Landlord and repairs.

becks989

We have a few issues with our rented house. We have lived in since may 2005. In October I wrote to the landlord and asked if the repairs could be fixed. The repairs are as follows.

Two complete fences in back garden down.

Shower leaking through ceiling

Toilet leaking

Hot water tank doesn't fill enough for a washing up bowl (have to use shower)

Built in oven into kitchen (has been there since we moved in.) door to oven has to be held up with string and only two of the four rings on the hob work.

Extractor fan in the bathroom doesn't work.

Electric trips if there is more than two heated appliances working at once.



All of which have been ignored after coming and looking round the property. We are not allowed to decorate at all without prior permission from the landlord (he never answers)

Our neighbour to the right is a recluse and has a completely overgrown garden and rats from throwing rubbish straight out of the back door. The brambles and thorns line the side of my property also.

We have lived in the property for over ten years now and the landlord doesn't help at all. We aren't in a financial position to go and find another house elsewhere and the landlord knows this but every time I ask for work to be done it's either ignored or bodged and the house is falling apart. I have just this week been told that my daughters illness is probably down to it being damp in her room. I am really at the end of my tether and just don't know what to do anymore. I won't let the children have friends over because I'm embarrassed at the state of where we live and I can't see a way out.

We both work full time and have just got ourselves out of debt but don't have a good enough credit history yet. This will take time. I just want a nice house where everything works. Any help or suggestions would be gratefully received.

G_M

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

Cakeguts

The landlord can't do anything about how the next door neighbour lives. You can do your back garden so that the brambles and thorn are not growing in your garden.

Arleen

If you are not in a position to move, you are in a tight spot. While the law is on your side, and you should be able to report him to authorities/do repairs yourself and withhold rent fo them. You would have to follow the guideline here: https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/housing/repairs-in-rented-housing/disrepair-what-are-your-options-if-you-are-a-private-rented-tenant/withholding-rent-because-of-disrepair/.
But if you do either of those, the landlord will retaliate and you will most likely, one way or another, have to find another place very soon. He will be wrong in retaliating, but he likely will. And you don't want to go to war against your LL when you are not in financial position to carry it on.

Maybe one option is to, for some time, seriously downsize? Would it be an option to rent some much smaller place and rough in it for some time? It sure would be in better condition to live, and you could save money to rent not-a-nightmare place in the meanwhile.

becks989

Thanks for your reply. Sometimes it's good to have another view. I would not ever hold back rent to get the repairs done. I would pay for it first myself before I did that. The downsizing is a good idea but I would consider where we are living now roughing it without sounding like a snob 😳.I have a daughter of 13 and son of ten so sharing isn't really an option but I think I am at the point now where we would do that if it meant we didn't have to live in fear of the kitchen ceiling falling on our heads whilst cooking dinner.

When we saw the landlord last in October I even offered to get all the quotes for the work and let him decide from there but was told he would do it.

becks989

Hi, thanks.

The garden is maintained by us. The overgrown garden has actually pushed the fence down and is now growing all over our garden. We cut them back and they just keep coming. We were told that this is an issue for us to take up with the neighbour but he doesn't answer the door so that's a loss.

anselld

You really should look to move as the L clearly has no intention of doing anything. Your past credit record should not be an issue unless you have bankruptcy, IVA, CCJ, etc. Landlords and agents cannot see the fine detail of missed payments etc, only the public records.

If you do want to enforce repairs then invite the Environmental Health Office at the Council to do a HHSRS inspection of the property. They should issue enforcement notices against anything unsafe. However, be prepared to move anyway since this may lead to "revenge eviction".

Pixie5740

becks989 wrote: »

view. I would not ever hold back rent to get the repairs done. I would pay for it first myself before I did that.

Why would you not do that if money is tight and providing you follow the correct process are legitimately allowed to do so? Furthermore, if that is the case why haven't you already sorted out the repairs yourself?

becks989 wrote: »

The downsizing is a good idea but I would consider where we are living now roughing it without sounding like a snob 😳.

I have no idea or not if you're being a snob. However, it sounds as though you're living in an area/property size that you can't really afford if the only way to continue living in the area and/or property that size is to rent a property in disrepair, which is negatively impacting your daughter's health, because you can't afford to move to one in a decent state of repair.

Your options are:

1) Move

2) Write (that's paper, ink, envelope, stamp) to your landlord requesting the repairs be carried out, escalating to the council if necessary.

3) Follow the correct process, do the repairs yourself and deduct the money from your rent.

4) Do the repairs yourself and don't deduct money from your rent even though money is apparently tight for you.

5) Do nothing.

Your landlord won't be able to do anything about the neighbour's garden but if there are rats environmental health might.

ReadingTim

becks989 wrote: »

The garden is maintained by us. The overgrown garden has actually pushed the fence down and is now growing all over our garden. We cut them back and they just keep coming.

Plants grow, whether you rent a property or own it. Paying rent to a landlord, rather than mortgage repayments to a bank or building society does not stop plants growing. What on earth did you think would happen?

Norman_Castle

In my limited experience leaking showers tend to be the seal between the wall and bath or shower base or loose waste pipes. Both are normally very cheap to repair.

Its not your job but if its cheap and easy its worth doing.

SuzieSue

becks989 wrote: »

Our neighbour to the right is a recluse and has a completely overgrown garden and rats from throwing rubbish straight out of the back door. The brambles and thorns line the side of my property also.

If he is encouraging rats then you need to contact your Council's Environmental Health department. Ensure you say that you have seen rats otherwise they won't do anything.