getting out of a new rental agreement

freeflyer

Hi all, i think i know the answer to this before i ask.
I was in a house sale and purchase rut a couple of weeks ago and signed up for a rental agreement, as i needed somewhere fast. Since i got given the keys i'm not really happy with it.
The place has clearly not been cleaned down since the last tenant (or possibly even the one before) . Everything really mucky, old, badly finished old paintwork and woodwork, oven has clearly not been cleaned for ages, kitchen cupboard door wont fit correctly due to previously wet wood, boiler didn't work initially, surface mould over a lot of window frames etc just from neglect and not being cleaned, (not in the house though) smoke alarms didn't work, boiler was fixed but thermostat doesn't work and wont be replaced until after christmas, shower needs resealing etc etc. I can do all these things and have already started on some of it, but I'm thinking why should I? there an easy way out of the contract in this situation? I have already asked and they said if i cover the rent and advertsiing until they find someone else then that's fine. But, i was wondering if there was a quicker way, perhaps just leaving at the end of the first month. 

born_again

What does your agreement say?

Tabieth

A few years ago I rented a flat that had no end of problems. The boiler broke down on a weekly basis and looked like something out of a museum. I can’t recall how many times I had no hot water or heating but it was a lot! There were many things that didn’t work and the appliances that did work were very old and clearly on their last legs. And the place was filthy when I moved in. Dust and grease everywhere and there were dozens of dead flies in the cooker lights! I kept contemporaneous notes and took photographs which I supplied to the management company. My contract was for a year, I left after three months with mutual agreement and full return of my deposit. I did not clean the flat when I left, I pointed out it was significantly cleaner than when I moved in! From conversations at the time I don’t think the management company were happy with how the landlord had behaved.

So with evidence and photographic evidence, it can be done. But I guess it depends of the reasonableness of the agent / landlord. 

mlz1413

Covering rent and advertising is a pretty good deal.  You might be out in a couple of weeks, or a month.

If you signed an AST for 6 months and you 'just leave' the LL / LA will bill you and take the deposit, as you will have broken the contract. 

How long will it take you to argue the flat wasn't what you viewed and signed for? (Assuming you did view it?)

saajan_12

freeflyer said:

Hi all, i think i know the answer to this before i ask.
I was in a house sale and purchase rut a couple of weeks ago and signed up for a rental agreement, as i needed somewhere fast. Since i got given the keys i'm not really happy with it.
The place has clearly not been cleaned down since the last tenant (or possibly even the one before) . Everything really mucky, old, badly finished old paintwork and woodwork, oven has clearly not been cleaned for ages, kitchen cupboard door wont fit correctly due to previously wet wood, boiler didn't work initially, surface mould over a lot of window frames etc just from neglect and not being cleaned, (not in the house though) smoke alarms didn't work, boiler was fixed but thermostat doesn't work and wont be replaced until after christmas, shower needs resealing etc etc. I can do all these things and have already started on some of it, but I'm thinking why should I? there an easy way out of the contract in this situation? I have already asked and they said if i cover the rent and advertsiing until they find someone else then that's fine. But, i was wondering if there was a quicker way, perhaps just leaving at the end of the first month. 

There's no automatic get out option. However why are you doing these things yourself - report to the LL and if you make yourself enough of a nuisance they might just let you out. If its in as poor condition as you say, it may take a long time to find a new tenant so that route may be expensive. Note do categorise the issues correctly: 

* Cleaning - unless the contract specifies, they don't have to provide it clean, though if unclean you can just leave it in the same condition when you leave. So on you unfortunately
* Poor paintwork and woodwork - would have been visible on viewing. Not actionable assuming its safe
* Kitchen cupboard door - report and they should fix, but not major enough to change much
* Boiler - sounds like this is working now? If so you can't use it
* Surface mould - report and they should fix
* Smoke alarms - report and they should fix
* Thermostat - how long has this taken? Do you have heating currently (even if not property controllable)? ITs un
* Shower resealing - report and they should fix, but not major

While a multitude of issues is difficult, most are not major enough to make it uninhabitable - the two in bold that are the only potentials. 

theartfullodger

Did you not look at the place earlier?

How would you feel if needing and wanting the place found landlord wanted to change his mind?

Negotiate.  And pray to any God you may favour 

Grumpy_chap

freeflyer said:

Hi all, i think i know the answer to this before i ask.
I was in a house sale and purchase rut a couple of weeks ago and signed up for a rental agreement, as i needed somewhere fast. Since i got given the keys i'm not really happy with it.
The place has clearly not been cleaned down since the last tenant (or possibly even the one before) . Everything really mucky, old, badly finished old paintwork and woodwork, oven has clearly not been cleaned for ages, kitchen cupboard door wont fit correctly due to previously wet wood, boiler didn't work initially, surface mould over a lot of window frames etc just from neglect and not being cleaned, (not in the house though) smoke alarms didn't work, boiler was fixed but thermostat doesn't work and wont be replaced until after christmas, shower needs resealing etc etc. I can do all these things and have already started on some of it, but I'm thinking why should I? there an easy way out of the contract in this situation? I have already asked and they said if i cover the rent and advertsiing until they find someone else then that's fine. But, i was wondering if there was a quicker way, perhaps just leaving at the end of the first month. 

Did you view the property before agreeing the contract?

If you leave this property, you have to find another until you get a house purchase completed.  No guarantee that the next rental will be any better.

The offer to leave when you wish and cover the rent and remarketing costs seems fair.

You might be best to get stuck in with a tub of elbow grease and simply clean this through enough to make it bearable.

GDB2222

freeflyer said:

Hi all, i think i know the answer to this before i ask.
I was in a house sale and purchase rut a couple of weeks ago and signed up for a rental agreement, as i needed somewhere fast. Since i got given the keys i'm not really happy with it.
The place has clearly not been cleaned down since the last tenant (or possibly even the one before) . Everything really mucky, old, badly finished old paintwork and woodwork, oven has clearly not been cleaned for ages, kitchen cupboard door wont fit correctly due to previously wet wood, boiler didn't work initially, surface mould over a lot of window frames etc just from neglect and not being cleaned, (not in the house though) smoke alarms didn't work, boiler was fixed but thermostat doesn't work and wont be replaced until after christmas, shower needs resealing etc etc. I can do all these things and have already started on some of it, but I'm thinking why should I? there an easy way out of the contract in this situation? I have already asked and they said if i cover the rent and advertsiing until they find someone else then that's fine. But, i was wondering if there was a quicker way, perhaps just leaving at the end of the first month. 

The cost of a professional cleaning service is probably around £200. Oven  clean another £50. That’s not a lot in the scheme of things. Possibly less than the cost of moving. Perhaps a reasonable compromise is to ask the landlord to pay for that, and agree to leave the flat clean when you leave? 

Having said that, the smoke alarm should have been working when you moved in, and the landlord was in breach of the law in respect of that. However, since it has already been repaired I’m not sure whether you can use that, or it would just cause conflict.

freeflyer

Hi all, sorry not replied. Been so busy.

The agreement to get out is basically that i cover the rent and advertising until they can get a new tenant. This could take a while, or it might not.
They fixed the boiler and thermostat, and the smoke alarms.
I've installed curtain poles, blinds etc, as i had no choice.
I've started on a lot of painting. The landlord says he is happy to cover costs.
The bad cupboard in the kitchen, the landlord says he will replace.
Everything needs painting properly (it's been bodged and patched up).

Generally, they're being okay. It's not so much the landlord is bad, just that I guess it's just not what i wanted. The kitchen is liveable but the bathroom and shower is horrible, and it's this which is getting me down. I've also found a small number of false widow spiders around the house (the underneath of the shower is a spiders party room it seems) and whilst i know these are common and not scary etc but i've never seen any before. I guess this all adds up to me being fed up and down and wanting to get out. But, i'll make the most of things.