Student House Hell - Need Advice

Studenthousehell

Hello!

We started renting our student house in September. It is £380 a month rent each (there are 4 of us).

When we moved in, the boiler broke. The landlord said we 'didn't know how to use it' and didn't bother to even look for 2 days. We were left with no hot water or heating for 10 days, as the LL only wanted to wait for a mate to be free and fix it as it was cheap. When we asked about water we were told to find a swimming pool.

Our front door lock was broken and it was difficult to unlock and lock the door. After many complaints the LL got the lock changed - however this was bodged and has left us with what we believe is an unsafe property. When the door is locked with the key, it does not cause the dead locks to activate, so the door is only locked by the thin lock where the key is inserted (hope this makes sense). The only way to make the dead bolts work is to lift the handle up - but this will permanently lock anyone outside out of the house (cannot even use the key) as the outside handle is broken (the pin is broken and it is floppy). We told the LL this and they told us to deal with it and not lift the handle to prevent anyone being locked out - or to permanently leave the gate open to use the back door.

The locksmith said our whole glass door is broken and the whole doorframe and surrounding wall needs rebuilding urgently. We told the LL this and they weren't bothered and said it is fine. We have noticed the doorframe is now actually coming away from the door, and it someone kicked the door just right it would probably come open or fall off.

We also have SO MUCH mould in the house. Its in every bedroom and the LL has seemingly had this issue many years and just repainted over the wallpaper. One bedroom has a whole wall riddled in mould next to their bed. The LL said to get dehumid pots and to use a dehumifier provided. The dehumidifier will cost us £5 approx to run per week and will only temporarily sort 1 room + price of constant pots as they will fill within 2 days due to the damp. As students we cannot be paying this when we already pay so much in rent.

Can anyone provide us with some advice on what to do? We seem like the LL is doing us over and laughing.

Thanks

Comms69

Studenthousehell wrote: »

Hello!

We started renting our student house in September. It is £380 a month rent each (there are 4 of us). - Joint tenancy?

When we moved in, the boiler broke. The landlord said we 'didn't know how to use it' and didn't bother to even look for 2 days. We were left with no hot water or heating for 10 days, as the LL only wanted to wait for a mate to be free and fix it as it was cheap. - 10 days sounds about right. You probably moved in in Sept/Oct so the heating wouldn't be that significant an issue. When we asked about water we were told to find a swimming pool. - Or use a friends shower, or whatever.

Our front door lock was broken and it was difficult to unlock and lock the door. After many complaints the LL got the lock changed - however this was bodged and has left us with what we believe is an unsafe property. - so change the locks yourselves. When the door is locked with the key, it does not cause the dead locks to activate, so the door is only locked by the thin lock where the key is inserted (hope this makes sense). - no it doesn't. I don't think you know how door locks work.. The only way to make the dead bolts work is to lift the handle up - like every other UPVC door ever made? - but this will permanently lock anyone outside out of the house (cannot even use the key) as the outside handle is broken (the pin is broken and it is floppy). - So replace the handle? We told the LL this and they told us to deal with it and not lift the handle to prevent anyone being locked out - or to permanently leave the gate open to use the back door.

The locksmith said our whole glass door is broken and the whole doorframe and surrounding wall needs rebuilding urgently. - locksmith who moonlights as a structural engineer? We told the LL this and they weren't bothered and said it is fine. We have noticed the doorframe is now actually coming away from the door, and it someone kicked the door just right it would probably come open or fall off.

We also have SO MUCH mould in the house. Its in every bedroom and the LL has seemingly had this issue many years and just repainted over the wallpaper. - It happens, ventilate, get a dehumidifier One bedroom has a whole wall riddled in mould next to their bed. The LL said to get dehumid pots and to use a dehumifier provided. The dehumidifier will cost us £5 approx to run per week and will only temporarily sort 1 room + price of constant pots as they will fill within 2 days due to the damp. As students we cannot be paying this when we already pay so much in rent. - £380 per month?...

Can anyone provide us with some advice on what to do? We seem like the LL is doing us over and laughing.

Thanks

Think you need to lower your expectations tbh.

Faith177

Comms69 wrote: »

Think you need to lower your expectations tbh.

Think is £380 each a month so £1520 well that's how I read it

badmemory

At £1520 a month rent - yes ripped off.

Comms69

Faith177 wrote: »

Think is £380 each a month so £1520 well that's how I read it

Yes, it's £380 each, I got that. It's still a very small amount.


An extra £5-10 a week isn't going to break the bank (and that seemed to be between 4 of them) to run a dehumidifier

Studenthousehell

Yes £380 per person per month.

Under our contract we are not allowed to make any repairs or changes ourselves. I'm not sure if he was entirely a locksmith or whatnot but he wobbled the door and the whole doorframe was coming away from the wall. When our letting agency did viewings recently they noticed the door and told us to get a lawyer involved through Uni.

Under the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985 s.11 a LL should not leave a tennant without hot water and heating for more than 24 hours. We went 10 days and given no alternative.

Student Finance is incredibly tight and we already pay out £380 a month without any bills, so paying more to prevent mold is very hard for us. The LL has told us to permanently leave windows open which is against our contract due to theft etc. We seem to be in a bit of a hard place

Studenthousehell

Another note is inventory. Our LL never supplied an inventory list/form, which in our contracts we should have been provided. We asked and got a mouthful of abuse from the LL. She told us a relative had died the month before (August) and she didn't have time. We still don't have that list nearly 5 months on. We didn't want to be pushy of course. We recently spoke to our letting agency who told us the LL's go through the agency in June and purchase one through a 3rd party company. Our LL never requested one and the agency said it may be a money saving game. Obviously this can give the LL the grounds to take our deposits as we cannot prove missing items etc.

Studenthousehell

Absolutely. At 1.5k a month we expect a lot more. All we get is dodgy repairs. When we moved in one person didn't have a desk in their room, which is apparently a mandatory requirement in student housing. The tennant asked for one and the LL started raving how they didn't need one and to find one themselves to be reimbursed for. Bizzare!

macman

On the contrary. The lack of an inventory is very much in your favour, as the LL cannot prove any damages or missing items.
Basics: did you receive a current gas safety certificate? If not, this is a serious offence, which gives you leverage (an unlimited fine and/or a custodial sentence), should you choose to report it.
Secondly, has your deposit been protected? If not, you can sue for 3 times the value. So this gives you even more leverage to use against an unprofessional and lazy LL.

Adereterial

Studenthousehell wrote: »

Under the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985 s.11 a LL should not leave a tennant without hot water and heating for more than 24 hours.

It doesn’t say that at all.

Studenthousehell

We didn't get a single certificate. The LL just said the gas oven etc had been checked. When the new boiler was installed he said he would return in 2 wks to put solutions through it - never returned - presumably money related.