Problems with management company

gwen80

Hi

My flat is managed by the lettings agency and I've had problems since I moved in. They obviously hadn't checked any of the appliances when I moved in as the washing machine wasn't working and neither was the immersion for the hot water. I eventually got these sorted out.

On Friday I reported that the electric shower isn't holding the temperature very well and I'd tried to have a bath instead to find the hot water from the tank is not working yet again, so I reported that too. They said they'd send someone round. I asked if they could call me to update me on the status as I'd be away over the weekend. No phone call.

I call up this morning to find out that the plumber has recommended a new shower and he'll be in touch. I said 'What about the water tank?' and the woman at the estate agents had no idea about it. I said 'I discussed it with your colleague, I reported it on Friday'. She said she'd find out the status of it and call me back. No call. Now my concern is with all their faffing about, if the shower breaks in the meantime, I'll have no hot water and the cold water that comes out is absolutely icy. Is there anything I can do to get them to get a move on with this? Do I have any rights to have these repairs carried out within a certain timeframe?

Thanks

G

G_M

I assume you have reported these issues properly?

* In writing?
* by letter?
* to the landlord?
* at the address provided?

No? Then don't be surprised if messages/information get lost and things take longer.....

dancingfairy

You could email them so you have record. Technically you should be putting things in writing but obviously email is quicker so you could back up your email with a letter. Yes, I know they are virtually the same thing but some judges/courts don't accept emails as they can't prove they've been read (whereas it's well established what postal service of a document is - i believe it's deemed served 2 days after its' posted and you should keep a copy of the letter and get proof of postage).
You have the right to a means of hot water and a means of heating. The landlord should endeavour to get it fixed in a reasonable amount of time. There are various options available to you but none are quick fixes. You should put your concerns in writing to the landlord (yes, the actual landlord). If he/she doesn't respond to this you can follow it up with another letter and give a timescale. If it still isn't fixed then you probably want to be reading up on the Shelter website as to how to enforce repairs. Basically in the end it boils down to you getting it fixed and witholding rent to cover the cost. However in order to protect yourself from being accused of witholding rent for no reason you should follow the process precisely. Other options open to you include reporting the landlord to environmental health or involving a tenancy relations officer (TRO) at your local council if you have one.
But basically you have to be patient for now.
Definitely start putting things in writing to the actual landlord (funny how things get done when there is an actual record and people can't 'forget' things).
Hope you get it sorted soon. It's miserable when you have problems with heating /hot water.
Do you have a bath? If so then your best bet may be to boil kettles for the bath for now.
df