Friends new flat has no water(so cant even use toilet) what rights does he have?

Viberduo

He lives in Scotland like me, he has to spend most of his day away from house and cant even shower or use toilet, well he has 1 hot tap working in kitchen and has to spent around 10 minutes filling toilet from a pan before he can go again and uses same pan to wash every morning.

LL just keeps telling him to wait longer but surely there is some law on basic sanitation?

G_M

Scotland so I can't really advise, but in England the property would be 'uninhabitable'.

Landlord & Tenant Act 1985

10 Fitness for human habitation.

In determining for the purposes of this Act whether a house is unfit for human habitation, regard shall be had to its condition in respect of the following matters—

repair,

stability,

freedom from damp,

internal arrangement,

natural lighting,

ventilation,

water supply,

drainage and sanitary conveniences,

facilities for preparation and cooking of food and for the disposal of waste water;

and the house shall be regarded as unfit for human habitation if, and only if, it is so far defective in one or more of those matters that it is not reasonably suitable for occupation in that condition.

and

11 Repairing obligations in short leases.

(1)In a lease to which this section applies (as to which, see sections 13 and 14) there is implied a covenant by the lessor—

(a)to keep in repair the structure and exterior of the dwelling-house (including drains, gutters and external pipes),

(b)to keep in repair and proper working order the installations in the dwelling-house for the supply of water, gas and electricity and for sanitation (including basins, sinks, baths and sanitary conveniences, but not other fixtures, fittings and appliances for making use of the supply of water, gas or electricity), and

(c)to keep in repair and proper working order the installations in the dwelling-house for space heating and heating water.

Move into a hotel and bill the landlord.

Pixie5740

It's not hugely dissimilar in Scotland.

Your landlord must make sure your home reaches a standard level of repair called the "repairing standard."

To meet the repairing standard:

* the property must be wind and watertight
* the property must be fit for you to live in, meeting the 'tolerable standard'
* the structure and exterior of the property (for example, the walls and roof) must be in a reasonable condition
* the installations for the supply of water, gas, electricity, and for sanitation, space heating and heating water must be in a reasonable state of repair and in proper working order (these include external installations such as drains)
* any fixtures, fittings or appliances provided by the landlord (such as carpets, light fittings, white goods and household equipment) must be in a reasonable state of repair and in proper working order
any furnishings provided by the landlord must be capable of being used safely for the purpose for which they are designed
* the property must have suitable fire detectors - there should be at least one detector on each floor of the property, and if the alarms are installed after September 2007, they should be mains powered rather than battery powered.

Your friend can apply to the Private Rented Housing Panel if his landlord won't carry out the necessary repairs.

If that will take too long then your friend can report his landlord to the council's Environmental Health Department. It would also be worth checking that the landlord is registered with the local council which is a legal requirement. Scottish Landlord Registration.

Your friend might be able to withhold rent until this is sorted out but he would need to check with Shelter Scotland before going down that route.

davidmcn

How long has this been going on for, and what exactly is the fault? (seems odd that a hot tap works but nothing else?) Has a plumber looked at it? Can your friend afford to pay for it (and then claim back from landlord)?

comeandgo

But he does have water though I'd say if it is coming from the hot tap then it's not classed as drinking water and he should tell Council Environmental Health department. A bucket full of water held up high and poured down the toilet will flush better than a pan.

Viberduo

I do not know much about fittings but I know the previous tenant had a washing machine so it could be as simple as the valve is closed but then why does he have hot water in 1 tap(where washing machine was is a unused hose) and he has the old fashioned electric water pump type, I did check when I was at his and theres a cupboard beside the front door that is jammed shut, could be the valve is in there.

Oh and he is on benefits, he does technically have a little money left but spent money furnishing his flat andd right now cooks with a camping stove and has no washing machine so hes wanting to buy a cooker first than spend money on this, he could stay at mine but I worry that will affect my benefits.

Guest101

Viberduo wrote: »

I do not know much about fittings but I know the previous tenant had a washing machine so it could be as simple as the valve is closed but then why does he have hot water in 1 tap(where washing machine was is a unused hose) and he has the old fashioned electric water pump type, I did check when I was at his and theres a cupboard beside the front door that is jammed shut, could be the valve is in there.

Oh and he is on benefits, he does technically have a little money left but spent money furnishing his flat andd right now cooks with a camping stove and has no washing machine so hes wanting to buy a cooker first than spend money on this, he could stay at mine but I worry that will affect my benefits.

A temporary guest wont affect your benefits. You are allowed to have people stay over!