Just flippin' miserable

j.e.j.

OP it might be worth contacting Shelter for some advice. They are well used to dealing with landlords, etc. Here's some info from their website:

http://england.shelter.org.uk/get_advice/repairs_and_bad_conditions/disrepair_in_rented_accommodation/what_is_disrepair

shegirl

Is it really worth you borrowing so much money to decorate a place like that that you don't want to be in?If your landlord won't sort the damp for you I wouldn't go decorating his place (assuming he even gives permission for you to decorate) for him!

As above,the council can and will look!

Have to ask,what are clover mites?

Yorkie1

Which bit of the council did you contact? As someone has already said, it's environmental health who deal with issues such as this, not housing.

Fire_Fox

Environmental Health at your local council DEFINITELY do deal with private lets and DEFINITELY do have powers. Who did you speak to last time? If the flat is deemed unfit for human habitation the landlord has the legal responsibility to rehouse you under the same contract and for the same price, he cannot simply evict you. If you are served notice and evicted through no fault of your own and cannot find alternative accommodation the council *should* rehouse you as an emergency case.

Having said that .... condensation damp is a grey area, as a tenant you have the responsibility to properly ventilate the flat, that almost always means opening windows regularly. The landlord is liable for penetrating damp, rising damp and leaks. Generally these types of damp do not lead to mould because salts leaching from the plaster inhibit mould growth. If you have mould in wardrobes too that might suggest you are not ventilating enough.

Don't underestimate how much water a single person produces each day from showering, drying laundry, cooking and breathing - it is litres! :eek: Be sure to keep lids on your pans when cooking, consider switching off the shower whilst you are soaping up so you may less steam, use a tumble dryer or outside line instead of air drying laundry indoors. In flats many fans are only vented into the ceiling or floor spaces, they don't vent outside so are next to useless. Plug ins will do absolutely nothing, nor will washing down walls, nor will redecorating without ventilating effectively. If you cannot open all the windows every day year round your best option is a dehumidifier. You could buy one for less money than re-decorating.

princeofpounds

As many other posters have said, speak to EH and as for an HHSRS inspection. Damp is one of the covered hazards (see link below for more info).

http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/housing/housinghealth

Just be aware that the LL might not like you calling in EH.But if you have a fixed term tenancy to the point you can feel you can leave then that's not really a problem. Or you can threaten the landlord with an inspection to force them to take some action.

A dehumidifier can help with the condensation damp and black mould. They aren't that expensive to run actually.

There is no point borrowing money to invest in a landlord's property, except perhaps a can of paint. And PLEASE get written permission before you do anything, otherwise you could be charged for reinstating the wall on leaving (in reality the landlord will keep the nice painted wall and you money).

Filling cracks is not a hard job at all. A tube of polyfiller and a scraper to level it is all you need (ok, and if you are repainting you will need to sand it too). Get permission and do it if you like, will at least stop their access.

Make sure you take plenty of photo evidence of things going wrong (bodged job crack etc) and complain in writing to the landlord so you don't get any damage pinned on you.

I bet that the walls have all three types of damp (penetrating, rising and condensation). They probably need to be tanked.

Oh, and you can visit our house buying renting selling etc board further up the main forum if you like.

coinxoperated

Some more facts:

Moved in the flat in 2010. Had a 6 month tenancy and now I'm just on a monthly rolling one. There was never an inventory as it was unfurnished and with literally nothing inside, so I have no concerns on that.

In truth, I couldn't care less if I get the deposit back or not. The LL is a tight g!t who won't spend a penny unless it very serious, so I've accepted that its not coming back. It was never put into a deposit protection scheme either. All I have is a measly receipt.

The deposit was also only 150, with the rent being 325 a month. Odd at the time, thought it was a bargain, turns out it had been vacant for 4 YEARS before I moved in... enough said?

When I spoke to EH, they just said that they would come out, decide if it was habitable, and then write to my landlord.

And obviously, the result will be him evicting me for some lame reason. I've done nothing wrong, but I just know the LL is like that. I've met a couple of other tenants of his over the last few years, and he's the same in his other properties.

I'm thinking, if I can spend 200 on making it more livable, some pots of anti-condensation paint, some skirting boards for the bathroom (the maintenance man ripped them up when he changed the floor, and decided not to replace them :eek:) then it will 'do' until March/April next year.

Local authority have quite clearly stated that because I am in full time employment, they won't put me on any sort of list for a HA property. I'm not entitled to any benefits at all. (not that I really want to pursue the benefit route!) hence why I have ended up doing the Debt Relief Order - I'm skint!

with two small windows in my living room and a small window in my bedroom, ventilation is a massive problem. There is no way I can afford a de-humidifier, and to be honest, I did try one shortly after moving in and it didn't really make much of a difference. The issue is that the kitchen and bathroom back walls are so, SO cold, I can de-humidify all I want, condesation will still be created.

The condensation that comes off the toilet cistern is awful too... to the point where I end up with a deep puddle of water caught in the 'new' lino floor dip!

A family friend stayed at my flat mid last year to look after my dog while I went to a festival, and I had to come back, as she had sat on the toilet and it had gone straight through the floor!

My idea is:

De-clutter. Move as many items as I can to my granny's house (I can't live there, but I can store a few things in her spare room for the time being) and get rid of some of the larger items

Buy a set of wardrobe organisers so I can get rid of my rotting chest of draws that stink of damp (Wardrobe is made out of a linen material which seems to do an OK job at keeping the damp off the clothes at least)

Buy some vacum pack bags for storing bits under the bed - should be kept damp free!

Buy some anti-condensation paint from Wilkos (I think it was about 15 for a massive tub) and put it in the bathroom / kitchen and just generally give it all another lick of paint.

I've already taken up the carpet in the living room as I had ants and maggots living in it.... :eek: the one in the bedroom seems OK... This makes me sound gross, but all it was caused by was the carpet underlay being so damp and mouldy things were literally breeding in it. I now have a tiled floor that is FREEZING but is allowing me to keep out some of the stink of damp..

Ideally I need new furniture/mattress but theres very little point in doing this until I move as the damp will just wreck it...

The idea, is to spend 200 on anti-damp-smell stuff and just generally making it a nicer place to live. 200 I can pay off in extremely small amounts to my dad who won't mind, and I will be leaving NOTHING other than a reasonably painted wall for the landlord.

Its not like he claim for a carpet or any damage as there was no inventory to say what it was like before I moved in :cool:

The reasons he could kick me out if I made too much hassle:

• I have a dog here. (He did allow this, but I don't have it in writing, but neither does he...)
• I used to smoke in the flat (I've stopped over the last 3 months, but you can still smell it a bit. A good paint should get rid of any lasting smell though)
• He wants to 're-vamp' the property (he did this to the last tenant as they wouldn't move out and caused him hassle. He just said that he felt the property shouldn't be rented out and gave them notice. !)
• I'm on a rolling tenancy, so no fixed contract. Not a biggy for me right now, as he couldn't get another tenant in here the state it's in.

I'm thinking, 200, and I could live a bit happier for the next 7 months. If it stayed nice, you never know, I might stay. My problem is that there is no way, as a single woman with a dog with dreadful credit on a low wage, could I rent a house. I have problems getting anywhere with flats, because they need to have there own front door. No point in a house share, as the dog would be a pain in the bum for everyone else, which is unfair on them.

I don't have friends who are in a position to rent a house with me either, well, non that I could trust to pay on time each month (either on benefits or on temp contracts in jobs'....

My dad can't be a gurantor as he is bankrupt (great family financial history.... :rotfl:) and none of my other family members would do it.
I'll be technically starting a 'new job' in august, although with the same company, so will be on a 'probation' from August for 6 months also...

Its just too much of a risk for landlords, albeit I have outstanding references from my last landlords who were lovely, if I was renting out a property, I wouldn't rent to me either. I have all the signs of a disaster tenant even though I know I'm not..

If you had 200, would you try and make it a bit better, if you were in the situation I am?

princeofpounds

Well the fact that the deposit is not protected actually puts you in a very strong position in some ways. You can choose at any time to sue the landlord for non-protection, which will mean your deposit is returned as well as a penalty of up to 3x applied. It also means that the landlord cannot terminate your tenancy until the deposit is protected, as long as you pay your rent and don't trash the place.

If you do want to spend that money to get a slightly improved 6/7 months then fine.

Also the lack of inventory means that that it is at least a little less troublesome to make the necessary fixes.

And, you are on a statutory periodic tenancy with one month's notice (to coincide with a rental period) due from you. That does give you great flexibility. I would suggest that you don't give up on finding a new place sooner. A DRO isn't a total ban on any landlord accepting you - you might find a private landlord who is more understanding or whatever.

BitterAndTwisted

No. I wouldn't as I think your efforts (and your money) are likely to be wasted. I doubt that any of the things you have listed are going to be effective.

A decent dehumidifier for about a hundred quid run 24/7 on the other hand might be.


Do you think you might be able to find a spot somewhere with your dog as someone's lodger? I think that might be where I'd be focussing my efforts.

Yorkie1

I think that any money you spend on anti-mould paint will soon be wasted as the condensation will simply come back.

I echo the advice about a dehumidifier. Even if it only makes 50% difference, that is an improvement.

And, as others have said, the lack of protection of your deposit makes it much harder for him to evict you. I *think* that he has to return your deposit before issuing a s.21 notice, and I bet he isn't aware of that fact. You'd be able to string it out for months until he worked out what was necessary (come back on here in case he does ever serve you with one).

faerie~spangles

You need to ventilate your flat.
Windows and doors open.
Put lids on pots when cooking and if possible dry your laundry outside.
I don't know whether one of these would help with the bugs