Rechargeable repairs

CakeFanatic

Hi,

I moved house recently (from a council house to another empty council house) and then started to receive letters about rechargeable repairs which accused me of damaging the old property (which I didn't, I might add). I appealed and got some of the "debt" scrapped but they refused to remove all of it, still saying that I am responsible for a portion of the cost.

In their letter, it said that if I wish to dispute the remaining amount then I must do so in writing. Well, I was unsure as to what the remaining amount was for, so I sent them a letter saying that yes I wish to dispute the amount but in order to do so I needed to know exactly what I was disputing (i.e. what the amount was for). I also asked them to send any evidence that they have which proves that I am the one who caused the damage.

I have now received a response from the council which says that the remaining cost is for damage to kitchen worktops. They included a couple of photos of the damage (which are such tiny marks that they have had to blow up the pictures in order to make it visible!) The photos are also date-stamped, which shows that the pictures were taken AFTER I moved out of the property, so basically they still haven't proven that I damaged the worktops as they haven't sent me any proof/photos that this damage was not already there when they let the place to me. I also suspect that these worktops are really old as they look really old fashioned and are not in keeping with current council kitchens, so it is more than possible that the damage was there before I moved in.

(See the beginning of my second paragraph above) - in the letter they sent me they said that I could dispute the remaining charge in writing, but now in the letter I received today they are saying that I have no right to appeal!!! Even though the previous letter said I do and I replied that I want to dispute it but wanted to know what I was disputing.

I am a good tenant, I have had no complaints against me, no debts on rent account etc, have always allowed contractors to enter to carry out repairs etc etc etc. In fact a member of council staff told me I was a model tenant! I just feel like I am being bullied by them because they know they have more power than me.

What can I do? I really want to appeal/dispute this amount but they are threatening to get debt collectors involved and refusing to allow me to appeal/dispute. I really hope someone can help, I already have a lot of stress to deal with right now and really don't need this on top of everything else.

Sorry for the rant, and thanks for reading! :mad:

thesaint

Appeal using the 1st letter as reference.

They haven't got a court ordered debt, so them sending debt collectors is pointless.

AlexMac

And later, having laid down a paper trail in the form of copies of your series (of what will be by then) a couple of rational and reasonable letters, explaining ....
why the damage isn't down to you, or that it is entirely minor damage consistent with 'fair wear and tear' on an old kitchen, and that you are shocked that they should treat you in this way as you have been a model tenant, always paid rent and Council Tax on time, left the flat clean and well-decorated, never been on the end of complaints of noise or nuisance... blah....blah...etc

then deal in your local ward Councillors, whose ID, email address and open 'surgeries' you can get from the town hall website or https://www.writetothem.com/
and get her / him or them to protect your interests... after all, that's why we vote them in to run the Council

good luck

CakeFanatic

Thanks to both of you Some great ideas there.

Just to pick up on your point about the debt collectors....am I right in thinking that debt collectors have no right to take my stuff/enter my home etc?

The debt is unenforceable until it has been judged enforceable by a court of law - is that correct?

Thanks again

***Just to clarify as I don't know if laws would differ in this elsewhere - I am in England***

patman99

The Local Council tried this one on with my B-in-L when he downsized to a smaller house. He stuck to his guns and put in a complaint based on the fact that the Council moved contractors in to strip out both the kitchen and bathroom to fit new ones (as per their standard policy for long-term rents).

I would suggest checking whether or not your Council replaces the kitchen in between you moving out & the new tenants moving in. If they do, then they are basically being hypocritical as they had no intention of retaining the kitchen anyway.

CakeFanatic

Thanks patman! I thought the same and I did ask the council already if they would have replaced the old kitchen anyway to bring it up to date with newer standards but they chose to omit that information from their response!

Sounds a bit fishy to me!

Audrey_Wright

You're certainly being bullied here. I'd suggest to not back down and file your well mannered complaint, with detailed explanation on your case and every letter attached you've received, like the one, granting you permission to object to their claims, along with your comments and arguments below it.

Micro-scratches like the ones you explained are normal and regular to appear in time due usage of the facility. They are not forced on the surface by improper use, they are simply the result of natural interaction between objects.

Hold your ground and don't let them have their way with you. Good luck

Building_Surveyor

Duplicate post posted several weeks ago...

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/4895237

OP do not start a separate thread for every piece of the puzzle.

CakeFanatic

Building_surveyor.....

Yes I did post about this issue a few weeks ago and if you read through the replies on that original post someone kindly referred me to this forum if I needed to ask anything else - hence why I have now posted here as there has been a development in this case.

If you look to the left of my posts you will see that I am a "newbie" to this forum, which is why I posted on the wrong board initially.

So what should I do then? Should I continue to post on the original board which turned out to be the wrong place, or should I carry on adding to the discussion on this thread, which is in the right place?

Thanks for your kind response Audrey Wright, much appreciated