I'm A New Tennant And Need Help

furlong86

I moved into a new rented property on 21st Jan 2011. Before moving in, I was aware that there was a bit of work to be carried out by the landlord. The work i was led to believe needing done was:

landing redecorated
burst pipe in kitchen replaced
bathroom re-painted

Since moving in, it came to my attention that the work needing done was a hell of a lot more than I originally thought. The actual work needed/needing done is as follows:

Complete New Roof on house and extension
Burst Pipes to be replaced in kitchen, dining room, 2nd bedroom & bathroom
Ceiling to be replaced in landing
Complete redecoration of landing
Ceiling in master bedroom damaged and needing repaired
Carpet needing replaced in Dining Room
Kitchen needing Repainted
Damp and Condensation needing sorted in Bathroom

This has been a complete nightmare for me and my partner and its only been 3 weeks since we moved in. A plumber came to the house on 1st Feb and replaced a pipe in the kitchen which really didn't do anything to stop anythin else leakin in the property. After this I had been in contact with the landlady every day letting her know of different things we'd noticed. It wasn't until it rained we realised how bad things were as we needed 2 buckets in the landing as it was actually raining in the house. I took the door off and looked into the roofspace and the roof had numerous missing slates and i could see daylight in many places.

The landlady had made me aware there would be a man coming to fix the roof but the man who came on Mon 7th Feb, actually started replacing the whole roof! Depending on the weather the whole roof should be finished by Fri 11th.

The landlady has advised there will be a plumber coming tomorrow (thurs 10th feb) to sort out the leaks & burst pipes. She has also said that once the roof is finished she will give me £20 to put on my gas card to leave the heat on 24/7 for a week, to let the damp dry up then she will start the re-decorating.

My rent of £410 is due on 21st February and I really don't feel like I should have to pay her the full rent considering the conditions I have been living. Can anyone advise me if I am within my rights to withold some of this rent???

Your help would be much appreciated.

Thanks

BitterAndTwisted

Take photographs of everything. Do all communication in writing and keep a note of every single phone call.

I cannot conceive of why you moved in to this property. I would have turned on my heels and closed the door behind me.

Tell your landlady that £20 to leave the heating on 24/7 for a week is an insult even to the feebleminded. She should make it at least £100 and agree to you being there rent-free until every single promised repair is finished satisfactorily.

G_M

Contact the local council: Environmental Health or Private Housing Office

eg Islington

furlong86

Thanks for your reply. When we moved into the property we didn't know the extent of the damage. If we had've known the state of the place we wouldn't have even wasted our times viewing it.

As for you saying we should be here rent free, is that possible? do you know of anywhere that I could get this documented as I would like to have back up when I say to the landlady when she calls tomorrow. I appreciate your response by the way thanks again.

BitterAndTwisted

There is no back-up if anything legal is what you are looking for. I suggested that you present this to your landlady as a reasonable request.

Do what G_M suggested