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"Reasonable time frame" - private renting
silver17
Posts: 33 Forumite
Looking for advice from private landlords in England. We looked this up online and got "a reasonable time frame". But what is reasonable? That's like asking the length of string isn't it. So private landlords, what is a "fair" period of time to YOU to fix things in your rented properties? Or what is a legal obligation?
Main current outstanding issues, and her answers:
> She had to replace fridge and dishwasher which failed within two months of moving in, and the oven died a few weeks ago and she did replace it. All replacements were second hand which is fine but we did show concerns that the oven seemed a little excitable and that only two hobs worked! She did do the annual gas check last week when she was meant to but the gas man failed the dodgy oven and showed concerns about a potential leak. He said we should get emergency gas to check, who agreed there was a leak and turned everything off and stuck a big sign on the gas box and told us to not use anything. Apparently the man who did the first check can't do the second so we are still waiting a week later. This means that while it is around 5C outside, we've had no hot water so cold showers, no heating, and no oven so are eating microwave meals.
("You didn't have problems so just turn oven back on until I can replace it" / "buy an electric heater or wear more layers" / "shower at a neighbour's house" / "I can't find anyone who'll come before Christmas")
> The heating is basically 25C or nothing at all. This one not so much of an issue this week as obviously it's all turned off but it won't be fun when back on.
("Maybe you've set it up wrong" - but we haven't! - "Ok, get a small electrical heater for when it won't work, and just don't wear jumpers when it's too hot")
> Our bedroom mould is increasing daily as a water leak hasn't been checked out. It's a 1 bedroom house so we can't switch rooms.
("I'll get someone out" - they didn't come - "don't worry it's still on his to do list")
We don't moan lots but we do let her know of anything that needs to be done and we will chase where needed when it impacts our lives or there are structural worries which will cause her problems if she ignores it.
We guess she will only use certain people who are doing mates rates. The gasman was registered as I checked him out but hardly the point. There is no excuse for not sorting this out by now in our opinion? A week seems a lot ESPECIALLY in winter. At least summer is hot, we could have BBQs or cold foods, and you actually want cold showers!
We are tenants in the cold wet northwest of England. We pay on time and treat this place like it is our own, we are respectful of our home and neighbours and are working and quiet tenants. We pay professionals to properly clean once a month (we do clean it in between), we get the gutters done when the windows are done, and even had a gardener in to tame the yard area so we can keep on top of it. We really do care for it like it is our own. You'd think she'd WANT to keep us right!?
We are looking to move but it's a bad time of year to try and we don't have a break clause so think we are stuck here for 6 more months or pay for 6 months to escape while paying rent in a new property at the same time? My husband has been caught in a number of redundancies at his firm which doesn't help if we go to actual agencies again as my salary alone won't be enough, even though we have savings to cover this loss until he gets a new job which I am sure he will soon but a bad time to job hunt. We've only done agencies before but only chose this private rental as we loved the property and she wasn't salesy or untrustworthy OR SO WE THOUGHT, now we don't want to rent privately again so it is catch-22.
I don't know if this means much but we knew she has various properties. She claimed we would be her first tenants here after buying in September 2017. It did seem strange she had no tenants for 9 months but we just assumed that she had to wait for legal things to come through and then she was doing it up (online stalking of sales pictures and her rental pictures seemed to verify this belief and reassured us) but we found out recently that someone lived here in that time, but for just 3 months or so. No idea why he moved or how he got out of a 12 month let but it seems strange she flat out lied to our faces and we can only assume this man cottoned on to her antics and jumped ship asap, given our own experiences. We like to think we aren't stupid but we feel like we've been well and truly had by this woman.
Sorry for an essay, we thought we needed to give as much detail as we can. We just want to know what we are legally "entitled" to during our time sticking this out.
If you can help, we would love your advice.
- The Silvers
Main current outstanding issues, and her answers:
> She had to replace fridge and dishwasher which failed within two months of moving in, and the oven died a few weeks ago and she did replace it. All replacements were second hand which is fine but we did show concerns that the oven seemed a little excitable and that only two hobs worked! She did do the annual gas check last week when she was meant to but the gas man failed the dodgy oven and showed concerns about a potential leak. He said we should get emergency gas to check, who agreed there was a leak and turned everything off and stuck a big sign on the gas box and told us to not use anything. Apparently the man who did the first check can't do the second so we are still waiting a week later. This means that while it is around 5C outside, we've had no hot water so cold showers, no heating, and no oven so are eating microwave meals.
("You didn't have problems so just turn oven back on until I can replace it" / "buy an electric heater or wear more layers" / "shower at a neighbour's house" / "I can't find anyone who'll come before Christmas")
> The heating is basically 25C or nothing at all. This one not so much of an issue this week as obviously it's all turned off but it won't be fun when back on.
("Maybe you've set it up wrong" - but we haven't! - "Ok, get a small electrical heater for when it won't work, and just don't wear jumpers when it's too hot")
> Our bedroom mould is increasing daily as a water leak hasn't been checked out. It's a 1 bedroom house so we can't switch rooms.
("I'll get someone out" - they didn't come - "don't worry it's still on his to do list")
We don't moan lots but we do let her know of anything that needs to be done and we will chase where needed when it impacts our lives or there are structural worries which will cause her problems if she ignores it.
We guess she will only use certain people who are doing mates rates. The gasman was registered as I checked him out but hardly the point. There is no excuse for not sorting this out by now in our opinion? A week seems a lot ESPECIALLY in winter. At least summer is hot, we could have BBQs or cold foods, and you actually want cold showers!
We are tenants in the cold wet northwest of England. We pay on time and treat this place like it is our own, we are respectful of our home and neighbours and are working and quiet tenants. We pay professionals to properly clean once a month (we do clean it in between), we get the gutters done when the windows are done, and even had a gardener in to tame the yard area so we can keep on top of it. We really do care for it like it is our own. You'd think she'd WANT to keep us right!?
We are looking to move but it's a bad time of year to try and we don't have a break clause so think we are stuck here for 6 more months or pay for 6 months to escape while paying rent in a new property at the same time? My husband has been caught in a number of redundancies at his firm which doesn't help if we go to actual agencies again as my salary alone won't be enough, even though we have savings to cover this loss until he gets a new job which I am sure he will soon but a bad time to job hunt. We've only done agencies before but only chose this private rental as we loved the property and she wasn't salesy or untrustworthy OR SO WE THOUGHT, now we don't want to rent privately again so it is catch-22.
I don't know if this means much but we knew she has various properties. She claimed we would be her first tenants here after buying in September 2017. It did seem strange she had no tenants for 9 months but we just assumed that she had to wait for legal things to come through and then she was doing it up (online stalking of sales pictures and her rental pictures seemed to verify this belief and reassured us) but we found out recently that someone lived here in that time, but for just 3 months or so. No idea why he moved or how he got out of a 12 month let but it seems strange she flat out lied to our faces and we can only assume this man cottoned on to her antics and jumped ship asap, given our own experiences. We like to think we aren't stupid but we feel like we've been well and truly had by this woman.
Sorry for an essay, we thought we needed to give as much detail as we can. We just want to know what we are legally "entitled" to during our time sticking this out.
If you can help, we would love your advice.
- The Silvers
0
Comments
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It is not entirely clear if the oven caused the leak or if there is a leak elsewhere.
Either way DO NOT turn the gas back on until it is fixed. (Google Haxby gas explosion if you want to see the possible consequences of leaving a gas leak active.)
It is certainly difficult to get plumbers this time of year and if there is a leak somewhere inaccessible there could be significant disruption in order to locate and repair it.
If the leak is from the oven they should have just disconnected and capped that and left everything else running.
If you feel timescales are becoming unreasonable then invite the Council EHO to make a HHSRS inspection.0 -
Let me see if I can help........
Read:Looking for advice from private landlords in England. We looked this up online and got "a reasonable time frame". But what is reasonable? That's like asking the length of string isn't it. No. So private landlords, what is a "fair" period of time to YOU to fix things in your rented properties? Or what is a legal obligation?
What is 'fair' to me, Vs what is a legal obligation are two different things.
The legal obligation is... a reasonable period of time. Clearly that depends on the specifics of each case as determined, ultimately, by a court, relying on case history and precedence.
Main current outstanding issues, and her answers:
> She had to replace fridge and dishwasher which failed within two months of moving in,
Are you sure? Does the tenancy agreement state this?
and the oven died a few weeks ago and she did replace it.
Good.
All replacements were second hand
were the originals new or second hand?
which is fine but we did show concerns that the oven seemed a little excitable and that only two hobs worked!
again - what does the tenancy agreement say? (the law requires the property to have facilities for cooking, which it seems is the case).
She did do the annual gas check last week when she was meant to
Good
but the gas man failed the dodgy oven and showed concerns about a potential leak. He said we should get emergency gas to check, who agreed there was a leak and turned everything off and stuck a big sign on the gas box and told us to not use anything. Apparently the man who did the first check can't do the second so we are still waiting a week later. This means that while it is around 5C outside, we've had no hot water so cold showers, no heating, and no oven so are eating microwave meals.
On what date did you report this to the landlord, in writing, at the postal address provided?
What response did you get?
("You didn't have problems so just turn oven back on until I can replace it" / "buy an electric heater or wear more layers" / "shower at a neighbour's house" / "I can't find anyone who'll come before Christmas")
Ah! OK. Not good, but probably true - getting gas engineers out at short notice at this time of year is hard.
Have you requested (in writing): an electric heater? Electric shower?
> The heating is basically 25C or nothing at all.
Don't understand. If all the gas is off how do you get 25C?
This one not so much of an issue this week as obviously it's all turned off but it won't be fun when back on.
("Maybe you've set it up wrong" - but we haven't! - "Ok, get a small electrical heater for when it won't work, and just don't wear jumpers when it's too hot")
If there's no heating, ask for some! Verbally AND formally in writing
> Our bedroom mould is increasing daily and the leak hasn't been checked out.
??? I assumed this was a gas leak. Is it now a water leak...???
It's a 1 bedroom house so we can't switch rooms.
("I'll get someone out" - they didn't come - "don't worry it's still on his to do list")
Have you followed up your letter with a 2nd letter?
We don't moan lots but we do let her know of anything that needs to be done and we will chase where needed when it impacts our lives or there are structural worries which will cause her problems if she ignores it.
Are you chasing properly?
Have you contacted Environmental Health if you are getting no action from the LL?
We guess she will only use certain people who are doing mates rates. The gasman was registered as I checked him out but hardly the point.
That's exactly the point! She is using an acredited contractor. I do in my own home too.
There is no excuse for not sorting this out by now in our opinion?
I don't understand the question. Are you asking me what your opinion is? I don't know.
As for the excuse, well, the week before xmas? Gas engineer? :rotfl:
What you should be doing is asking foralternative heating.
A week seems a lot ESPECIALLY in winter. At least summer is hot, we could have BBQs or cold foods, and you actually want cold showers!
A week seems a lot, but in fact is not, whether you're a tenant or an owner occupier.
We are tenants in the cold wet northwest of England. We pay on time and treat this place like it is our own, we are respectful of our home and neighbours and are working and quiet tenants. We pay professionals to properly clean once a month (we do clean it in between), we get the gutters done when the windows are done, and even had a gardener in to tame the yard area so we can keep on top of it. We really do care for it like it is our own. You'd think she'd WANT to keep us right!?
Yes. You'd think so.
We are looking to move but it's a bad time of year to try and we don't have a break clause so think we are stuck here for 6 more months or pay for 6 months to escape while paying rent in a new property at the same time?
and the question is....?
You could ask for an Early Surrender.
My husband has been caught in a number of redundancies at his firm which doesn't help if we go to actual agencies again as my salary alone won't be enough, even though we have savings to cover this loss until he gets a new job which I am sure he will soon but a bad time to job hunt. We've only done agencies before but only chose this private rental as we loved the property and she wasn't salesy or untrustworthy OR SO WE THOUGHT, now we don't want to rent privately again so it is catch-22.
You can't judge all letting agencies by one bad experience.
You can't judge all landlords by one bad experience.
I don't know if this means much but we knew she has various properties. No. She claimed we would be her first tenants here after buying in September 2017. It did seem strange she had no tenants for 9 months but we just assumed that she had to wait for legal things to come through and then she was doing it up (online stalking of sales pictures and her rental pictures seemed to verify this belief and reassured us) but we found out recently that someone lived here in that time, but for just 3 months or so. 100 possible explanations. Her cousin?No idea why he moved or how he got out of a 12 month let
how do you know it was a 12 month let?
but it seems strange she flat out lied to our faces and we can only assume this man cottoned on to her antics and jumped ship asap, given our own experiences. maybe maybe not. We like to think we aren't stupid but we feel like we've been well and truly had by this woman.
Sorry for an essay, we thought we needed to give as much detail as we can. We just want to know what we are legally "entitled" to during our time sticking this out.
If you can help, we would love your advice.
* Repairing Obligations: the law, common misconceptions, reporting/enforcing, retaliatory eviction & the new tenant protection (2015)0 -
Modified first post as may have been confusing. To clarify we have a GAS leak AND a WATER leak!
The water leak is from the roof/inacessible attic directly into our bedroom.
The gas leak we belive is the oven based on gas man.
We won't be turning ANYTHING back on! Definitely trust 2 registered gas people over a landlady!!!! Does mean we are cold as hell right now though.0 -
Wow, ok short answer to long question …
I repair or replace stuff as soon as possible, with most things that's next day, some things that have to be ordered take longer, gas engineers are ridiculously hard to pin down or get hold of so I am unable to give a timeframe for that.
Like a lot of landlords the only gas appliance I will have is a boiler, gas is potential trouble. Gas fires, ovens and hobs get swapped over.Mr Generous - Landlord for more than 10 years. Generous? - Possibly but sarcastic more likely.0 -
IMHO, what is reasonable is what you would do if you were an owner occupier.
Don't expect a landlord to have magic wand just because he/ she is a landlord. On the other hand a landlord should have some funds set aside for sudden repairs.I'm a Forum Ambassador on the housing, mortgages & student money saving boards. I volunteer to help get your forum questions answered and keep the forum running smoothly. Forum Ambassadors are not moderators and don't read every post. If you spot an illegal or inappropriate post then please report it to forumteam@moneysavingexpert.com (it's not part of my role to deal with this). Any views are mine and not the official line of MoneySavingExpert.com.0 -
IMHO, what is reasonable is what you would do if you were an owner occupier.
Don't expect a landlord to have magic wand just because he/ she is a landlord. On the other hand a landlord should have some funds set aside for sudden repairs.I'm a Forum Ambassador on the housing, mortgages & student money saving boards. I volunteer to help get your forum questions answered and keep the forum running smoothly. Forum Ambassadors are not moderators and don't read every post. If you spot an illegal or inappropriate post then please report it to forumteam@moneysavingexpert.com (it's not part of my role to deal with this). Any views are mine and not the official line of MoneySavingExpert.com.0 -
Best answer, find somewhere else to live.0
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