Building work disruption

gym11

We rent privately and have had some ongoing issues with leaks when it rains over the last few months. It rained at the weekend and leaked again. Monday LL sent round a builder - he said we need a new roof. She agreed  to the work on Monday afternoon and told us they would start the next morning (work is quiet due to lockdown so builders were keen to get started).

The work has caused considerable disruption the last few days - scaffolding across the whole house, the front and back garden are completely unusable, we can't open any windows upstairs and the noise that goes with a project like this. After the first day we've just discovered damage to nearly every ceiling upstairs too - large pieces of plaster have fallen off and there are some large plaster cracks. 

We're both working from home during all this and I have frequent video calls and have to record videos as part of my job. Yesterday afternoon I had to give up working as the noise was so loud I couldn't hear myself (let alone do video calls). We obviously can't go and work anywhere else or even leave the house for any peace and quiet!

Would it be reasonable to ask for a rent reduction? We're pretty fed up as we had virtually no notice of a major project taking place.

Davesnave

Of course you can ask for a rent reduction, but whether you get one would depend on the generosity of your landlord, who is, literally, trying to keep a roof over your head.

It would also be reasonable to ask that the building work only goes on during normal business hours, because this is your home. Presumably, you rented it as a home, not as a workplace, so it's  poor suitability for the latter is not really the landlord's problem.

anselld

Not sure how longer notice would have helped.  If the work is indeed essential to keep the rain out then the Landlord has little choice.  It is going to be a few days disruption but I don't think a request for rent reduction is going to be well received on top of the repair expense.

gym11

Davesnave said:

Of course you can ask for a rent reduction, but whether you get one would depend on the generosity of your landlord, who is, literally, trying to keep a roof over your head.

It would also be reasonable to ask that the building work only goes on during normal business hours, because this is your home. Presumably, you rented it as a home, not as a workplace, so it's  poor suitability for the latter is not really the landlord's problem.

We don't normally work from home - it's only because our workplaces have been closed due to the lockdown that we have to.

martindow

gym11 said:

Davesnave said:

Of course you can ask for a rent reduction, but whether you get one would depend on the generosity of your landlord, who is, literally, trying to keep a roof over your head.

It would also be reasonable to ask that the building work only goes on during normal business hours, because this is your home. Presumably, you rented it as a home, not as a workplace, so it's  poor suitability for the latter is not really the landlord's problem.

We don't normally work from home - it's only because our workplaces have been closed due to the lockdown that we have to.

No one anticipated this and you weren't planning on making videos from home.  The work will not last that long with fine weather forecasts and it is to your benefit that the roof is fixed.  You have a landlord who is promptly doing a full repair.  A lot of threads on here are from tenants who have landlords reluctant to proper repairs which would be worse.

You need to explain to your boss and your clients that work is going on and accept the disruption for a few days.  Have you tried working from different rooms which may be quieter?  Can you work early in the morning or into the evening to take advantage of  times when building work is not happening?

davidmcn

I wouldn't say it's unreasonable to ask, but it would be unreasonable to expect any rent reduction. Your landlord isn't breaching their contract in any way, in fact it sounds like they're complying very well with it.

If you owned the property you wouldn't be getting a rebate from your mortgage or anybody else, you'd just have to tolerate disruption while the work went on (as well as having to pay for it!).

Freecall

davidmcn said:

If you owned the property you wouldn't be getting a rebate from your mortgage or anybody else, you'd just have to tolerate disruption while the work went on (as well as having to pay for it!).

Spot on!  This is something that is so often forgotten.  It sounds as if the LL has been exemplary in this case.

Davesnave

gym11 said:

Davesnave said:

Of course you can ask for a rent reduction, but whether you get one would depend on the generosity of your landlord, who is, literally, trying to keep a roof over your head.

It would also be reasonable to ask that the building work only goes on during normal business hours, because this is your home. Presumably, you rented it as a home, not as a workplace, so it's  poor suitability for the latter is not really the landlord's problem.

We don't normally work from home - it's only because our workplaces have been closed due to the lockdown that we have to.

My inferential comprehension was sufficient to spot that, but it still doesn't fall to the landlord to take any responsibility, does it?