Holding deposits when house ends up unfit to live in

dr78

Estate agents left a snotty message today saying we have had enough time to move in now and they want a answer if we are moving in or loosing holding deposit. I can’t see fleas and eggs being killed in two days. I have emailed back and asked for details of company who did treatment and name of treatment used so I can discuss with environmental health about it. Sadly my council doesn’t have environmental health anymore 

Herzlos

Sounds like you may need to fight it or  at least threaten to take them to small claims court.

Can you ask for another viewing for them to show you that it's been dealt with properly before deciding? That way you can try and record evidence that it's still not in a suitable state.

Mr.Generous

I'd also be advising the agent I will contact the local press, and use social media to publicise the issue.

What compensation are you getting for the pain and discomfort fron the flea bites you all suffered?

Murphybear

If the flea infestation is very bad then talk to the Environmental Health Department of your local council.  They will be able to advise the best way of getting rid of them and how long it will take.  Whether they will be able to deal with them for you depends on the individual council.  Some will only get rid of them for you if it’s a council tenancy.  

I’ve not come across flea bombs before, the only property we had that had fleas were treated with a spray from the vet.  It worked very well but from the OPs description their fleas are much worse.  

I think the LL is being very optimistic with his time scale for you to move back in.  

dr78

Herzlos said:

Sounds like you may need to fight it or  at least threaten to take them to small claims court.

Can you ask for another viewing for them to show you that it's been dealt with properly before deciding? That way you can try and record evidence that it's still not in a suitable state.

I have emailed asking for another viewing and said I have contacted environmental health too, they haven’t replied and put the house back on the market to rent. 

sheramber

Flea eggs can lie dormant for up to 9 months and then hatch out. 

I had one episode of my dog catching fleas from a friend's dog and it took  months to get rid of them completely. They get into any dark crevice, along skirting boards, down the side of cushions, etc
I eventually found they persisted because they were in folded towels.

A colleague discovered them in her curtains.

Your request for information about who they used so you can speak to them seems quite reasonable to me.

Why would  they not want you to be reassured?

I agree the local press may be interested

Slinky

I'd be posting on your local social media pages warning prospective tenants of the actions of  'a local agent' regarding your deposit and a '3 bedroom terrace' (or whatever) flea infested property in the area people may need to be careful when viewing.

You can fill in the forms for Moneyclaimonline, save and print them off before actually submitting them to court (thereby not committing yourself to paying the fees), and email them as pdfs to the agents telling them you will be lodging a claim if the deposit is not returned within 7 days, and that you will also be seeking to recover your fees.

elsien

Neighbour had ongoing issue with fleas in his house. 

It was professionally treated and he had to move out for a fortnight. 
ditto, a client that I work with. Again they had to move out for a period of time for the house to be properly treated.
There’s no way it will be sorted out to move in after one day.

 But to get your money back, you will need probably a bit more evidence about the type of treatment and a small claims court claim.

Bigphil1474

OP, where I work, the pest control team would normally treat fleas over 3 separate visits, and they don't guarantee to have eradicated them - as others have said, they can only kill the fleas, not the eggs.

You said earlier your local council doesn't have Environmental Health. This won't mean there isn't an Environmental Health service that covers your area - sometimes they are provided at county council level, sometimes at local council level, or sometimes joint services with a neighbouring council. Try Googling it for where you live. Where I work we have a separate EH for Housing and commercial.