Where do I stand?

clarebear

Hi
I've been chasing the agents who act in my landlord's absence about extraction in our two bathrooms - neither of them have extraction that work. One has a window which is too high for me to reach and tiny, and the other has no window at all. I've been chasing the agent since mid Feb and I understand it's part of the Building Regs - I've a meeting with the agent at lunchtime and want to know where I stand legally?

If it is a legal requirement, how long is a reasonable amount of time to resolve it? Apparently they are looking for a part (and have been since beginning of March).

Not sure how to tackle them so any advice welcome!!

princeofpounds

Building regs might include extraction, but if the bathroom was constructed before the relevany reg applied then there is no legal duty to retrofit I believe.

So perhaps unfortunately I don't think you have any 'right' unless damp and mould build up, in which case you can apply to environmental health for an HHSRS inspection, which might recommend installation of better ventilation.

Having said that, if I were the landlord I'd want it precisely so my bathroom didn't get ruined. If you sense problems you are doing exactly the right thing creating a paper trail so that if he complains about mould and wants your deposit you can demonstrate he frustrated your attempts to deal with it.

I think your best bet is to be persistent, not much else you can do.

demondoctor

princeofpounds is correct. The current Building Regulations have a requirement for mechanical ventilation in Bathrooms, however if the house/flat was built before this requirement was introduced then there is no legal requirement to have ventilation fitted unless a major refurb of the building is carried out as any refurbishments must comply with current Building Regs.

clarebear

It was converted in 2001 from a pub so I guess it depends on the building regs then I guess.

Thanks for the advice - I have just had a call from the agent to say they can't track down the part for the extraction so not sure what to say to that really!!

BitterAndTwisted

I know what I'd say, actually I wouldn't say anything, I'd want written evidence that I'd communicated with the agent properly but my comment would be "In which case this unit needs to be replaced before the lack of a working one causes condensation and consequent mould. For which we shall not be accepting any responsibility as it's not possible to use a bathroom without causing any condensation, most especially if the small window cannot be reached and opened after bathing."

dimbo61

What part ? complete rubbish !
He should have a new extractor fan fitted in both rooms which either works off the light when its turned on or one that detects moisture in the air.
If there is an old fan in place then it would onlt take 30 minutes to replace the fan
If you write a letter to both the agent and landlord and state that mould is growing in the bathrooms, that you are very concerned for your health and may need to ring environmental health department of the local council for an inspection.
WRITE to the LL and LA