - refer to any previous phone call/email when you do so.It is not acceptable for you to be without a working fridge from the tenancy start if that fridge has been supplied as being in working condition ( check your inventory)

You are legally entitled to have a name and address for your LL : write to the LA requesting the info,under s1 of the LL and T Act 1985. They will then have 21 days, from receipt, in which to supply that info or they will be committing a criminal offence.

As the others have said , don't chuck out any of the LLs property without his *written* consent.

It's such a shame that we don't have scratch n sniff photography for these situations , whether the LL has supplied something whiffy from a 2nd hand dealer or it's an outgoing T who leaves stuff in a state and the LL fails to do anything about it before the next T moves in

Release those persistent odours in the small claims court or in the adjudicator's office.....

bitsandpieces

tbs624 wrote: »

It's such a shame that we don't have scratch n sniff photography for these situations , whether the LL has supplied something whiffy from a 2nd hand dealer or it's an outgoing T who leaves stuff in a state and the LL fails to do anything about it before the next T moves in

Sometimes seems to be the landlord's own junk, too. After all, if renting out your former home, it's clearly much more money-saving to move the manky old sofa used by your late dog into the lounge from the garage than to do anything wasteful like take it to the dump or put it in storage :rotfl: Ditto with knackered old appliances - I mean, have you seen how much councils charge to deal with old fridges now...and it's not like a tenant will notice if their food is kept nicely warm.

namratasnv

I have seen many friends, suffered with a problem of junk items while renting and they really get very annoyed of this, and why not after all they are giving rent for all the items and if the items are not in a good condition then, it is simply a waste of extra money that they are giving to the landlord.

I think for that, it should be very necessary that we have to complain about this.

germanjulian

What does the below mean?
“Have the use of all appliances provided in the Property, as laid out in the inventory save those which are noted as not working. However, should any item require repair, or beyond repair, the Landlord does not undertake to pay for any costs of repair or to replace the appliances, except those which the Landlord is required by law to maintain.”
Does that mean he does not have to fix the fridge?
I realized yesterday that I do not have my deposit certificate or Inventory list either from this Housing Management Agency... send them a quick email this morning.