What is 'reasonable time'?

ReadingTim

There is no objective standard of what is reasonable or unreasonable. There is only what the parties agree between themselves. If you can't agree a deal, walk away.

G_M

HarryGray wrote: »

Hi,

I am asking two different questions here. Firstly, what is 'reasonable' time for them to fix the property, and at what point do we need to take legal advice.

Secondly, the position of them not letting us sign the inventory list as we didn't agree with the original list. Obviously if the previous tenants personal belongings were on the original inventory list, we were not going to sign that. We asked the lady to remove, she wouldn't.

Dexter's have assured us these belongings have been removed, however refuse to let us see an updated inventory list, so we can't sign anything.

Thanks

The threads are directly linked - 'Reasonable time' to fix depends on the precise issues which are (if I recall - I can't be bothered to search back) listed in your other thread.


If you've not signed the inventory it will have far less value to the LL in the event of a dispute when you leave. However to further cover yourself, you can always put in writing your own description of the contents and their condition and send it to the landlord.

HarryGray

ReadingTim wrote: »

There is no objective standard of what is reasonable or unreasonable. There is only what the parties agree between themselves. If you can't agree a deal, walk away.

It seems we cannot agree a deal, but everyone on here seems to think we cannot walk away. I get that we are bound by contract, but we also cannot live in a damp place when I suffer with illness. I think 11 days is reasonable, but some people seem to think these letting agents can take as long as they want.

HarryGray

G_M wrote: »

The threads are directly linked - 'Reasonable time' to fix depends on the precise issues which are (if I recall - I can't be bothered to search back) listed in your other thread.


If you've not signed the inventory it will have far less value to the LL in the event of a dispute when you leave. However to further cover yourself, you can always put in writing your own description of the contents and their condition and send it to the landlord.

Thanks for the help. I will make my own inventory list, and send this to Dexter's.

HarryGray

Comms69 wrote: »

I don't know who 'Dexter's' are, but I suspect they're just one of ten's of thousands of letting agents who seem to share the one working brain cell.

Hi, we have asked to check the inventory list. They simply won't send it to us. So we can't sign.

What do you mean you don't understand why we didn't sign the original list? Because the previous tenants had literally left dirty clothes in the property and they were included on our list. We were not prepared to look after their clothes for two years, thus didn't sign the inventory list.

Comms69

HarryGray wrote: »

It seems we cannot agree a deal, but everyone on here seems to think we cannot walk away. I get that we are bound by contract, but we also cannot live in a damp place when I suffer with illness. I think 11 days is reasonable, but some people seem to think these letting agents can take as long as they want.

1: your contract is with a landlord, the letting agent doesn't have to do ANYTHING, unless instructed by the landlord.
2: Your illness cant be that badly affected if you didn't notice this when you viewed the property
3: Ok I think 4-6 weeks is reasonable. My friend thinks 12 months. My other friend thinks it's fine. - It doesn't matter what you think is reasonable. And I suspect you haven't followed the correct procedure anyway. Going to take a wild stab in the dark and say you told them this over the phone?...

Comms69

HarryGray wrote: »

Hi, we have asked to check the inventory list. They simply won't send it to us. So we can't sign.

What do you mean you don't understand why we didn't sign the original list? Because the previous tenants had literally left dirty clothes in the property and they were included on our list. We were not prepared to look after their clothes for two years, thus didn't sign the inventory list.

And who says you have to look after it for two years? You're saying you have a 24 month tenancy?...


You take it, you start changing it, and then you sign it. What was she going to do, shoot you if you did that??


OR


You create your own list. You sign that. and you send them a copy.


And that's me done.

HarryGray

Comms69 wrote: »

1: your contract is with a landlord, the letting agent doesn't have to do ANYTHING, unless instructed by the landlord.
2: Your illness cant be that badly affected if you didn't notice this when you viewed the property
3: Ok I think 4-6 weeks is reasonable. My friend thinks 12 months. My other friend thinks it's fine. - It doesn't matter what you think is reasonable. And I suspect you haven't followed the correct procedure anyway. Going to take a wild stab in the dark and say you told them this over the phone?...

I told them that we would like the property to be ready by the 7th so that we can live there. They said they hope to get it done sooner but can't promise.

I'm sorry, but if there was damp in the property when we viewed it we obviously wouldn't have taken the property. We viewed it two months ago. Now it has damp throughout - I'm struggling to see where you're coming from?

ReadingTim

HarryGray wrote: »

we also cannot live in a damp place when I suffer with illness. I think 11 days is reasonable, but some people seem to think these letting agents can take as long as they want.

And of those 11 days, 2 are weekends and 1 is a bank holiday. So, 8 working days. If you think you're able to get builders or other damp treatment specialists to visit to assess what's causing the damp, then treat the problem and make good within a week and a half, you're extremely optimistic, if not ludicrously naive.

Feel free to try and book someone yourself to prove me wrong and that the letting agents are dragging their feet, but I suspect you'll be sorely disappointed.

HarryGray

ReadingTim wrote: »

And of those 11 days, 2 are weekends and 1 is a bank holiday. So, 8 working days. If you think you're able to get builders or other damp treatment specialists to visit to assess what's causing the damp, then treat the problem and make good within a week and a half, you're extremely optimistic, if not ludicrously naive.

Feel free to try and book someone yourself to prove me wrong and that the letting agents are dragging their feet, but I suspect you'll be sorely disappointed.

Okay, thanks. So perhaps it is worth contacting the landlord directly (although it is a managed property by the letting agent), and telling them they aren't going to be able to get fixes done and we would like to surrender the tenancy. Then the negotiations can begin.