Repairs scotland

clairecymru

We rent an unfurnished house in Scotland. The shower has stopped working and has been for over a week. Landlord is aware and has been trying to get an electrician to fix it but no-one seems to want the job. Landlord lives in England and cannot come to see what the problem is.

Can landlord leave us without a shower if he cannot get someone to repair it. Can we insist on a reduced rent? I do not know how much longer I can put up with having a bath every day.

confusedLG

I am no expert but I think as long as you have hot water sort of thing they dont need to rush, but at same time assuming its just wear and tear if it wasnt fixed by time you moved out LL cant charge you for the repair but in the real world LL's make up the rules as they go along to benefit them 9 times out of 10

I do know from experience that with problems like this you must keep in constant contact with LL in case the situation gets worse or LL claims to not know about it because they can just use that to say you are not a responsible tenant and by not updating LL the damage either got worse or cost more to repair etc or just generally use it against you.

Pixie5740

Whilst your LL is responsible for having the shower repaired you do still have the means to get washed. People survived without showers for centuries. There's no legislation saying your entitled to any kind of rent reduction whilst your without a shower. It's only been a week and it sounds as though your LL is attempting to have it fixed.

Would it be possible for you to find someone to fix the shower? You could float the idea with your LL and if he agrees you could deduct the amount you paid for the repair from the rent but get any such agreement in writing.

See Shelter Scotland's guide to repairs.

http://scotland.shelter.org.uk/get_advice/advice_topics/repairs_and_bad_conditions/repairs_in_private_rented_accommodation/getting_your_landlord_to_do_repairs