Renting - Fridge/Freezers Packed up!!

bamgbost

Fridge-freezer packed up in our rental property 2 nights ago.

I informed the agency first thing the following morning.

It’s now the following evening (48hrs+since thefridge-freezer packed up) and still no contractor has come to examine thesituation, let alone talk about fixing or replacing the fridge freezer.

I have a young family – myself, wife & daughter(16months). So the following day after it packed up – straight away we went outto buy an undercounter fridge – as stuff was going to defrost and spoilotherwise.

We managed to get a few frozen stuff taken in by friends,and put the edible fridge stuff into the new undercounter fridge.

I have been in touch with the agency several times now.(once by email) and over 5 times by phone during the last 36 hours. They continueto say their contractor should be comingaround to look at the fridge. Yet No show!

I didn’t know having no fridge could be such an inconvenience.But it is. Especially as my daughter normally drinks considerable amount offresh milk a day, and with the warm weather food left out quickly goes off!
(I have not told agent we bought fridge, or saved some foodvia neighbours – as I wanted an urgent response. But as I anticipated – no miraculouselectrican has even turned up to see the problem)

Just wondered, what would you advise to do next? Do I have a right for anything? For food going off? The inconvenience?Shelling out on a new small fridge??

GwylimT

Have you informed the landlord in writing?

bamgbost

Yes emailed initially..the following morning.
And I plan to write again this evening.

thesaint

What does your agreement state about the repair of appliances/fridge?

AleMrsT

Check what your tenancy agreement says, landlords aren't legally obliged to repair or replace appliances unless specifically stated in the lease.
I'm afraid the repairs that are dealt with most urgently are the ones which the landlord is legally obliged to attend to, sanitation, heating and structural repairs.

G_M

Statute law: Landlord & Tenant Act 1985

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.

Contract law: dpends on your tenancy agreement. Read it.

Reporting. Always report issues in writing, to the landlord, at the address provided for the serving of notices;

Reasonablness: Where there IS a repairing obligation, the LL should repair in a resonable timeframe. There's no strict legal definition for this, but a fridge would not be as urgent as, say, lack of water or a sewage problem.

As a home-owner, I'd expect to have to wait a few days for a contractor and it's reasonable to expect this (although yes, inconvenient).