Private Renting and what to expect

Nickyno

My daughter has recently broke up from her partner and has been left renting the home alone.   She has 3 children 4,2 and nearly 1.  Her rented home is 2 bedrooms and very small.  She has been waiting around 18 months for a cupboard to be put back up on the wall after it falling off due to not being securely fitted in the first place. The boiler loses pressure quite often.   Hot water tap still waiting to be repaired for 4yrs (she has to fill the bath up with hot water from the shower). Her gas safety check was due feb/ March and she's still waiting on it.   She has big conifers which were supposed to be cut earlier in the year, so children can't play outside in garden. 
Council rented homes in the area are very difficult to get as there's none available,  and private rentals are becoming very expensive. So she's stuck.  Surely the landlord has a duty of care, and should fix the problems shouldn't he?  
Don't want comments that are judgmental just advice.   Thankyou in advance. 

Brie

How easily can she afford a new place?  It sounds like moving may be her best option but if she needs to wait for the council then she needs to attack the landlord/lady to get the needed repairs done.  Citizen's advice might be able to assist but also the council may have resources to ensure that things are being done.  Look online to see if they've got anything about a homelessness protection team which may help intervene with the LL. 

CSI_Yorkshire

Reluctant to reply, having seen what often happens with other threads where the OP effectively says "don't question me or my opinions", but I will anyway.

If this was my home, I wouldn't be waiting 18 months to put up a cabinet.  Even if it should be the landlord's job, there must come a point where you think "I'm not letting that spoil the use of my home" and either fix it myself or pay a local handyman.  I can't imagine that it would break the bank, and if it's spoiling the situation so much then it would be worth the money anyway.

Tap is a little more complicated, perhaps, but still could be a simple fix.

I'm no landlord, so I don't know the rules very well, but isn't there some sort of notice that you can send to the landlord that says "if you don't fix these things, I will, and I'll send you the bill"?  Others who know more than me will answer that point.

If these conifers are so dangerous then the children can't be outside, then I'd be involving the council somehow - if they're not dangerous then I'm not sure how having uncut trees stops a garden being used.

The landlord should be fixing many of those problems, but they are not.  Either spend energy trying to force them to do it (which could be difficult if they're so much not bothered), or spend the energy making the home a decent place for your daughter and her children.  I know where I'd be concentrating.

One bit of good news though (I think) - no gas safe certificate means no eviction.

theartfullodger

She (draft it for her) needs to go to Shelter's (the experts) webpage on reporting repairs to private landlords.

Calm and polite, to landlord, copy any agent, keep copies 

Page also describes what to do if not sorted.

Sorry, sympathy. Sunlit uplands after 13 years 

Grizebeck

I doubt the trees are dangerous at all

HillStreetBlues

First thing I would check is the rents in the area and compare it to the rent she is paying.
If her rent is much higher than what else about then maybe complaint, as LL might struggle to find another tenant to rent at that price.
If under, get it sorted yourself, otherwise LL might well do it (and the gas cert)  then give a big increase on her rent and /or a S21.

Is it fair, no,  but clearly having a gas cert so far out of date tells you what kind of LL she has

MultiFuelBurner

Nickyno said:

My daughter has recently broke up from her partner and has been left renting the home alone.   She has 3 children 4,2 and nearly 1.  Her rented home is 2 bedrooms and very small.  She has been waiting around 18 months for a cupboard to be put back up on the wall after it falling off due to not being securely fitted in the first place. The boiler loses pressure quite often.   Hot water tap still waiting to be repaired for 4yrs (she has to fill the bath up with hot water from the shower). Her gas safety check was due feb/ March and she's still waiting on it.   She has big conifers which were supposed to be cut earlier in the year, so children can't play outside in garden. 
Council rented homes in the area are very difficult to get as there's none available,  and private rentals are becoming very expensive. So she's stuck.  Surely the landlord has a duty of care, and should fix the problems shouldn't he?  
Don't want comments that are judgmental just advice.   Thankyou in advance. 

Can you put the cupboard back on the wall and.have a look at the tap (YouTube)

Then as others have said offer support in.documenting and actioning outstanding repair items with.the landlord.

HillStreetBlues

A a renter myself, I know how hard it is to get a property. I was served a S21 last year as LL died and family wanted to sell. Some of the properties I saw were horrible, you wiped your feet on the way out! I was very very lucky and finally found somewhere lovely (had to stump up 6 months rent in advance). If I hadn't have got this property I would had to move into some Hell hole that no one else wanted (and in the last year there is even less of them about)

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-65114284

a survey found tenants in England who complain to landlords were more than twice as likely to get an eviction notice than those who do not.

I'm not saying she shouldn't complain, but please research the risks of doing so,as that's the reality of the current private rental market.

deannagone

I am afraid when I private rented (four years plus), I had to do many things to the house, including fixing cupboards, putting in insulation (bedrooms were so cold we couldn't sleep) refurbishing the bathroom (I saved an enormous amount doing it myself with on sale tiles etc - it looked like it had cost thousands when I had finished and was far more useable and even included putting self leveling concrete on the floor.  God job I did as we discovered black mould behind the tiles from a leaking shower pipe, the tile grout had been covered up hiding the mould problem). 

Might sound mad to do all this, but I wanted a place I could live in, that felt like home, and the LL would do nothing.  I didn't get him to replace the frequently breaking boiler though.

There are many youtube videos telling you how to do things and it actually does your confidence a lot of good, one thing about private rentals with LL's that won't do any repairs is it makes you feel helpless.  

MultiFuelBurner

deannagone said:

I am afraid when I private rented (four years plus), I had to do many things to the house, including fixing cupboards, putting in insulation (bedrooms were so cold we couldn't sleep) refurbishing the bathroom (I saved an enormous amount doing it myself with on sale tiles etc - it looked like it had cost thousands when I had finished and was far more useable and even included putting self leveling concrete on the floor.  God job I did as we discovered black mould behind the tiles from a leaking shower pipe, the tile grout had been covered up hiding the mould problem). 

Might sound mad to do all this, but I wanted a place I could live in, that felt like home, and the LL would do nothing.  I didn't get him to replace the frequently breaking boiler though.

There are many youtube videos telling you how to do things and it actually does your confidence a lot of good, one thing about private rentals with LL's that won't do any repairs is it makes you feel helpless.  

To give you a LL's perspective we have had two tenants that actively wanted to make the properties their home and they shared upgrades of kitchens/bathrooms they wanted to do as well as flooring choices etc.

We green lighted it all not just because it means they are likely to be a good long term tenant but also rewarded them back with no rent increases and now just slight ones rather than market rates.

BobT36

MultiFuelBurner said:

deannagone said:

I am afraid when I private rented (four years plus), I had to do many things to the house, including fixing cupboards, putting in insulation (bedrooms were so cold we couldn't sleep) refurbishing the bathroom (I saved an enormous amount doing it myself with on sale tiles etc - it looked like it had cost thousands when I had finished and was far more useable and even included putting self leveling concrete on the floor.  God job I did as we discovered black mould behind the tiles from a leaking shower pipe, the tile grout had been covered up hiding the mould problem). 

Might sound mad to do all this, but I wanted a place I could live in, that felt like home, and the LL would do nothing.  I didn't get him to replace the frequently breaking boiler though.

There are many youtube videos telling you how to do things and it actually does your confidence a lot of good, one thing about private rentals with LL's that won't do any repairs is it makes you feel helpless.  

To give you a LL's perspective we have had two tenants that actively wanted to make the properties their home and they shared upgrades of kitchens/bathrooms they wanted to do as well as flooring choices etc.

We green lighted it all not just because it means they are likely to be a good long term tenant but also rewarded them back with no rent increases and now just slight ones rather than market rates.

Just have to be VERY careful with this. Nowt to stop the LL "Rewarding" with a S21 and enjoying the lovely higher sale price they'd get, after you spent your money doing up their house..

I'd advise minor, low-cost DIY jobs & fixes only. Personal preference type things.