Very damp house. Landlord not doing anything.

dodger1

This started two and a half years ago? Why on earth are you still living there. It's fairly obvious what kind of LL you have had all this time.

NeedAdvicePlease_2

I know, we should have moved sooner however it wasnt as big of an issue. We generally kept cleaning and it went away. It has been recently it has become a big problem.

Yes, we've always known that she didnt bother much but she left us to it and there has been generally no other issues with the house apart from the ant thing which she did have someone see to it. She has replaced the boiler after I mentioned that it wasnt efficent and gas bills were high too.

We will move as soon as possible and try and negotiate for her to let us out of our lease without penalty.

Some have mentioned a break clause? Is this just the same as negotiating an early termination date? Im sure in the contract it mentions we can give 2 months notice or something along those lines but i will check tonight.

Fire_Fox

You need to read your assured shorthold tenancy agreement to see if there is a break clause within the fixed term, there is no standard system so if you aren't sure post the wording AND all the dates. If you are not in the fixed term a tenant can serve one rent period notice (usually one month) the landlord has to serve two months. Unfair or unenforceable clauses in the contract do not trump the legislation.

dancingfairy

To be honest, while buying a dehumidifer would probably help to a certain extent it is unlikely to solve the problem (and it will cost you money) .
Sadly I think a quick fix is unlikely, even if you get environmental health involved by the time they got on to the landlord/lady and they instruct someone to come and investigate it could drag on and on I think due to the timeframes involved there is probably more damp and mould that you can't see behing the plaster/cuboards/ in the walls/floordboards etc and getting to the cause of the issue could be tricky.
I would complain to EH but actually your best bet is to try and either use a break clause or negotiate an early exit.
Best of luck
df

sandsni

NeedAdvicePlease wrote: »

Heating is one twice a day, first thingfor 30 mins then an hour before we get home to heat the house. We have cavity wall insulation too.

I would suggest that 1.5hrs of central heating in October probably isn't enough. How old is the house and what is the EPC rating?

krlyr

A lack of inventory will usually work in your favour rather than hers. If she wants to make any deductions from your deposit then she has to provide very solid evidence of its original condition and that it wasn't like that prior to your moving in - without a dual signed inventory, this will be difficult for her.

I would look into the lack of a properly lodged deposit - as a tenant I believe you can claim up to 3 times the amount of your deposit if it has not been lodged in accordance to the law. You may feel the effort of claiming this is more than its worth but it could be some leverage to use to arrange a shorter exit from the property - agree that you want your deposit returned, possibly some money for the damaged clothing, and you won't persue it further. Worth getting some proper advice though - there's lots of experts on the subject on here so could be worth starting another thread to get clarity purely on the deposit/notice side of things.

Slinky

sandsni wrote: »

NeedAdvicePlease wrote: »

Heating is one twice a day, first thingfor 30 mins then an hour before we get home to heat the house. We have cavity wall insulation too.

I would suggest that 1.5hrs of central heating in October probably isn't enough. How old is the house and what is the EPC rating?

Why have you dug this thread up from last October?