Renting - house in bad condition - suggestion?

aviii

Hello
We just moved into a rented house that my partner dealt with.
The Estate Agent said the house will be cleaned, the carper steam cleaned and walls
given a fresh coat of paint.

We paid an agent fee of £500, plus a £2000 deposit.
when i got there the house was in a mess, it was not cleaned and i noticed that the electrical wall sockets were hanging from the walls, really bad odor

I was locked in my bedroom as the door handle broke off.



I am in the process of making a formal complaint to the estate agent as they seem to be brushing me off when i call them up.

is there anyone else i can quote in my letter, like the council or get involved.
as the the house is not in a fit state to be lived into.

3mph

Make sure that you take loads of photos right now which clearly show all the problems and send a copy to the EA immediately so that in future you are not arguing about dirt / damp etc which they may claim you caused afterwards. The more photos the better.

aviii

OMG - totally forgot something so simple before we started cleaning - cheers

Pixie5740

It's a bit premature to be trying to get the council involved over some sockets and a door handle. Step 1 for getting repairs done is write a letter to the address for the serving of notices given in your tenancy agreement.

https://england.shelter.org.uk/housing_advice/repairs/how_to_report_repairs_to_a_private_landlord

As for the cleaning, there's no law saying a property has to be cleaned prior to the start of the tenancy. The good thing about moving into a dirty property is that you don't have to clean it at the end of the tenancy because you just need to leave the place in the same condition as you found it.

walwyn1978

Also, contact EA by letter/email, not over the phone, so there is a record - a phone conversation can be remembered different ways by different people. Written text has clear meaning and interpretation (supposedly:-) )

always_sunny

If you just moved in, was an inventory done? You'd need to take lots of photos indeed, may even take videos walking around the house.

I thought if it was bad from the start you could escalate the issue?

Marvel1

As above loads of photos and videos with a timestamp.


Also write, pen and paper keeping a copy.


When you leave, the agent will no doubt attempt to deduct something from your deposit.

aviii

@Pixie5740 - thank for that link.
i did not want to go in to too much details about the cleanness of the house, there was pet hair and pet poo i the garden ( was told told no pets) and bags of rubbish just left in the house.

i believe the EA would of check and clear all this before we moved in.

[Deleted User]

But while unpleasant, it doesn't make the place unlivable. Sorry but legally, thats how it is.

Plug sockets hanging off can be screwed back in with a screw driver, probably a lot quicker than waiting for a repair man to come round.

PS If you can possibly prevent it, don't rely on OH viewing properties on his own.