Tenants rights regarding repairs

PrincessJR

Hi,

We have been renting a property for the past 2 years and in that time we have had a few issues:

3 months after moving in: Massively peeling paintwork in bathroom due to no extractor fan and standard emulsion being used by Landlord (I'm talking cereal box sized chunks peeling off)

9 months: Water escaping from bath leading to damp on lounge ceiling (paper falling down and needing work)

Current: Damp problems upstairs causing plaster to fall away on 1 wall.

When each of these issues presented itself we informed the letting agents, who arranged for one of their tradesmen to visit about a week later to assess the situation. Each time they have explained the work needed and gone back to the office. We have NEVER heard back from them following their visit about any issue. We assume this is because they've called the Landlord, given him a quote and he's refused (despite it being in his own interest to maintain his property).

In the end we stripped the bathroom ourselves, and completely repainted in bathroom (steam resistant) paint. Job done.

We pulled down the paper from the ceiling in the lounge and resealed and repainted it. Job done.

Now it comes to this recent issue with plaster falling off the wall upstairs and I really feel it's not down to us to be repairing this.

The letting agent has once again gone quiet and I'm not sure what to do for the best. It looks an eye sore and will only get worse but surely this is the Landlords responsibility?

FBaby

Have you identified the cause for the damp?

marksoton

PrincessJR wrote: »

I'm not sure what to do for the best.

Do not discuss and move. Bad LA's and LL's ain't going to change.

PrincessJR

FBaby wrote: »

Have you identified the cause for the damp?

The guy who came out from the LA seemed to think it was caused by condensation as we have a curtain hanging on that part of the wall (?!)

He said something about when there is warm weather, heat gets trapped behind a curtain or words to that effect, but as its a very thin curtain, I highly doubt it.
It sounded the most ridiculous explanation possible I grant you, his advice was to remove the curtain in the meantime.

There is a flat roof directly below the patch of damp and we believe this is the problem following heavy rain.

G_M

marksoton wrote: »

Do not discuss and move. Bad LA's and LL's ain't going to change.

I suspect mark means "Do not discuss, and move."

A subtle but significant distinction!

G_M

Read:

* Repairing Obligations: the law, common misconceptions, reporting/enforcing, retaliatory eviction & the new protection (2015)

Mr.Generous

I'm trying to picture a flat roof below a patch of damp.

dirty_magic

PrincessJR wrote: »

The guy who came out from the LA seemed to think it was caused by condensation as we have a curtain hanging on that part of the wall (?!)

He said something about when there is warm weather, heat gets trapped behind a curtain or words to that effect, but as its a very thin curtain, I highly doubt it.
It sounded the most ridiculous explanation possible I grant you, his advice was to remove the curtain in the meantime.

There is a flat roof directly below the patch of damp and we believe this is the problem following heavy rain.

Sounds like rubbish tbh! We had condensation problems in our old flat, but in our experience it caused black mould on the surface of the wall rather than problems with the plaster itself. We didn't have any problems in summer, it was in only in winter when the surface of the wall was cold.

I think your suggestion is more likely to be correct than an estate agent who doesn't really have a clue! I don't understand landlords who don't care about their properties. Ignoring a damp issue just means that it will get worse and potentially cost more to fix in the long run.

KingS6

Cut out the middle man and speak to the LL directly. Request the landlord's name and address under Section 1 of the Landlord & Tenant Act 1985. You need to do this in writing, email to the LA will suffice.

They have 21 days to provide you with this information. Failure for them to do so and they commit a criminal offence.

For all you know the LA has been passing Chinese whispers between you and the LL about why this and that haven't been done. It's an opportinity for the LL to get their side of the story across.

If you build up a good rapport, use the opportunity to offer them the chance to do without the LA and deal directly.

The money saved in fees paid from your rent and his rentsl income could be used towards repairs. A bit of quid pro quo wouldn't go amiss.

marksoton

G_M wrote: »

I suspect mark means "Do not discuss, and move."

A subtle but significant distinction!

Bl00dy pedant! :T

Norman_Castle

PrincessJR wrote: »

The guy who came out from the LA seemed to think it was caused by condensation as we have a curtain hanging on that part of the wall (?!)

He said something about when there is warm weather, heat gets trapped behind a curtain or words to that effect, but as its a very thin curtain, I highly doubt it.
It sounded the most ridiculous explanation possible I grant you, his advice was to remove the curtain in the meantime.

There is a flat roof directly below the patch of damp and we believe this is the problem following heavy rain.

Its very rare for condensation to cause problems in the summer. Remove the curtain and see what happens. Check daily for damp to see if it increases after rain.