Student House Hell - Need Advice

Comms69

charlotte1994 wrote: »

Not if you're young! The government seems to think that bills are cheaper for young people, so we don't need to be paid the same :think:
But even at the minimum wage £7.83 x 37.5 = £293.63/week
£293.63 for 4 weeks = £1,174.52 before tax. -fair enough, I figured given your username you were, or shortly will be 25. Still plenty to pay £400 in rent though

If you're a student working 20 hours a week (example) £5.90 x 20 hours = £118. £118 x 4 weeks = £472 before tax. - the non existent tax? It's not a lot of money, is it? That leaves them £92 a month for other bills.

You're totally discounting the substantial student loan and grant....

Comms69

charlotte1994 wrote: »

Comms seems to think that everyone should just accept sh*tty living conditions. I would hate to think what state their house is in!

Not at all, I just don't think the house has deteriorated to this state between viewing and moving in; the issues must've been obvious.


My house is lovely, thanks

Comms69

Lokolo wrote: »

OK I shall rephrase. Someone came out the next day and managed to repair my boiler. Still. The next day. In January. - excellent, congrats on the great service you received. 10 days, in September is perfectly reasonable


Someone was available. Not difficult to understand is it Comms? You know exactly what my point was. Stop being a pedant. - I'm fine the way I am, thanks. Do you often dictate how others should speak or write?

The landlord could have had someone come out the next day. No, it took 2 days and without any indication that it was a gas safe engineer.

Yes 2 days, a whole 24 hours more than yours managed it in...

Norman_Castle

Studenthousehell wrote: »

"Under Section 11 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985, you have the right to expect your landlord to carry out repairs in a ‘reasonable time’. If it’s an emergency repair as you’ve got no heating or hot water, your landlord should fix this in 24 hours."

The above is copied from another website. Its not factual. There is no fixed definition of what is a reasonable time.


http://england.shelter.org.uk/legal/housing_conditions/contractual_rights_including_section_11/section_11_landlord_and_tenant_act_1985


Notice requirements and time limits for section 11 repairs

A landlord is not liable to carry out any repair until s/he has been put on notice of the need for repair and has failed to carry out the repair within a reasonable time thereafter.[17] This is an implied term of all tenancy agreements imposing a section 11 repairing obligation on landlords, and applies only where the need for repair arises in relation to parts of the premises demised to the tenant; not over parts over which the landlord retains control.
It is the landlord's knowledge of the defect that is important and it is not always necessary for the tenant to have given notice for the landlord to be considered liable (for further details see Notice requirement). However, a landlord may be in breach without notice or knowledge where s/he had a duty to inspect, or where the disrepair is outside the area demised to the tenant but still under the landlord's control.[18]
There is no definition of 'reasonable time'. In deciding what may be a reasonable time, the courts will consider a number of factors, such as the extent of the disrepair, whether or not the tenant is living in the property, and the availability of replacement parts. For public sector landlords, there may be some indication of timescales through information showing targets for repairs.

babyblade41

Just going off tangent about working and studying.. my daughter done her degree and worked full time.. yes it took a lot longer and spare time was an utter luxury but it can be done

With the OP it does come across as a little melodramatic when a few simple changes to improve quality of life would have sorted the problems

LL may not worry too much , but the choice to live in that property is something they have learned along the way and to inspect their next abode with a little more care .

There are procedures to follow and I'm afraid that is really it . They won't renew the tenancy, give the relevant notice and move on and hopefully do a couple of viewings on the next property

Lokolo

Comms69 wrote: »

Yes 2 days, a whole 24 hours more than yours managed it in...

I got a GAS SAFE ENGINEER is less than 24 hours to come out. The OPs LANDLORD came round himself after 48 hours. The two are nothing alike. I agree, it is not an emergency situation that requires instant fixing, but there's no excuse to not have a gas engineer attend within a couple of days to have a look.

And I don't tell people to speak the way they do, but I call out those acting like an !!!.

[Deleted User]

I agree that problem solving skills tend to develop through many years of living alone. Now I can repair most general things and know when to pay for a qualified person (and can usually do so in an emergency).., but this took decades to develop.

I still remember having a council flat when I was 18 and not having a clue how to get the boiler repaired because no one told me to call repairs. I thought I was on my own and just kept drinking warm drinks and putting the oven on occasionally. Yes, you can be that gormless. I was. Initially.

Expecting a first time student to change locks and fix a glass door border is a bit beyond the pale. And suggesting they should is actually quite dangerous. It sounds like its the lock itself anyway, so a bit more than putting a yale cylinder in, particularly into a glass door.

Mould in every room is unlikely to be just due to a person breathing in the room or not airing it. Causes need to be investigated. Not enough to simply blame the tenant for breathing. Personally, I believe a house that is supposed to be built for humans to live in, should allow humans to live in it without having to open every window and living in force 10 gales/freezing temperatures in winter. I have lived in houses, keeping windows open/run a dehumidifier and still had mould because there WAS a problem with the building. More than once or twice. The problem was fixed, the mould went away.

Comms69

Lokolo wrote: »

I got a GAS SAFE ENGINEER is less than 24 hours to come out. The OPs LANDLORD came round himself after 48 hours. The two are nothing alike. - It was the LLs friend, who may well have been a gassafe engineer. I agree, it is not an emergency situation that requires instant fixing, but there's no excuse to not have a gas engineer attend within a couple of days to have a look.

And I don't tell people to speak the way they do, but I call out those acting like an !!!.

Again your opinion on my posting style is duly noted.

Comms69

deannatrois wrote: »

I agree that problem solving skills tend to develop through many years of living alone. Now I can repair most general things and know when to pay for a qualified person (and can usually do so in an emergency).., but this took decades to develop.

I still remember having a council flat when I was 18 and not having a clue how to get the boiler repaired because no one told me to call repairs. I thought I was on my own and just kept drinking warm drinks and putting the oven on occasionally. Yes, you can be that gormless. I was. Initially.

Expecting a first time student to change locks and fix a glass door border is a bit beyond the pale. And suggesting they should is actually quite dangerous. It sounds like its the lock itself anyway, so a bit more than putting a yale cylinder in, particularly into a glass door. - It's not the lock, it's the handle mechanism from the outside. The lock has no bearing on the mechanism.

Mould in every room is unlikely to be just due to a person breathing in the room or not airing it. Causes need to be investigated. Not enough to simply blame the tenant for breathing. Personally, I believe a house that is supposed to be built for humans to live in, should allow humans to live in it without having to open every window and living in force 10 gales/freezing temperatures in winter. I have lived in houses, keeping windows open/run a dehumidifier and still had mould because there WAS a problem with the building. More than once or twice. The problem was fixed, the mould went away.

The problem is easily solved by running a dehumidifier in colder weather

charlotte1994

Comms69 wrote: »

Not at all, I just don't think the house has deteriorated to this state between viewing and moving in; the issues must've been obvious.


My house is lovely, thanks

Well then why expect others to live in a damp, unsafe house? :whistle: