Private landlord problems, can we move out?

kaley6989

Hello, this might be really long so i apologise but in desperate need of some advice..
We moved into a 2 bed house on March 10th this year, and we have been having problems since day one. i emailed the estate agent the day we moved in, listing all the problems that wasnt on the internory (tap in kitchen was just sat there, not fixed in toilet doesnt flush unless yanked hard/shower not working/bath tap broken/tiles on floor broken/bath pannel hanging off/stained carpets/leek on kitchen ceiling...and plenty more.
The estate agent sent someone round that week, they fixed the kitchen tap, painted the ceiling in the kitchen and attempted to out a new bath pannel on (silicon everywhere, new ones hanging off now aswel). He also ''fixed'' the bath tap, but since march 15th the hot water tap on the bath takes over 45mins to dribble hot water out. not practical when the shower still isnt working so i have to get up an hour earlier on a morning just to run the bath. I have emailed the estate agent over 15 times, as we dont have direct contact with LL- its all through the agents. Our estate agent doesnt listen to a word i say to her, keeps insisting that the repairs have been carried out! when i call her shes always in a meeting but fast to email me if i contact her that way.
Furthermore, the old style boiler kept tripping our electricity 2 weeks ago, so after a whole day on the phone to the estate agents, they finally sent someone round from British Gas who said that the boiler needs replacing....and the gas fire in the living room we have been using ALOT for 3 months is giving off dangerous fumes and tagged it with a warning tag! The estate agent didnt care at all about this.
So now, 3 months on, the tap in the bathroom still takes 45+ mins to come on, the toilet doesnt flush (my 6 year old cant flush it and is embarrased to go to the loo!!), my 2 year old has cut her toes twice on the broken tiles in the bathroom, showers still not working and we have a huge ''at risk'' tag on our fire. (ive listed all these things several times via email which i have kept, but the estate agent just keeps fobbing us off). Now the leek that was on the kitchen ceiling is spreading into the living room, her response?
"I will ask the landlord if your aloud to repaint it"
IM SO MAD!!!
i think enough is enough, these are the ''main'' problems, im not even going to go into all the little ones but i just need to know where i stand or what rights we have? i dont want to stay here anymore, they can fix everything and spray it with real gold and i still want out..ive had enough. We pay 680 a month (which belive me, for a small 2bed house in this state is a complete RIP OFF) Its effecting our everyday life!
Any help/info/advice would be very much appriciated
TIA

kaley6989

ps- we signed a 2 year contact in march

PasturesNew

These are minor annoyances, often encountered in shoddy rental housing. You're pretty much stuck there to be honest.

Rentals are never perfect, many repairs are "bodged" or not done at all - it's important to get as nice a place as possible right from the viewing day .... and to view with your eyes open.

The main issue of concern is that gas .... is it or isn't it leaking dangerous funes? If it is, engineer should have condemned it; if it isn't then it's just an annoyance that it's cr4p.

kaley6989

PasturesNew wrote: »

These are minor annoyances, often encountered in shoddy rental housing. You're pretty much stuck there to be honest.

Rentals are never perfect, many repairs are "bodged" or not done at all - it's important to get as nice a place as possible right from the viewing day .... and to view with your eyes open.

The main issue of concern is that gas .... is it or isn't it leaking dangerous funes? If it is, engineer should have condemned it; if it isn't then it's just an annoyance that it's cr4p.

She wanted to cap it, as its not safe to use but i insisted we would keep it off until it was safe again. surely the LL or estate agent is breeching the contract, hopefully making it void. were all so miserable here, so frustrating

pmlindyloo

PasturesNew wrote: »

These are minor annoyances, often encountered in shoddy rental housing. You're pretty much stuck there to be honest.

Rentals are never perfect, many repairs are "bodged" or not done at all - it's important to get as nice a place as possible right from the viewing day .... and to view with your eyes open.

The main issue of concern is that gas .... is it or isn't it leaking dangerous funes? If it is, engineer should have condemned it; if it isn't then it's just an annoyance that it's cr4p.

Beg to differ.

There are things you can do.

There is a specific procedure for getting repairs done. They are detailed here:

http://england.shelter.org.uk/get_advice/repairs_and_bad_conditions/repairs_in_private_lets/landlord_refusing_to_do_repairs

As you have already reported these go straight to the sample letter stating that you will contact the council.

Follow all the guidance particularly about taking photographs etc.

In view of the severity of some of the repairs you may wish to contact Shelter for further advice.

You also need to write to the landlord. You should have their contact details on your tenancy agreement. (even if it is c/o the letting agents.)

mrginge

kaley6989 wrote: »

She wanted to cap it, as its not safe to use but i insisted we would keep it off until it was safe again. surely the LL or estate agent is breeching the contract, hopefully making it void. were all so miserable here, so frustrating

Yes i find that keeping a potentially dangerous gas appliance that has the potential to kill you in a few minutes connected is a sensible thing to do.
Especially when there are small children around....

Lets start with the basics.
Have you reported all this, in writing (not email or text) to the address listed on your tenancy agreement?

kaley6989

its completely disconnected and hasnt been used since she tagged it. Im not putting my children at risk.....
I have been told by the estate agent im not to contact the LL as all contact goes through them, though his address is on the tennacy agreement. apparently he is away 80% of the time working, the agents speak with him through email.

letthemeatcake

I'd think the estate agent does care about the gas boiler but doesn't want to alert you to something the LL could get into trouble for. You have to have an annual safety certificate for Gas boilers don't you?

kaley6989

letthemeatcake wrote: »

I'd think the estate agent does care about the gas boiler but doesn't want to alert you to something the LL could get into trouble for. You have to have an annual safety certificate for Gas boilers don't you?

yes we had a certificate when we moved in....said all appliances were safe but since then we have been given a new one as the fire isnt safe... The woman from british gas says the boiler is full of black sludge

G_M

kaley6989 wrote: »

yes we had a certificate when we moved in....said all appliances were safe but since then we have been given a new one as the fire isnt safe... The woman from british gas says the boiler is full of black sludge

Confused. Do you or do you not have a valid (issued within the last 12 months) gsa safety certificate?

Has the woman from BG turned off the boiler and put up a red "do not switch on" notice?

Black sludge may impair the efficiency of the boiler, but I do not think it's a safety issue (though I'm not a gas engineer).

If the address provided on the tenancy agreement "for the serving of notices" is the landlord's address, then that is where you write your formal letter about any issues.

kaley6989

G_M wrote: »

Confused. Do you or do you not have a valid (issued within the last 12 months) gsa safety certificate?

Has the woman from BG turned off the boiler and put up a red "do not switch on" notice?

Black sludge may impair the efficiency of the boiler, but I do not think it's a safety issue (though I'm not a gas engineer).

If the address provided on the tenancy agreement "for the serving of notices" is the landlord's address, then that is where you write your formal letter about any issues.

its not the boiler thats dangerous, its the fire in the living room. We have a certificate dated march 8th (2days before we moved in) stating all is safe. The problem is, the fire has no coals in it, which effectively ''stops'' the dangerous fumes...the fire is pictured in the inventory without the coals.... will it be the black smudge which is making the hot water come out slowly (after 45mins of turning it on :mad:)
I told the estate agent that me and my daughter was going to move in with my aunt, and my husband would move in with his mum with our other daughter until these problems are fixed...she didnt respond to this, just bybassed the whole comment. This only worked for 2 nights, as wasnt suitable. Everytime i contact her she just says she will speak to the landlord, speak to the contractor, or say that the contractor has said hes already fixed them....when in fact he hasnt and even he stated last time he was here the tiles where dangerous (again, these are the same as the inventory, no further damage has been made but there labeled ''slightly cracked''...nothing is actually getting done!

Sorry for ranting and thank you for replying, i hate complaining but we are all so stressed out, including the 6 year old...its shocking.