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rented house with a list of issues but letting agent ignoring calls?
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angelfire
Posts: 869 Forumite
Hi all,
Not really sure who to go to about this but my mum moved into a rented property in April this year, that on first inspection looked lovely. However, there is a list of jobs that require attention - among them, an inefficient boiler, broken window catch on the kitchen window and a conservatory door that won't always lock!
My mum has tried since May to contact the letting agent, two tradesmen have been around to look at the issues but noone has got back to her.
She has just one number to contact and this takes her through to Rightmove, then re-directs to a mobile which will ring out, go to answerphone, then after that go straight to answerphone.
When we have looked, it appears that the landlord IS the letting agent - I'm not sure if this has any bearing on anything?
The situation has just yesterday become worse, as my mum's carbon monoxide alarm was sounding. We called an emergency British Gas number and they came out for free to check the gas appliances. There was no leaking gas, but on inspection, the gas safety certificate is out of date by a month, so the man has turned off the gas at the mains and my mum now has no hot water/heating.
(for info, he could not rule out that carbon monoxide was present but he also couldn't test for it. He did say though, that the battery needed changing, which was unusual as the alarm is only a year old and the battery should have lasted until 2018).
She has now drafted a letter that we will send to the letting agent address recorded signed for today, but what else can she do?
She has never missed her rent and wouldn't dream of doing so, she has kept her side of the tenancy agreement, but clearly whoever owns/lets the property really isn't!
What do we do? Is there anyone we can go to?
Thanks for reading if you have got this far!
Not really sure who to go to about this but my mum moved into a rented property in April this year, that on first inspection looked lovely. However, there is a list of jobs that require attention - among them, an inefficient boiler, broken window catch on the kitchen window and a conservatory door that won't always lock!
My mum has tried since May to contact the letting agent, two tradesmen have been around to look at the issues but noone has got back to her.
She has just one number to contact and this takes her through to Rightmove, then re-directs to a mobile which will ring out, go to answerphone, then after that go straight to answerphone.
When we have looked, it appears that the landlord IS the letting agent - I'm not sure if this has any bearing on anything?
The situation has just yesterday become worse, as my mum's carbon monoxide alarm was sounding. We called an emergency British Gas number and they came out for free to check the gas appliances. There was no leaking gas, but on inspection, the gas safety certificate is out of date by a month, so the man has turned off the gas at the mains and my mum now has no hot water/heating.
(for info, he could not rule out that carbon monoxide was present but he also couldn't test for it. He did say though, that the battery needed changing, which was unusual as the alarm is only a year old and the battery should have lasted until 2018).
She has now drafted a letter that we will send to the letting agent address recorded signed for today, but what else can she do?
She has never missed her rent and wouldn't dream of doing so, she has kept her side of the tenancy agreement, but clearly whoever owns/lets the property really isn't!
What do we do? Is there anyone we can go to?
Thanks for reading if you have got this far!
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Comments
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Hi all,
Not really sure who to go to about this but my mum moved into a rented property in April this year, that on first inspection looked lovely. However, there is a list of jobs that require attention - among them, an inefficient boiler, broken window catch on the kitchen window and a conservatory door that won't always lock!
My mum has tried since May to contact the letting agent, two tradesmen have been around to look at the issues but noone has got back to her.
She has just one number to contact and this takes her through to Rightmove, then re-directs to a mobile which will ring out, go to answerphone, then after that go straight to answerphone.
When we have looked, it appears that the landlord IS the letting agent - I'm not sure if this has any bearing on anything?
The situation has just yesterday become worse, as my mum's carbon monoxide alarm was sounding. We called an emergency British Gas number and they came out for free to check the gas appliances. There was no leaking gas, but on inspection, the gas safety certificate is out of date by a month, so the man has turned off the gas at the mains and my mum now has no hot water/heating.
(for info, he could not rule out that carbon monoxide was present but he also couldn't test for it. He did say though, that the battery needed changing, which was unusual as the alarm is only a year old and the battery should have lasted until 2018).
She has now drafted a letter that we will send to the letting agent address recorded signed for today, but what else can she do?
She has never missed her rent and wouldn't dream of doing so, she has kept her side of the tenancy agreement, but clearly whoever owns/lets the property really isn't!
What do we do? Is there anyone we can go to?
Thanks for reading if you have got this far!
Ok lets do a standard checklist:
1: DId she pay a deposit, was it protected and the prescribed information received within 30 days (of payment to the agent).
2: Does your tenancy agreement have an address for the landlord, for the puproses of serving notice?
3: Your council have (or should have) within the environamental health, a private lettings advisor. This is who you should contact if your letter is ignored, they can force through repairs. Also the LL is breaking the law by not renewing the GSC.
4: Send your letter normal 1st class, or both, incase the agents dont sign for post for this very reason. For purposes of law, notices are deemed served 2 days after posting 1st class, and with the weather getting colder i cant see how heating isnt a must have now.0 -
Firstly, writing is a good idea, but not recorded delivery because that can be turned away if there is no one there to sign for it. Normal first class post with proof of posting is sufficient and deemed served on the recipient 2 working days after posting.
Does she have any other forms of heating?
The boiler being "inefficient" in not something that the LL necessarily has to address, but obviously the GSC and the problem identified by the Gas Engineer yesterday is an issue - make mention of this in the letter.
Look online for the address of the letting agent to find out their landline/office number is it is unlikely the mobile number is their only contact with the outside world! Try ringing that, but follow up with the letter anyway, as always best to confirm all repairs in writing.0 -
Firstly, writing is a good idea, but not recorded delivery because that can be turned away if there is no one there to sign for it. Normal first class post with proof of posting is sufficient and deemed served on the recipient 2 working days after posting.
Does she have any other forms of heating?
The boiler being "inefficient" in not something that the LL necessarily has to address, but obviously the GSC and the problem identified by the Gas Engineer yesterday is an issue - make mention of this in the letter.
Look online for the address of the letting agent to find out their landline/office number is it is unlikely the mobile number is their only contact with the outside world! Try ringing that, but follow up with the letter anyway, as always best to confirm all repairs in writing.
Hi, mum hs an electric fire ion the lounge.
The number on thr landlord's page takes you to Rightmove, which then redirects to this mobile! So no, there is no advertised landline!0 -
Ok lets do a standard checklist:
1: DId she pay a deposit, was it protected and the prescribed information received within 30 days (of payment to the agent).
She did and it was.
2: Does your tenancy agreement have an address for the landlord, for the puproses of serving notice?
I shall ask mum this and get back
3: Your council have (or should have) within the environamental health, a private lettings advisor. This is who you should contact if your letter is ignored, they can force through repairs. Also the LL is breaking the law by not renewing the GSC.
4: Send your letter normal 1st class, or both, incase the agents dont sign for post for this very reason. For purposes of law, notices are deemed served 2 days after posting 1st class, and with the weather getting colder i cant see how heating isnt a must have now.
Many thanks for your swift reply0 -
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If there is no address on the tenancy agreement, for the purposes of serving notice, then your mother should stop paying rent. Keep it, as she will need to pay it eventually, but not until she has an address for the above. Then you can serve all the required notices direct.0
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Guest, the tenant must have an address, as she intends to write to the agents!0
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Guest, the tenant must have an address, as she intends to write to the agents!
Yes but writing to the agents at a commercial address is not necessarily an address for the LL for the purposes of serving notice.
I can google my agents address right now, but would have to find my tenancy agreement to write to my LLs.0 -
But if the tenancy document has the agent's address, then in law, this is the address for serving notices! You do not need to serve them direct to the LL, only to their agent who is acting on their behalf. I have let property for 13 years, and used an agent for the first 9 - never did my tenant during that time have my address, unless of course they specifically asked for it as agent has to comply and supply it on a written request.
The address does not have to be the LL's!
The Google suggestion of mine was to try to find a landline number to contact the agent, as the OP seems to only get a rightmove link, followed by a mobile number. I would have thought Agents rarely only have mobile phones, and googling the agent may turn up a more fruitful phone contact.0 -
But if the tenancy document has the agent's address, then in law, this is the address for serving notices! You do not need to serve them direct to the LL, only to their agent who is acting on their behalf. I have let property for 13 years, and used an agent for the first 9 - never did my tenant during that time have my address, unless of course they specifically asked for it as agent has to comply and supply it on a written request.
The address does not have to be the LL's!
The Google suggestion of mine was to try to find a landline number to contact the agent, as the OP seems to only get a rightmove link, followed by a mobile number. I would have thought Agents rarely only have mobile phones, and googling the agent may turn up a more fruitful phone contact.
I think we're at crossed wires, I agree that the letting agent address is fine for this purpose. I'm asking if there is an address on the tnency for the purpose of serving notices - LA or LL residential or otherwise.0
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