Friend in the Wrong?

The_Hurricane

Hello All,

I was out visiting my friend yesterday who rents her house when the Estate Agent made an impromptu visit. My friend protested at this visit but the EA advised that since she had changed her landline and mobile number so often resulting in him having no contact details he had to call out in person.

The situation is my friend's lease is up at the end of this month, it was a one year contract and she is keen to renew, however there have been a number of issues during the year:

1. The house prior to moving in had been renovated by the landlord but some snagging issues remained.
2. The boiler give up and was replaced within three weeks by the Landlord.
3. The roof leaked at the back porch for a bit and it took several visits by the joiner over three months to identify a pin head hole in the roof and completely repair it.
4. A minor leak in the hot-press tank which the Landlord has sought a plumber on, the plumber has advised that at this point it is very minor and to put a basin under the leak to catch any water. The landlord has arranged to have this properly repaired in the future.
5. My friend has also complained that the front bedroom is a little cold due to only having a single glazed window with a wooden frame within this room although other rooms are double glazed. The joiner has also been out on a number of occasions to ensure the house is draft proof.

On the flip side the following issues are with my friend,

1. She has still only paid £200 of an agreed £400 deposit, the EA has said that in order for lease to be renewed the £400 must be paid in full. I'm amazed this has not already happened.

2. My friend gets housing benefits and this is used to pay the rent in addition to a supplement from her, however due to bank problems her supplements stopped for over two months. In addition to this the Landlord is claiming that over one month's rent is outstanding and this must all be paid in full prior to renewing the contract. My friend has countered this by saying that he benefits are always one month behind, but the Landlord is adamant that he doesn't want arrears going into any new lease. He has also suggested that the benefits be paid directly to my friend and from here she pay one monthly payment to the LL rather than one monthly payment from the benefit's office and weekly payments from her.

3. Two panes of glass have been smashed during the tenancy, my friend has claimed this is due to wind but the EA has insisted this must be repaired.

4. The Landlord has complained that the garden is being used as a rubbish tip with beds etc being dumped in it by my friend (I agree on this point).

5. The house is also untidy and a little smelly due to not being cleaned, the EA has raised this matter but my friend has said it's irrelevant.

6. The LL has given her the number of the joiner who she can contact directly if there is an issue but on several occassions she has lost the number of the LL and joiner and has been unable to contact anyone.

Who is right and who is wrong, I do see the point regarding the snagging issues but I told my friend that she has not been a model tenant, however she disagree. She asked me to get some independent advice for her so here I am for what it's worth.

One thing my friend has said, the Landlord feels that it's going to be too expensive for him to replace both the window in the bedroom with a double glazed PVC window along with replacing the hot-press tank. He has suggested since the hot-press leak is minor and the plumber assures that it will not get much worse that he will instead have a basin put under it to catch any leaks and will instead replace the front window. My friend wants both replaced - personally I'm not sure on this one.

I think my friend's wrong but maybe she has a point so at her request I would appreciate your views.

Thanks

straas

I think your friend is very lucky the LL is even considering renewing - I certainly wouldn't if there were;

- Rent arrears
- Insufficient deposit
- Damage to the property caused by tenant
- Neglect of the property (i.e. no cleaning)
- dumping of waste in external areas (beds etc)

Sounds like a bit of a nightmare tenant, and her attitude sounds awful.

Bantex_2

Friend seems to have a typical "benefits" attitude. As I am not paying why should I even bother to clean the place. If I was LL she would be out as soon as possible.

G_M

Has your friend received a S21 Notice?

If not, why not?!!!!

duchy

If it was YOUR house would you renew ?
Now the EA has done the visit odds are they'll report back to the landlord who may very well decide she's a pain and a liability and decline to renew.
Why is she getting you to run around getting advice - she's hardly too busy with housework to do it ? Why not tell her to get herself down to CAB and get her own advice

The_Hurricane

I wouldn't disagree with what any of you have said, how about the window and hot-press situation?

Cotta

Am I alone in feeling the snagging issues are irrelevant as the LL has attempted to address these?

straas

With the window 'situation' I'd say she rented with the single glazing apparent - why should the LL replace a working window at her behest (especially as she's broken others) - thermal lined curtains do the same job as double glazing - tell her to invest in some, as double glazing is not a requirement!

The leak sounds very minor, and the LL has plans to repair, so I don't really see an issue.

Bantex_2

What is a hot-press?

~Beanie~

I don't think that the landlord is under any obligation to replace the window just because it is single glazed with a wooden frame.

The_Hurricane

Bantex wrote: »

What is a hot-press?

Hotpress where the copper cylinder is, or am I using the incorreect name?

I know the plumber has suggested putting this repair on the long finger as he doesn't deem it very important.