Broken Shower

Hibee07

Ok,

I rent from a private landlord through Remax (Estate agent). It is a new build flat which is less than 2 years old.

I have had 2 major problems which have never been fixed and i want to know my rights.

1st problem happened 5 weeks ago now. The shower in my en-suite stopped working. I called remax and they said they would contact Wimpy who build the flat as the shower is still under warrenty. Now 5 weeks down the line and 5 phone calls to remax i have still never heard back from wimpy (who cannot be contacted direct) or remax or a plumber about this problem.

The other problem is my external ariel in the flat just doesnt work. Thankfully i have sky so still can watch TV but in my main bedroom we get no signal as it doesnt seem the external arial is even connected. I first reported this over 6 months ago and yet had no reply.

where do i go from here as they are still happily taking my rent per month.

nollag2006

Any help?

http://england.shelter.org.uk/get_advice/repairs_and_bad_conditions/repairs_in_private_lets/furniture_and_equipment#4

BitterAndTwisted

You know the reason for the repair of the shower not having been addressed. Your LL/LA are stuck between a rock and a hard place it seems. I think you should be patient as you appear to have alternative bathing facilities but in the meantime put your request for a repair in writing. Don't bother about complaining about the ariel, no-one has an absolute right to watch telly in bed.

pararct

What does it say in your agreement about repairs to fixtures and fittings?

Don't take too much notice of some of the replies above they are probably from landlords.

Whilst it may be a luxury for your to have an en-suite shower room off your bedroom it is certain to feature in your rent. It is not fair to assume you can make use of alternative facilities whilst you are paying for them simply to cut a landlord some slack.

Entirely up to you but I would be tempted to write a letter quoting the exact text from the agreement regarding repairs and requesting repair within a strict time frame. Alternativly or at the same time write the landlord and request he reduce the rent by £20 a Month until such time as this shower is repaired.

Try and find some common ground, it pays to be reasonable and to keep copies of correspondence if you have to arrange a repair yourself and claim costs through Small Claims.

The issue regarding Wimpy and the guarantee is nothing to do with you. Your contract is with the landlord and to tell you all this is fobbing you off.

As to the aerial lead do you have a communal roof area? See if you can trace the cable to the other end, hooking in a tv aerial is not rocket science.

BitterAndTwisted

Requesting a rent-reduction while the LL is attempting to get a repair done is probably the quickest way to getting a S21 in the post. I would not advise doing this unless you are prepared to move when given two month's notice

pararct

I have noticed a trend emerging on this board in the last couple of Months where if a tenant asks about asserting their rights then a veiled threat regarding a S21 notice is delivered.

End of the day the tenancy period will be dictated in the agreement. Both parties are bound by that agreement. Irrespective of all circumstances neither party has to renew the agreement and both can terminate it (with relevant notice) when it ends.

End of the day if the LL decides to get stroppy then so can the tenant and sit on in until the court order is achieved some Months down the road.

They do say what goes round comes round.........

MissMoneypenny

BitterAndTwisted wrote: »

Requesting a rent-reduction while the LL is attempting to get a repair done is probably the quickest way to getting a S21 in the post. I would not advise doing this unless you are prepared to move when given two month's notice

Even if the tenant puts up with the lack of repairs, they could still get a section21 (or might already have been served with a section 21). Until the government brings in renting rights like our European cousins' have, this country will always be the poor relation.

OP, you need to write to your landlord about these repairs and send the letter signed for. Keep a copy of the letter/s. Everything must always be in writing.

The_Negotiator

You might find that the TV socket in the bedroom is just an interconnect to your main living area.

<sebb>

MadnessOfHPC.co.uk wrote: »

The renter would have a case if they had no working bathing facilities or any televisual signal however to demand these in ones bedroom is a ridiculous luxury and certainly not a necessity. If I was his landlord I'd tell him to sling his hook, so no the S21 is not a veiled threat but an almost certain reality.

It doesn't seem to me like a case of demanding a TV signal in the bedroom, but that one was working when he moved in and now isn't. The OP signed up to a flat with a working signal in the bedroom and now it isn't. I can't understand why people think it is unreasonable for him to ask for it be fixed! It sounds like a higher end rent and presumably he is paying the price for that. To simply ignore anything that breaks that is considered a luxury seems pretty unfair to me.

Similarly re the ensuite. Simply because there is another shower, doesn't mean that the landlord should never fix it. Perhaps it isn't an emergency, but it should be fixed nonetheless.

<sebb>

MadnessOfHPC.co.uk wrote: »

So if these things were working before he moved in then to all intents and purposes the tenant has broken them during their tenancy. So if he wants these luxuries back it's only fair they pay a premium for them.

What makes you say that? Things break, doesn't mean it was the tenants fault.

jw2003

Sorry OP, I don't know where you stand - maybe you could give Remax another call and ask what the delay is. Could you look into resolving these issues yourself and being reimbursed by the landlord.

You are paying rent on a flat with 2 functioning bathrooms so why shouldn't you have them both working, the 'premium' for having these luxuries is no doubt factored into the amount of rent you pay and (no doubt I am going to get slammed for this) but some of the responses above are completely unhelpful almost to the point of blaming you for having the cheek to want a working shower in a flat that you pay for - I just don't get it