Served notice a week after asking for repairs - Private tenant

tlc678910 wrote: »

Hi OP,
I guess what people are getting at is that a rented house won't be perfect (just like owner occupied houses aren't perfect). In the case of non-urgent issues you could report periodically or at inspection saying "for information" but whether the landlord chooses to fix non urgent issues is really down to the type of landlord they are and if they are going to allow their house to become tired and run down. Obviously the condition should be reasonable and safe but by no means perfect. I think when you house hunt you need to look for a very property proud landlord or lower your expectations a little. A near perfect property will command a premium rent though.

Having no light in the living room might feel like an emergency but a broken pendant fitting doesn't mean no light. Plug in a lamp or two and you have a work around that many owner occupiers might use for ages (2 years in my case!).

A very property proud landlord will likely have high expectations of how you look after the property though so it's a two way thing. You do need to open your windows to ventilate even in winter especially if the property is well sealed rather than draughty. I turn the heating off and open everything up for 1/2 hour or more depending on how cold it is and how much I can stand, and then close them and put the heating back on. I think owner occupiers do this more readily because they care enough about the property to pay out to keep it in good condition. It is probably irritating to your landlord if you expect them to keep the property tip top but are not playing your part. It will be interesting if you do change your approach a little when you do buy.

When you do touch base with your landlord it's worth mentioning little jobs you have done so they recognise times when you are helpful tenants like letting them know we had a problem with the loo/tap but we have sorted it. In general I would say the gratitude of your landlord will help when you do need their assistance and avoid unfortunate situations like the one you are in. I'm sure some will think the landlord should fix every last little thing as that's what you pay them for but I think in a long term tenancy a tenant doing very everyday things like getting a new loo seat if the old one breaks helps to keep the repairs the landlord does need to do from feeling like endless and unecessary grumbles.

I'm sorry the thread has made you feel belittled but perhaps on reflection you can appreciate some people sincerely see things a little differently to you. if you can swallow your pride you could approach your landlord - writing would probably be best and why not tell them that after discussing with a few other people you can see that your expectations might be a bit high compared to a lot of other people and if you could both have a fresh start you would love that. I'm not suggesting your landlord has done no wrong but if a little humble pie saves you having to move when you are nearly ready to house hunt for your own purchase then you might as well. You can then serve your own notice in your own time when you buy.

Good luck with whatever you decide.
Tlc
Edit: I lived in our property for a couple of years with no mould problems. Rented it out a couple of years and when I moved back in had to treat and paint a patch of mould and was gutted to see a few of our vertical blinds ruined by mould. Lived there a couple more years no problems, rented out and....complaints of mould. It is annoying as a landlord when mould is condensation based and I am supposed to magic it away when it is the tenants lifestyle that causes it.