Problems with rental property, underpaid rent.

joocyglutes

Hi guys, after a bit of advice.

My mother is a tenant in a rental property. Several things have been wrong with the property which I shall come to in a moment, and after nothing was done, she underpaid the rent for one month. Now the agent is chasing that money. (50% of one calender month)

Now the reasons she underpaid:
- gas fire (which is listed in inventory) as good condition. My mum was told not to use this fire by the landlord, 12 months later it has been condemned. The landlord is refusing the have it repaired or replaced. (British gas informed us that they had advised the gas fire be removed 12 months prior) (gas safety record says fire is appliance is not safe and remedial action was advised)

-fuse box was said to be dangerous by electrician upon inspection. Lighting upstairs was cut off for 8 weeks, before seen to.

- when the landlord finally organised something to be done about the electric, a complete rewire of the property was required; two weeks before Christmas, which required workmen to turn the whole house upside down for a week. No alternative accommodation was offered during this.

-bathroom window was broken which meant little ventilation and an accumulation of mould as this wasn't seen to for 8 weeks after reported.

I understand my mum was wrong to not pay in full but all these problems were consistently reported and disregarded by both the agent and the landlord, so it was the final straw to get the repairs done. Does she have to pay this or does she have a case for a deduction?

Thanks

Kim_kim

What repairs are outstanding - is it just the condemned gas fire?

The rewrite was 10 months ago?

When was the bathroom window?

G_M

Repairing obligations are unrelated to rental obligations.

Two wrongs don't mak a right.

She owes the rent.

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

FBaby

I understand my mum was wrong to not pay in full but all these problems were consistently reported and disregarded by both the agent and the landlord, so it was the final straw to get the repairs done. Does she have to pay this or does she have a case for a deduction?

She has no case whatsoever for deduction. It sounds like most of the repairs were carried out, just not in the timescales she expected (rightly so or not). The route that your mother has if she is not happy with the property and the service she is receiving is to give notice and move, not to decide herself that repairs were not carried out in an acceptable manner and decide the compensation that should come as a result. She better pay quickly if she doesn't want to be told to leave.

csgohan4

Probably best to find somewhere else to live now. Even if she does pay up, she will be deemed as an unreliable tenant and served notice.


Your lucky they are even repaired at all, some LL just ignore you