A Tenant's guide to renting

MissMoneypenny

katp wrote: »

Hi my daughter has been renting a house for the last two months but the smoke alarms are not working and the back door wont open because of damaged hinges, she has asked the landlord to fix these problems but as yet he has.nt. she wants to move somewhere else and is willing to move out while still under contract but she will be paying double rents. Is there any law that maybe will save her a bit of money as the landlord has'nt kept up the repairs.
All the faults have been there since she moved in.
Any help apreciated

Contact her local council and ask for the dept dealing with private rentals. They should be able to help.

You could also try starting your own thread for more replies, as this thread is just a sticky.

oasisfan78

Hi,

Myself and my partner have just moved out of a rented house into new accomodation. My concern is over what the landladysaid to me about the deposit. It is kept with the deposit scheme so im not concerned about getting it back, what does concern me is that upon inspection of the house, the landlady said that the carpet was badly soiled. I explained that we had tried to clean it although quickly. She said unless it was cleaned throughly, she would charge us the cost of a new carpet to come off our deposit. The carpet was new at the time we started our tenancy. I have been down to the house today to clean the carpet (albeit with a scrubbing brush and plenty of 1001) and to my best ability i have cleaned it.

My question is, if she is not happy with the result, can she charge us the cost of the new carpet? It has been down for 17 months and was constantly used as a walkway (the front door opened onto the lounge).

Does fair wear and tear policy have anything going for me as im not entirely happy to pay for a new carpet when this one has been used well for 17 months. Could she only charge for a professional cleaning company to do the job?

Many thanks.

MissMoneypenny

If you start your own thread oasisfan, you will get some responses as this thread is just a sticky.

My understanding is that she can't charge you for a new carpet if it is fair wear and tear.

You could try phoning your local council and asking for the Private Lettings section and ask them for their opinion and what you should write to your ex landlady. It won't hurt to give your landladies name to them, as councils seem to be keeping a list of landlords they have problems with.

gemma280563

I have just read this thread & found it v helpful.
However there is always some people that will let the side down & no matter what you do will always trash your place. We have just had tennants move out without paying their rent for a while, smoking in a smoke free house, sub letting, not paying for the gas & electric, smoking drugs, being generally abusive etc....
The house was in pristine condition whern they moved in and now needs completely redecorating after 6 mnths. They never informed us of a slate that had come off the roof & all the upstairs is now damp. They opened up private post that had come due to planning permission & thwn put it through another doorway. The police have been involved and thankfully I am glad to see the back if them. We gave them an incredible chance and they blew it.

yollyp

Is there a definite ruling on tenants-landlords relationship? Once a tenant made improvements on the house they are renting is it not deductible on the monthly rate? and the electric maintenance, is it the responsibility of the tenant? My friend was fuming mad because the policy of the landlord was that house improvement cost is not deductible and the electric maintenance is shouldered by the tenant by adding 2% from the total bill - this is the electric maintenance fee impose by the landlord. I told my friend to look for another apartment if she can't withstand this unfair treatment.

Wolfy_2

MissMoneypenny wrote: »

If a LL is going to reference a tenant, then why do you think there isn't time to reference a LL? Or do you mean some LLs are reluctant to provide references? The bankruptcy board has had a few LLs on there now.

Well property gets rented so quick that you can't afford to wait for references/ or there is reluctance on the part of the letting agency or landlord to furnish you with all the details you would need to get a reference.

Once you have put your deposit down to secure a place then unless you are willing to lose it, the point of referencing your landlord seems less valid.

I just feel that landlords hold all the cards and I don't think that has changed much of late, at least not in greater london.

designerhaylz

Katp - smoke alarms are free from the fire service. They did mine when i was a student, and also swapped my chip pan for a deep fat fryer!
Get in touch with them and thats one problem sorted.

IvanDrago

can you drill holes to put a dartboard up in rented acc?

or will i get charged paint and filler out of my deposit?

lee_corbo

Can Anyone Tell Me If The Current Economic Climate Is Affecting The Rental Price? I Am Supposed To Go Sign A Contract On Friday But Im Weary Of Doing So If The Rental Market Price Has Fallen. I Would Like To Try And Get A Better Deal. Appreciate Your Help Folks!

2912pwil

Depends on the area, the property, the tenant....

Some say more demand from people who can't get a mortgage has pushed up rental rates.... others say the additional properties coming onto the rental market from people who wanted to sell but can't get a buyer/can't get the price they want has created local gluts of rental properties, pushing down prices.

I my experience (very small time LL, 3 houses rented..) prices have got a little higher, but not a lot so far.. I'm sure there are areas where the prices are dropping..

Ask a couple of local agents ??

Cheers