Moved into a house that was apparently cleaned!

ripplyuk

The house looks full of mould, and in need of repairs. No amount of cleaning is going to sort that. I’d advise getting out of there at the earliest opportunity. Is there a break clause in your contract? 

RelievedSheff

I can not believe that you didn't notice this stuff when you looked at the property?

Most of the stuff can be sorted with a couple of days cleaning and it isn't really showing a property in awful condition, more a property in need of a very good clean.

Get plenty of cleaning products, get a few mates round, hire a carpet cleaner and make a day of cleaning the place up a bit, well a lot.

I know you shouldn't have too but really if you want to be living somewhere clean in the short term it looks like you will have too. 

KatrinaWaves

RelievedSheff said:

I can not believe that you didn't notice this stuff when you looked at the property?

Most of the stuff can be sorted with a couple of days cleaning and it isn't really showing a property in awful condition, more a property in need of a very good clean.

Have to disagree with this, the house looks rotten, no amount of cleaning will fix many of the photos the OP has posted.

Either that or my cleanliness standards are apparently ridiculously high, and my mum wouldnt agree with that...

akira181

Cakeguts said:

Renting is the same as everything else you get what you pay for.   If you try to rent a cheap property this is the situation you find yourself in. You get a landlord who doesn't care. 

Personally I hate that expression, "you get what you pay for".  You can have deep pockets and still get scammed, it depends on the situation.  Did you not view the property before signing the contract, particularly the inventory?

I believe the landlord is responsible to make sure that the home is fit to live in, particularly on the signing of a new contract.  That usually includes damp, mould, watertight windows, etc.  Might be worth phoning Shelter or Citizens Advice to see what they recommend as you may have some legal options.  Possibly withholding rent until problems are rectified or nullify the contract if they'd rather have you out.

RelievedSheff

KatrinaWaves said:

RelievedSheff said:

I can not believe that you didn't notice this stuff when you looked at the property?

Most of the stuff can be sorted with a couple of days cleaning and it isn't really showing a property in awful condition, more a property in need of a very good clean.

Have to disagree with this, the house looks rotten, no amount of cleaning will fix many of the photos the OP has posted.

Either that or my cleanliness standards are apparently ridiculously high, and my mum wouldnt agree with that...

It doesn't look rotten but yes it does need a good scrub and a few bits repairing. It certainly isn't uninhabitable. The OP clearly saw these things when they viewed the property and were happy to sign up to a contract.

oldbikebloke

toilet, cooker hood, oven are all cleaning issues . 
they had not been done so either you fight for the LL to pay for them to be done, and therefore you will pay to the same when you leave, or you accept as they are, do your own cleaning and return the property to the LL in the same dirty state when you leave

as for the remaining issues, whilst i accept some may "hidden" by rugs or towels etc, as others have said surely you say them when you viewed. Yet you signed a tenancy in what I assume can only have been a somewhat unrealistic expectation of what is  done to prepare a property for the money you are paying for it.

Some of the marks on walls are simply wear and tear. 
Yes there is evidence of water damage in several places, but is it historic or ongoing?
Yes there is mould in places, but at least some of that is from poor ventilation whilst "in use", rather than structural design issues eg: steam left to condense above shower without opening a window afterwards? In kitchen corner perhaps steam from previous tenant's kettle?

your options are:
a) argue for it to be cleaned and repaired as required. Will probably be a massive fight.
or 
b) see if the Ll will agree to you terminating the contract you signed, paying any fees the LL demands for agreeing, and move on to the next property, having now learned to what to look before signing 

Smodlet

Whatever you do, OP, do not withhold any rent as you will lose any rights you have.  Again, I hope the LL's/more knowledgeable posters here will correct me if I am wrong but please, OP, read the stickies at the top of this board by G_M.  Everything you need to know will be in one or other of his guides and they are very well-written.

If you want to withhold rent, there is a legal way but you need to go on Shelter's website and follow every, single step meticulously to do so.  It is a very long-drawn-out process and involves a helluva lot of letter writing but there are templates on there you can use.  Given the calibre of LL you obviously have, I would be especially careful not to put a foot wrong; who knows what else he/she is capable of?

I know you probably just want to burn the place to the ground at the moment (I'd buy you the matches) or, at least, not to pay the rent but you cannot if you want any help from any of the organisations mentioned.

NewShadow

Smodlet said:

OP, you do not have to pay for it to be redecorated, re-carpetted or to have anything fixed; these would all come under the heading of "betterment" to which LL's are not entitled by law.  I would be inclined to report this letting agent/whatever to the Trading Standards Authority and the state of the property to Environmental Health at your local council.  They actually have the power to force LLs to make repairs but it won't be a quick process.  Shelter is also a good source of information, as is this board.  I strongly recommend you spend some time finding out what your rights are.

I completely agree with this post... but just wanted to add that, while the LL can be required to carry out repairs - and while the property needs to not be a health hazard as per the standards set by Environmental Health - that doesn't mean they have to pay to have the property cleaned or redecorated either.  

While the tenant cannot be required by the LL to improve the property - the tenant may need to pay for redecoration and recarpeting... if the tenant wishes for the property to be redecorated and recarpeting... 'Betterment' relates to the state of the property when returned to the LL, not while the tenant is still in situ.

Seeking advice from the council and shelter is a sound recommendation - it could be they have some assurance in writing as to the state of the property which will allow them to deem the contract frustrated/to break the contract... or they might be able to negotiate this with the LA - if the LA get the impression you're going to be a complete PITA, they might agree terms for a very early surrender.

But that might not be a desirable course of action given it would meant the tenant would have to immediately/imminently move out and find an alternative place to live - and if this was the best option within budget in the area, it might be nothing superior is currently available. 

KatrinaWaves

RelievedSheff said:

KatrinaWaves said:

RelievedSheff said:

I can not believe that you didn't notice this stuff when you looked at the property?

Most of the stuff can be sorted with a couple of days cleaning and it isn't really showing a property in awful condition, more a property in need of a very good clean.

Have to disagree with this, the house looks rotten, no amount of cleaning will fix many of the photos the OP has posted.

Either that or my cleanliness standards are apparently ridiculously high, and my mum wouldnt agree with that...

It doesn't look rotten but yes it does need a good scrub and a few bits repairing. It certainly isn't uninhabitable. The OP clearly saw these things when they viewed the property and were happy to sign up to a contract.

Agreed they will have seen most of these problems. Disagree that its not rotten :P

Smodlet

Thanks, NewShadow, knew I'd get something wrong!