Rent problems :0

CalvoPony

Hello everyone,

First of all I would like to communicate that this is my first post on the website even though I’ve been reading it on and off for quite a while so I hope I’m posting this in the right place.

Around November 2016 one of the windows in one of the rooms of the flat where I live (Scotland) broke. You would think that the agency or landlords would fix it soon but no, they took 3 months. During these 3 months mould started to grow everywhere and we kept cleaning all the walls as waiting for the agency to do anything would take forever. During 2017 the mills kept coming back every so often and we kept complaining but they never came to even check it. It got really bad 4 months ago , we stopped living in that room and moved into the living room as we have flatmates in the other two rooms. The agency’s contractor came to check it and they are saying it is our fault, even after all the proof that we’ve shown them and all the emails we sent them. They say that they or the landlords will not pay for any of this and that if we want it fixed we need to pay to get it fixed. I’ve been living in the flat for a long time and ever since the other woman that worked in the agency left it’s been chaos.

It’s been 4 months that we don’t have a living room and most importantly we have a mouldy room that they won’t repair unless WE PAY for it. We’ve never ever had problems with mould or condensation in this flat until the window broke.

Is this actually legal? I’m thinking about printing all the emails and taking everything to a lawyer. I’m a bit sad about the whole situation and because of personal reasons I won’t be able to leave the flat for another 3/4 months even if I wanted to. Lease ended in November and now it’s going month to month basis.

Cheers everybody, let me know if you need more details.

Fosterdog

How did the window break?

theartfullodger

Raise the matter by letter & email to the landlord (yes, LANDLORD), copy agent, keep copy. Draft letter here...
https://scotland.shelter.org.uk/get_advice/advice_topics/repairs_and_bad_conditions/repairs_in_private_rented_accommodation/getting_your_landlord_to_do_repairs

If not resolved, then take it to the body who sort these things out, the "First Tier Tribunal".
https://scotland.shelter.org.uk/get_advice/advice_topics/repairs_and_bad_conditions/repairs_in_private_rented_accommodation/first_tier_tribunal_for_scotland

You already know about them as your Landlord had to tell you about them: Aye, right....

AdrianC

Did you just leave that room exposed to the elements through a Scottish winter?

Was the breakage down to somebody in the flat?

CalvoPony

The windows are really old and bad, I!!!8217;ve been told several times by the contractors over these last 4 years that it would be wise to change them but do you really think a landlord is going to change 9 windows in the flat because they keep breaking? The window in the kitchen has broken at least 3 times. We are all very careful when opening and closing them as we know what might happen.

The Windows whole system broke and it took them 3 months to send someone to repair it. We thought they would come ASAP as we told them how severe it was but no, they didn!!!8217;t, so the first week the winfow was open and the room completely exposed to everything in the Scottish weather, after that since we noticed that they weren!!!8217;t too keen on showing up we taped the window to the frame and the room wasn!!!8217;t a complete freezer.

Ever since then we!!!8217;ve been getting mould, we!!!8217;ve cleaned it and then it would come back again. Somehow they blame us and say it!!!8217;s our fault for not ventilating the room. Every time I bring up the window breaking they just change the subject and start coming up with !!!!!!!! excuses

LandyAndy

Rent problems :0


I read that and wondered what you were going to ask if you had zero rent problems.