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Leaving property due to disrepair then hit with charges
LolStevo
Posts: 548 Forumite
I shall start at the beginning!
Basically, I started renting a property off a school friends parents in February 2013. On the 12th of that month i paid £595 deposit and £595 upfront and got the keys.
I then began paying my rent the 12th of every month up until my new job started in March 2014, due to the difference in pay dates i requested it was changed to the 25th of the month. It was all agreed and i continued to pay.
Now since the day i moved in i noticed damp patches on the walls downstairs, the landlord advised it needed to dry out for 3 months then would be redecorated. Months passed with no reply and no correspondence. I was constantly promised someone would be out and it would be repaired to no avail. 1 year in and i was now a mother of 3 young children, the youngest having breathing and chest problems in and out of hospital. I advised the landlord of this and the damp conditions were worse and nothing was done.
I have spent so much money on the house redecorating to cover the damp, had surveys done, spent time getting quotes at the landlords request. I have also had problems with the boiler since day 1 due to a massive leak and still to this day its not fixed!
The landlord came out around 3 months ago and said all would be sorted and checked around the house, a week later i had a letter to say it had been taken over by a letting agency. I now had to go through them telling them all the problems, a survey was done again and told every single internal wall was damp, plaster would need to come off and replastered before i would have to decorate.
A month later the landlord agreed to the works however i was informed on the thursday that work would begin on the monday giving me no time to remove or cover furniture and deal with 3 young children around a bomb site! I said it wasnt suitable and said i would leave the house. The agency were more than helpful and found me another property which i liked and applied for. I was then told i would have to pay £130 credit checks (even though i was advised i wouldnt having been a good tenant for over 2 years) then £80 to set up another tenancy agreement.
I am due to move on Monday 18th May and have had a call to say i owe 1 months rent due to changing my rent date. Where do i stand?
Its cost me so much money with fees, paying a man and a van, taking 3 days off work, needing new sofa and furniture due to damage from damp, as well as uprooting 3 young children and not being able to get them in a school near the new house meaning i will have to travel further to get them to school and me to work!
Am i being unreasonable by disputing this? The agency have me tied as they were transferring the deposit over but wont release it until i pay what they say! It makes it worse that my landlord and the agent are good friends :mad:
As if moving house with 3 under 4s is hard enough i have all this the week before!!!!!
Basically, I started renting a property off a school friends parents in February 2013. On the 12th of that month i paid £595 deposit and £595 upfront and got the keys.
I then began paying my rent the 12th of every month up until my new job started in March 2014, due to the difference in pay dates i requested it was changed to the 25th of the month. It was all agreed and i continued to pay.
Now since the day i moved in i noticed damp patches on the walls downstairs, the landlord advised it needed to dry out for 3 months then would be redecorated. Months passed with no reply and no correspondence. I was constantly promised someone would be out and it would be repaired to no avail. 1 year in and i was now a mother of 3 young children, the youngest having breathing and chest problems in and out of hospital. I advised the landlord of this and the damp conditions were worse and nothing was done.
I have spent so much money on the house redecorating to cover the damp, had surveys done, spent time getting quotes at the landlords request. I have also had problems with the boiler since day 1 due to a massive leak and still to this day its not fixed!
The landlord came out around 3 months ago and said all would be sorted and checked around the house, a week later i had a letter to say it had been taken over by a letting agency. I now had to go through them telling them all the problems, a survey was done again and told every single internal wall was damp, plaster would need to come off and replastered before i would have to decorate.
A month later the landlord agreed to the works however i was informed on the thursday that work would begin on the monday giving me no time to remove or cover furniture and deal with 3 young children around a bomb site! I said it wasnt suitable and said i would leave the house. The agency were more than helpful and found me another property which i liked and applied for. I was then told i would have to pay £130 credit checks (even though i was advised i wouldnt having been a good tenant for over 2 years) then £80 to set up another tenancy agreement.
I am due to move on Monday 18th May and have had a call to say i owe 1 months rent due to changing my rent date. Where do i stand?
Its cost me so much money with fees, paying a man and a van, taking 3 days off work, needing new sofa and furniture due to damage from damp, as well as uprooting 3 young children and not being able to get them in a school near the new house meaning i will have to travel further to get them to school and me to work!
Am i being unreasonable by disputing this? The agency have me tied as they were transferring the deposit over but wont release it until i pay what they say! It makes it worse that my landlord and the agent are good friends :mad:
As if moving house with 3 under 4s is hard enough i have all this the week before!!!!!
0
Comments
-
STOP.
1: The agent cannot transfer the deposit!
2: The agent doesnt work for you, they work for landlord a & b - you'll be paying the fees
3: have the LL (curent one) agreed to you moving out, in writing?
- in fact:
4: Why are you moving and not letting them do the work. if the house isnt habitable, your landlord must provide alternate accomodation0 -
STOP.
1: The agent cannot transfer the deposit!
2: The agent doesnt work for you, they work for landlord a & b - you'll be paying the fees
3: have the LL (curent one) agreed to you moving out, in writing?
- in fact:
4: Why are you moving and not letting them do the work. if the house isnt habitable, your landlord must provide alternate accomodation
They want me to live in the house with 3 children under 4 whilst work gets done they wont put me up anywhere else! I have had endless problems in this house and the landlord has been a nightmare!
I sent an email to the agent with my request to leave and they have advised the landlord was fine by this and id receive the deposit no problem then this happened today and they have said i will have to pay the new deposit upfront then wait for my old deposit! I just cant afford that! I was advised when i applied for the house that they wouldnt need to do the credit checks due to being a tenant in one of their properties anyway, then changed their minds?0 -
They want me to live in the house with 3 children under 4 whilst work gets done they wont put me up anywhere else! I have had endless problems in this house and the landlord has been a nightmare!
I sent an email to the agent with my request to leave and they have advised the landlord was fine by this and id receive the deposit no problem then this happened today and they have said i will have to pay the new deposit upfront then wait for my old deposit! I just cant afford that! I was advised when i applied for the house that they wouldnt need to do the credit checks due to being a tenant in one of their properties anyway, then changed their minds?
And how long will the work take? What format? EG all bedrooms unuseable for X days/weeks?
Has the LL IN WRITING said you can surrender the property?
The agent made a promise they couldnt keep, otherwise theyve done nothing wrong. Certainly you can look elsewhere. They work for the Landlords. Landlord B wants his money in advance.0 -
There are problems with damp and the boiler that need fixed. The landlord is now going to fix these problems but for some reason you decided it wouldn't be suitable to live in the property whilst the work is carried out. What did you base that on?
What date did your tenancy start? What date did you serve notice to end the tenancy?0 -
There are problems with damp and the boiler that need fixed. The landlord is now going to fix these problems but for some reason you decided it wouldn't be suitable to live in the property whilst the work is carried out. What did you base that on?
What date did your tenancy start? What date did you serve notice to end the tenancy?
The problem with the boiler has been there since we moved in, we have had 2 plumbers out who have not been able to fix it and i am meant to just deal with it! Also the damp has taken me 2 years to get them to agree to works however they want to repair it as a botch job only doing sections when its the whole downstairs rooms that need it, its a big job and i cant work full time as well as look after 3 children where all downstairs rooms will be out of use for a week whilst work is done then 3 weeks of damp plaster then the expense to redecorate! Just knocking the plaster off is a big and dirty job with dust settling for a long time after, and with an 18 month old with chest problems i cant be around that! I just know i am better off out of here!
I got my 6 month tenancy agreement on 12th Feb 2013 and gave notice 6 weeks ago to move this Monday 18th.0 -
The problem with the boiler has been there since we moved in, we have had 2 plumbers out who have not been able to fix it and i am meant to just deal with it! Also the damp has taken me 2 years to get them to agree to works however they want to repair it as a botch job only doing sections when its the whole downstairs rooms that need it, its a big job and i cant work full time as well as look after 3 children where all downstairs rooms will be out of use for a week whilst work is done then 3 weeks of damp plaster then the expense to redecorate! Just knocking the plaster off is a big and dirty job with dust settling for a long time after, and with an 18 month old with chest problems i cant be around that! I just know i am better off out of here!
I got my 6 month tenancy agreement on 12th Feb 2013 and gave notice 6 weeks ago to move this Monday 18th.
You clearly dont understand.
So one last time - Has the LL given you a piece of paper, signed, which says he accepts your surrender of the property? - because your notice is not correct and you are legally liable for rent until (at least) the 11th June.0 -
The problem with the boiler has been there since we moved in, we have had 2 plumbers out who have not been able to fix it and i am meant to just deal with it!
Not ideal but you could have just moved out at the end of your initial fixed term. I certainly wouldn't have continued to pay rent for 2 years to live somewhere without a working boiler. You could also have escalated the issue to the council.Also the damp has taken me 2 years to get them to agree to works however they want to repair it as a botch job only doing sections when its the whole downstairs rooms that need it, its a big job and i cant work full time as well as look after 3 children where all downstairs rooms will be out of use for a week whilst work is done then 3 weeks of damp plaster then the expense to redecorate!
If you work full time surely you would have child care in place anyway or am I missing something?
Why would you have the expense of redecorating the property? Surely that would be the landlord's expense.Just knocking the plaster off is a big and dirty job with dust settling for a long time after, and with an 18 month old with chest problems i cant be around that! I just know i am better off out of here!
You were better off out there 2 years ago. Especially if you claim that the damp was affecting your child's chest. Usually workmen put up sheets to try and catch the dust when removing plaster work.I got my 6 month tenancy agreement on 12th Feb 2013 and gave notice 6 weeks ago to move this Monday 18th.
Assuming you are in England or Wales and pay your rent monthly, you can't just move out part way through a tenancy period unless your landlord agrees to this. Well you can move out early but legally you're obligated to pay rent up to and including 11th June.
See Ending an AST for further information.0 -
You clearly dont understand.
So one last time - Has the LL given you a piece of paper, signed, which says he accepts your surrender of the property? - because your notice is not correct and you are legally liable for rent until (at least) the 11th June.
You clearly dont need to be rude!!! Id rather not have your help so thanks but no thanks0 -
You clearly dont need to be rude!!! Id rather not have your help so thanks but no thanks
Well you dont understand. You're moving house, over 1 weeks works. You think the agents work for you. You think you can just end your tenancy....
I asked 3 times....
But by all means owe 4 weeks rent if you want.0
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