Environmental health visit - landlord.

mrsm990

Ok, so I've lived in current property for over a year. I had to leave my old privately rented home due to the owner moving back to the country. 
The Estate agent who found us the original house offered to show us around an old farm house however it needed a LOT of work doing as it had not been lived in for 3years. 
It turns out it was her family farm and had been left as it was when her father passed away. 
We were delighted as needed a home big enough and very grateful also. 
The date we HAD to move in by and the 'work' being done by one man still wasn't finished so we had no choice but to live around this, the carpets were not done and we had all our furniture in an old outbuildings as all of their personal belongings, furniture was still inside the home. 
Eventually we managed to move some furniture of theirs out into an out building and some into a little annex attached to the property which they use for storage. 
This part has not been updates and is very damp, smelly which can waft through the property. 
They did not inform the electrical company her parents used that this was now a domestic property and for one month we were billed 2k I couldn't change provider as it kept coming up as commercial. 
This took around 6 months to sort and a bill of over 6k 
I managed to change to a normal supplier and noticed I owe them 3k so they advised I go around the fuse board and make sure I'm paying only for electric I am using. 
Nothing in there is labeled and it's very very old. 
Found a switch and a write going across the drive to the old milking parlour, which seemed to be making the thing in the cupboard spin like mad. So I messaged her to ask if she knows of anything drawing power over there. 
She said 'no, as she had her electrician check that before we moved in' 
My husband went over and there was a fuse board in use and loads of switches on which when turned off slowed the electric spinner in the cupboard right down. 
I let her know this and sent a video and no reply. 
This is not the only issue we have had, I've had rata eat through the flooring in the hallway and through the carpet to get inside last winter, I've had them in various rooms in the house also. 
I decided to call and try see if the council could help me find somewhere and they want environmental health to come out also. 
They asked me a checklist of questions and our concerned about the house. 
There are no smoke detectors here at all. 
The electric switched are those little brown square ones from years ago ( which apparently are no longer allowed to be used) 
We have never received a certificate from an electrician or energy rating. 
Never has anyone check anything other than the oil for the boiler. 
Other minor issues also and they have said to help sending out environmental health would help. They can then either send a letter to the landlord with a list of jobs to complete by a set date. 
Help to re-house my family. 

I can't help but feel really guilty though, I've tried to get other little jobs to be done and she never gets back to me,  I feel bad to 'keep on' so I just leave it as I'm worried about them asking us to leave. 

What would you do? 

greatcrested

Your landlord has broken so many tenancy regulations that when EH visit she is in deep trouble.

So may you be if they condemn the property as unsafe and make you leave......

[Deleted User]

Why on earth would you want to stay in a building that sounds like it might be condemned ! It sounds like a dangerous hell hole - Id be out there like a shot
Rats !!! 

theoretica

You did say your current landlord is an estate agent?  Which means she should know how much trouble she is in - and may be in extra trouble because of membership of professional bodies etc.

mrsm990

We did have pest control out many times which we paid by taking it off the rent. Also believe me when I have looked for other properties however needing a 4 bed minimum is very hard to come by, even a three with 2 living areas so we would use one as a bedroom is an option but still nothing as of yet. 

mrsm990

We did have pest control out many times which we paid by taking it off the rent. Also believe me when I have looked for other properties however needing a 4 bed minimum is very hard to come by, even a three with 2 living areas so we would use one as a bedroom is an option but still nothing as of yet. 
Yes she is an estate agent and the house is in hers and her brother's name 

Thrugelmir

If it's a farm you are living on you need feral cats to control the vermin. 

mrsm990

I've seen three different cats come and go from the farm.  They never approach is but still there is an issue. With the colder weather. They will no doubt be under the floors again. 

Can I ask in regards to condemning the property would this be because of the rats/ smoke alarms or just everything. I don't know what it takes for it to be condemned. 

Also the lady said if that were to happen they would have to find us alternative accommodation and the landlord would have to pay for this. 

brianposter

Other than the electricity this sounds like a house that many people would be delighted to live in.

Rats are best dealt with by traps and blocking any holes that let them into the house - something that in reality is best done by a tenant.

AdrianC

mrsm990 said:

Ok, so I've lived in current property for over a year. I had to leave my old privately rented home due to the owner moving back to the country. 
The Estate agent who found us the original house offered to show us around an old farm house however it needed a LOT of work doing as it had not been lived in for 3years. 
It turns out it was her family farm and had been left as it was when her father passed away. 
We were delighted as needed a home big enough and very grateful also. 
The date we HAD to move in by and the 'work' being done by one man still wasn't finished so we had no choice but to live around this, the carpets were not done and we had all our furniture in an old outbuildings as all of their personal belongings, furniture was still inside the home. 
Eventually we managed to move some furniture of theirs out into an out building and some into a little annex attached to the property which they use for storage. 
This part has not been updates and is very damp, smelly which can waft through the property. 
They did not inform the electrical company her parents used that this was now a domestic property and for one month we were billed 2k I couldn't change provider as it kept coming up as commercial. 
This took around 6 months to sort and a bill of over 6k 
I managed to change to a normal supplier and noticed I owe them 3k so they advised I go around the fuse board and make sure I'm paying only for electric I am using. 
Nothing in there is labeled and it's very very old. 
Found a switch and a write going across the drive to the old milking parlour, which seemed to be making the thing in the cupboard spin like mad. So I messaged her to ask if she knows of anything drawing power over there. 
She said 'no, as she had her electrician check that before we moved in' 
My husband went over and there was a fuse board in use and loads of switches on which when turned off slowed the electric spinner in the cupboard right down. 
I let her know this and sent a video and no reply. 
This is not the only issue we have had, I've had rata eat through the flooring in the hallway and through the carpet to get inside last winter, I've had them in various rooms in the house also. 
I decided to call and try see if the council could help me find somewhere and they want environmental health to come out also. 
They asked me a checklist of questions and our concerned about the house. 
There are no smoke detectors here at all. 
The electric switched are those little brown square ones from years ago ( which apparently are no longer allowed to be used) 
We have never received a certificate from an electrician or energy rating. 
Never has anyone check anything other than the oil for the boiler. 
Other minor issues also and they have said to help sending out environmental health would help. They can then either send a letter to the landlord with a list of jobs to complete by a set date. 
Help to re-house my family. 

I can't help but feel really guilty though, I've tried to get other little jobs to be done and she never gets back to me,  I feel bad to 'keep on' so I just leave it as I'm worried about them asking us to leave. 

What would you do? 

I'd move.

mrsm990

We were delighted and greatful to be able to live here but it's been over a year now and the smoke alarms and issues raised above still not sorted. 
The rats we dealt with ourselves, and paid with rent money as they didn't come out to check it themselves.  
There are many places where they can get in even the pest control man said it's going to be an ongoing problem. I don't have the money to fix the building externally. 
However that isn't what the post is solely about. It's to give an insight into the issues what we have faced. 
It's easy to say just move but when there is nothing suitable to move into I'm stuck. 
The only way I can get help it seems is by allowing environmental health however I feel guilty for doing so