Ending my short hold tenancy early

julieb1987

Oh, and congratulations!

djd011086

Awww thank you. So happy

EH have been out again today and we told them about the amount of rat poo we have found in the rug and under the sofa. Feel like they have made a bit of a nest in that room. He has again advised that the decking needs to come up but this is getting done on the 4th and he found some chewed wires in our dvd cupboard. Little beggars aren't they haha.

I know its the wee that is the problem though and I had heard that it stained things so I have thought that I would be able to see it but when I've googled this it seems that I would need a blacklight to see any urine. I don't like the idea of being around that if I'm this early in a pregnancy. Hopefully the LL will just agree to let us go but if he doesn't unfortunately, I think we'll probably have to take this further.

FireWyrm

This is a health hazard. Did you tell the EH that you are pregnant? If not, I would be complaining to his superiors. Rant infestations are not to be taken lightely and both the EH and the LL have a duty of care to a vulnerable person (you). If you weren't pregnant, it wouldnt be a huge issue, but now, it is. Sorry, the game just upped a level and you need to make everyone aware that you require immediate action on this subject and a difinitve answer from EH - by the end of the week.

djd011086

Thanks for your advice.

It's been hard enough living here with a 6 year old but now after finding out I'm pregnant it's extremely stressful. The LL's father has been dealing with it most of the time and he came yesterday with the pest control, he was trying to say that there's not a big issue anymore however when he left the pest control said the opposite. He had asked the LL father if he could cut a small hole in one of the walls so that he could get his head inside to see what is going on but he avoided the question so it hasn't been done. So I'm starting to think that he's sending the pest control out regularly so that it looks good on paper but that he's not actually doing what he is being advised to do. He sent another guy out today to lift some of the decking that surrounds the house to try and find how they are getting in but they can't find a hole anywhere. The problem is rats can get through holes the size of a large felt tip so I feel its like looking for a needle in a haystack as the property itself is quite large. We are currently paying £2000 per month and even though we have been living with rats for over a month now we have had No reduction.

I will call environmental health and see what they say but really we just want to know what our rights are as tenants to end the contract early. I have checked our contract and there's a break clause for the landlord to evict us if we don't abide by his rules but it doesn't mention us at all. We have been told that this will be an ongoing problem so I don't really want to deal with this all over again next winter as I will have a new born by then. But surely a landlord can't hold us to this contract in this circumstance.?????

Thanks

Yorkie1

Yes, unless the property is uninhabitable - and deemed as such independently rather than by you - then the LL can hold you to the contract.

You refer to what you call the 'break clause'. From what you describe this is not in fact a break clause.

A break clause permits either party to give notice to the other party on a no-fault basis after a set time into the tenancy. What you have described is a clause that just sets out the circumstances in which the LL can seek to evict you for breach of tenancy conditions by you.

Get back onto the EH.