can they move to a new home?

littlepea_2

Hi
My Son and his Partner are expecting a Baby in private accomodation. The home has 2 bedrooms and the main bedroom has very bad mould that is spreading and not being treated by the LL. they cannot use the main bedroom at all now

They paid the original Deposit through Bail Bond and have been informed that the Bail Board still have the Deposit and it has not been transferred to the LL since Nov 2011.

The LL get the rent paid via HB and it is all up to date and the LL house checks are all ok and up to date and the LL is happy. Could my Son use the Deposit to find another rented place that is mould free?
Thank you

angelsmomma

When did they sign the ast?

Hump

You will need to confirm which part of the UK and NI they are in i.e. England/ Wales/ Scotland/ Northern Ireland etc

Notmyrealname

If the mould is on an outside wall it may be caused by a blocked gutter.

G_M

The solution is not to move but to deal with the damp.

If it is structural (leaking gutter/downpipe? Roof problem?) then enforce repairs. Your council Environmental Health Dept, or Private Tenancy Officer, can assist.

If it is lifestyle (see http://www.dorsetforyou.com/media.jsp?mediaid=121250&filetype=pdf ) then change lifestyle habits.

Werdnal

Do they want to stay in the property and get the damp/mould put right, or do they want to move to a new home?

Using the argument that the property has a damp problem, will not release them from their tenancy agreement, if they have signed up to a fixed term. If they are outside the fixed term, and want to move, then give notice and move.

Have they reported the damp problem to the LL in writing, requesting they attend to the problem? If not, write now and ask for LL to inspect the damp/mould and arrange repairs asap. Give them a deadline of 14 days to reply, or they will be seeking advice from Environmental Health Office.

Running_Horse

A friend rented his house to some Ethiopians via the local council. When he visited in midwinter they were all walking around wrapped in duvets in the freezing cold with damp dripping from all the walls; saving money on the heating bills and letting the house go to ruin.

littlepea_2

Sorry ..what is ast?
the problem has been reported to LL when it first appeared as a small patch of black mildew in the top corner of the bedroom, they live in a corner flat, top floor, this was 6 months ago. the LL sent maintenance round to paint stuff on it and it has now spread over entire window wall and is green and black and spread around 2 other walls

It is not their lifestyle, yes they are on benefits, but try very hard to keep their home warm and comfortable especially as she has asthma and is expecting, my son has severe blood illness too and has to stay warm so the home is kept as warm as possible.

sorry they live in Wales,

the question about giving notice and moving is...can they claim the deposit as it has not gone to the LL and use it to move to another property...the LL has not done an inventory before they moved in...they have done no damages and the LL did a check last month and was happy with them living there
The LL brought around a huge dehumidifier but they can't afford to run it and the bedroom is not habitable now. The rest of the house is clean and dry so not due to anything they are doing in their lifestyle.

They have lived there 3 years, it was a 6months contract originally and is now a month by month contract.

They are fed up with arguing with the LL about it and are ready to move on if they can, but are unsure of their situation...we don't know anything about contracts etc so needed your help, thank you

Notmyrealname

All they have to do is give a months notice and then leave.

Werdnal

I think OP's main question is about the deposit and how to fund a deposit for another property.

OP I am unsure how the deposit bond schemes work, but if you are sure the tenant's original deposit has not been passed to the LL, then they must apply to the original scheme and ask whether they can use the same amount to cover another property. No-one here can advise on that point, as we do not have access to the details of the original bond they applied for, or the terms and conditions that covered it.

littlepea_2

Thank you Werdnal
The Bond Board no longer actually own the Bond as my Son repaid it to them, they are just holding the money..my Son thought that they would pay it to the LL but the BB rang them recently and said that they still had it and it had not been transferred.