Can I claim for mould-damaged stuff from the landlord?

Mouse-Mouse

Hi guys! I have been living in a rented flat for 3 years now and it always had a dampness problem which we put down to ground floor/corner position etc however it turned out recently that there’s been an under floor leak in the bathroom for a while now (the pipes have rotten) so the landlord is claiming on his insurance for repairs.
As this was uncovered, we checked the stuff we had in closets (next to the bathroom) and most of the clothes/shoes there are heavily damaged by mould. I actually threw quite a lot away already but now I am wondering if I could claim the damage from the landlord somehow and what the procedure would be?
Also, during these 3 years we had a dehumidifier on pretty much constantly (to no avail as it turned out) so a big part of our electric bill was that. Is there any way to prove it and also claim?
Thanks for your help.

Niv

You can try to claim from your LL but I think claiming from your contents insurance is a better bet.

Mouse-Mouse

Unfortunately, I do not have a contents insurance

Pixie5740

Mouse-Mouse wrote: »

Unfortunately, I do not have a contents insurance

That doesn't mean you can claim from the LL's insurance. Lesson learned.

How and when did you first report the damp issue to your LL?

Niv

Mouse-Mouse wrote: »

Unfortunately, I do not have a contents insurance

Oh well, you took the gamble and probably lost. Maybe next time you will win

Mouse-Mouse

We mentioned the bad extractor fan almost straight away, then reported what we believed was a bathroom leak over a year ago and we had a plumber over on and off since then trying to establish the cause.

Do I have to have a contents insurance to claim it off the landlord's?

Pixie5740

How did you report it? In writing? Did you ever discuss the LL paying anything towards the extra electricity used by the dehumidifer? Who supplied the dehumidifier?

Cissi

Mouse-Mouse wrote: »

Do I have to have a contents insurance to claim it off the landlord's?

No, the Landlord's insurance won't cover your belongings - hence why you need your own contents insurance (as you would if you owned the flat).

IF it could be proved that the LL has been grossly negligent you MIGHT have a case against him in the small claims court - but it sounds as if everyone, you included, missed the leak for a long time, and that since you reported it the LL has been trying to deal with it, so I doubt you'd get anywhere with this.

Mouse-Mouse

Pixie5740 wrote: »

How did you report it? In writing? Did you ever discuss the LL paying anything towards the extra electricity used by the dehumidifer? Who supplied the dehumidifier?

We did inform by phone initially however I have a bunch of follow-up emails informing them that there's no improvement.
Dehumidifier bought by the landlord.

Pixie5740

You reported damp to the LL who has had a plumber round one and off until the source of the damp was found. Your LL also supplied a dehumidifer which puts him head and shoulders above a lot of the LL's being complained about on this forum.

You don't have a claim for your damaged items as you should have had your own contents insurance and your LL has been working towards finding the cause of the damp.

I don't think you have a claim for extra electricity used by the dehumidifier either. How do you know that a large part of your electricity bill is due to the usage of the dehumidifer if you have no evidence?

You've lived there for 3 years, if the damp really bothered you that much, you would have moved.

Just chalk it up to experience.

pmlindyloo

Have a read of this:

http://england.shelter.org.uk/get_advice/repairs_and_bad_conditions/common_problems/compensation_for_disrepair

My personal opinion is, at the very least, you should write to your landlord specifying what you would like compensation for.

As you will see from the link you will need to give dates/repair problems/lack of repair - in other words evidence of your 'loss'.

The landlord may say 'no'. Then, if you feel you have enough evidence then you could take the Ll to court for compensation.

However, you must be aware that the LL could give you notice (albeit with due regard to the law concerning such notice)

Worth a try negotiating with the landlord.

My 'take' on it is that failure to deal with the disrepair by the landlord has left you 'out of pocket' and caused damage to your clothes.