Broken tap landlord not fixing

KateBrown

When I moved in August 2014 the bath tap dripped. Tightening it up made no difference. A plumber for the letting agent came and looked at it and said nothing more could be done, and it was 'only an occasional drip'.
Its been dripping a lot more, which is driving me potty.
The Lletting agent sent his plumber again 3 days ago. One day later the tap is no longer dripping - its running water. I've had to turn off the water at the stopcock to stop it. How I'm supposed to put my washing machine on for 90 mins I dont know?

I've got numerous emails with video evidence sent to the letting agent of the problems.
I emailed them last night and asked them what they were going to do about it. They didnt reply today.

Can I get three quotes from plumbers and get it fixed, then send them the bill? Some plumbers have already got back to me and quoted around £150. A kind one is coming tomorrow morning before a job to take a look.

I also tracked down the actual landlord and spoke to her husband, but he didnt sound interested in helping me at all. I've been a good tenant - paying rent on time and keeping the property tidy.

What are my legal rights? I find all of this very stressful

G_M

Start writing letters. Send them to the address provided.

Use Shelter's templates and follow the timetable:

Shelter (Repairs in private rented homes)

anselld

KateBrown wrote: »

Can I get three quotes from plumbers and get it fixed, then send them the bill? Some plumbers have already got back to me and quoted around £150. A kind one is coming tomorrow morning before a job to take a look.

You can but you need to follow a set procedure starting with reporting the repairs in writing ( pen, paper, envelope, stamp).

Then follow the Shelter 7 step process ...
http://england.shelter.org.uk/get_advice/repairs_and_bad_conditions/responsibility_for_repairs/tenants_doing_repairs

borborygmous

KateBrown wrote: »

When I moved in August 2014 the bath tap dripped. Tightening it up made no difference. A plumber for the letting agent came and looked at it and said nothing more could be done, and it was 'only an occasional drip'.

What are my legal rights? I find all of this very stressful

Ouch, 2014, sorry to hear it.

Just a quick temporary bodge to silence it without any flood / other damage risk if it's useful to you: tie a length of something to your tap so the drip just runs down that and doesn't make a noise? In a pinch, you could tie 2 or 3 carrier bags end to end and use that (if you can still find the things in the post-5p bag world)? If that's still splashy, maybe thicker plastic like you get for e.g. redecorating, or some lengths of plastic twine tied together or something.

I don't mean to say you shouldn't continue at them to get them to fix the thing, but as another option: it may not be hard to repair yourself, especially with all the howtos on youtube etc. You might need a few tools and patience though...

dirty_magic

I think I'd have got fed up with waiting and just got it done myself! Do you have any family that are good at diy? It's not really that difficult to change a tap if you have some idea of what to do.

I know you shouldn't have to if you're paying rent, but it sounds like it's going to be a lot more hassle getting the landlord to do it!

Norman_Castle

There may be an isolation valve for this tap. Turn this so the screwdriver slot is across the pipe.

G_M

borborygmous wrote: »

.....

I don't mean to say you shouldn't continue at them to get them to fix the thing, but as another option: it may not be hard to repair yourself, especially with all the howtos on youtube etc. You might need a few tools and patience though...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aHXAXM0esak

http://www.leakingtaps.co.uk/

GwylimT

Have you informed the landlord in writing?

I would also leave the tap for x time and record how much the bath is filled, also take a photo, if you have a water meter take a photo before and after without using the toilet etc.

x_raphael_xx

My brother once had a problem with a light fitting blowing while in student halls, they kept coming round and just replacing the bulb, but as it wasn't the issue it didn't help and bulbs kept blowing.

He reminded them that they weren't upholding their end of the contract as a landlord and therefore would be withholding his rent payment until it was properly fixed.
Maintenance turned up the next day (let himself in unexpectedly without warning while bro was in the shower, but that's another story)

G_M

x_raphael_xx wrote: »

My brother once had a problem with a light fitting blowing while in student halls, they kept coming round and just replacing the bulb, but as it wasn't the issue it didn't help and bulbs kept blowing.

He reminded them that they weren't upholding their end of the contract as a landlord and therefore would be withholding his rent payment until it was properly fixed.
Maintenance turned up the next day

It may have worked in this case, but it is NOT a good idea.

Two wrongs don't make a right, and legally the tenant would be in rent arrears. The unfixed repair does not alter that fact.

There are procedures for enforcig repairs and witholding rent is NOT the way to go.