Renting a house

MB69

Hi

i am hoping someone could help us here.

We are currently renting a property in through an estate agent. We also have a property which we have rented out.

In our porperty, I made sure everything was in full working order before we let the property out. and also all the quipment left in the property, are off good quality and not some cheap economy range! We also left all the curtains in the property as we thought we had to!

The poperty we are renting however is different:

Firstly, there was no curtains! Spoke to the estate agent and they said it is not the responsibility of the landlord to leave curtains! owever as the genture of their good will, they will put smoe curtains in the bedrooms but we have to supply for all the other rooms! Ic an;t understand this! Curtains are not something that me as a tennant can use in different houses! every house has a different windows/frame and ..., so I can't understand this! Hopefully someone will tell me otherwise!

Then, when we vieed the property, there was a washing machine, but not cooker or fridg/freezer or dishwasher. But in the flyer for the house, all these where in there. I spoke to the agent and told them that the landlord doesn't have to supply any of the stuff apart from a cooker, as we already have everything else! However when we moved in, we found that the landlord had gone and bought a economy range ELECTRIC cooker and put in place! THere was gas in the kitchen already! again I had a a chat with the agnet, but they said as we never specificed what we wanted there, then the landlord has supplied what he thought was best!

Once we moved in, both showers in the house didn;t work( eletric showers) and the onsuite shower had blocked drain! We raised it with them, it took them 7days to sort out the blockage, and a further 10days to sort out the showers! but before they replaced the showers, I asked them if it was going to be good showers. They said they are similar to the ones already fitted. So I raised the question, that the showers will not be good as the water pressure is not great. They are better off fitting bigger showers and I am happy to pay the difference. But the contractor refused to the work and I don;t think they even discussed it with the agent or landlord! Now we have 2 showers which are useless! there is no pressure at all and everytime I have a shower, I have to bend my back so I can get some water on my head! and when I come out, then I have a achey back for a while!
I an;t see why the landlord would have objected to the work as I was happy to pay the extra!

The reason why we rented out in the north was due to me relocating for work. So we thought we rent out for a while, and then we can look to see if we can buy anywhere! We have a 12months contract and I feel as if we are going to waste our money in this house! The rent is not cheap and ofr the money I am paying, I would certainly expect a bit more!

Can someone please help as to what I can do! I don't want to end our contract early, as I am worried I am going to be fined/charged fees for ending early and then I have to pay again for the move, I have to pay the agents fees again and ...

Do you think I am better off trying to contact the landlord directly? Surely he is paying the agents some fees for their services, and I for one would not have been happy if the agent was not working in my best interest.

Appreciate any help

Doozergirl

Welcome to be treated as a second class citizen. The pain of renting becomes all too clear once you've had the luxury of your own home and decent appliances.

You've done the best by your tenants; if you're lucky, you won't end up regretting it when stuff gets ruined.

They aren't going to start putting in the best stuff for you just because you're used to it I'm afraid. Hopefully there's a six month break clause in your tenancy!

You can try and speak directly to the LL but I'm not sure how concerned they are going to be on your behalf about low water pressure or the lack of a gas cooker. If it is the Letting Agent doing the 'managing' then neither you or the LL is going to get best value for money. If you haven't met the LL yet then maybe letting them see that you're decent people willing to pay to have nicer things... but don't spend out on anything that you aren't prepared to lose - it won't belong to you.

G_M

1) What is supplied in the property should be reflected in the inventory. That's what you are entitled to. Landlords are all different. Some provide more things, some less. Some provide top quality, some cheap ranges. The rent you agree to pay reflects the size, location and quality of the property and its fittings and contents. This should all be agreed before you sign the contract.

2) Your contract is with the landlord. He gets your rent and he provides the accomodation. The agent is just that.... an agent acting on his behalf. If you don't get satisfaction from the agent, speak to your landlord.

Although as a landlord yourself you have an admirable attitude in providing good quality items for your tenants, your lack of understanding of how the letting business business works is a concern. I trust you fully understand your obligations, and particularly the limits of your agent's responsibilites and where your own start and end?

MB69

Thanks for the quick response. I will wait and see what the agent says as regards to the showers. Then I will try and get hold of the landlord.

as regards to #1, no inventory was provided before the contract was signed. We where told that we would get the ionventory once we have moved in! And that is how it was supplied to us. on the day of move, it was given to me. The contract was signed the day before the move.

G_M

I'm afraid signing a contract without a written agreement of what you are getting is a bit like signing a blank cheque - the recipient can fill in the blanks as they wish!

Did you sign the inventory when it was eventually provided? If so, you've agreed to the contents as defined therein. If not, then your landlord has a poor agent! The landlord, having no agreed inventory, will be unable to deduct anything from your deposit when you leave if anything is missing or broken since there will be no evidence it was ever there.

MB69

Hi

We checked the inventory and modified it when received it. We made a note of things that where not in good condition and ...

tbs624

You can't really complain about a lack of curtains if you didn't get that provision in writing prior to signing the tenancy. You can buy curtains at reasonable prices in the sale, via charity shops, or curtain exchange shops etc, then when you move on sell them via the small ads or on ebay.

LL may prefer to provide an electric cooker because he then does not have to include a gas cooker in the annual gas safety checks.

If you wanted to do a deal on better showers then you should have talked direct with the LL, rather than with the contractors who had probably already bought the fittings chosen by the LL. Put it down to experience - if you have to rent another property, test run the showers when you look round the property. The main thing is that you now have working showers ( of a sort) and a drain that is clear.

Many rented properties are a disappointment when you have lived in your own home, as Doozer says, but in your case it sounds as though it will be temporary so channel your energy into finding that new home to buy.

Just ensure that any other repairs/maint issues are put in writing to the LL/LA with a copy kept by you.

tomitma

I really can not see the LL taking out the two showers, that have only just been installed, to put in another two, the only way that I can see this being rectified to your satisfaction, is your buying two showers and having them put in at your expense, then before you move out replacing them with the LLs showers.

27col

If the place was so lacking in the facilities that you might have reasonably expected, why did you agree to rent it. As a landlord yourselves, you seem to have shown very little common sense about the agreement you signed.

theartfullodger

You took the place on the basis of what was there, and on the basis of the price agreed.. - why whine about it now?? Bit like me buying a Mini then going back to the car-dealer and complaining it's not as good as a Jag...

No offence but do you understand Landlord/tenant law & have you been trained as a Landlord???

Wings

27col wrote: »

If the place was so lacking in the facilities that you might have reasonably expected, why did you agree to rent it. As a landlord yourselves, you seem to have shown very little common sense about the agreement you signed.

Absolutely agree, although it never fails to surprise me how many landlords fail to carry out an inventory and reference checks on tenants.