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Larryuk
04-03-2005, 11:36 AM
I would be grateful for all comments and advice as to what to do next without preducing our tenancy: Problems are:

1 Saniflow macerator which failed on the day we moved in and we had two weeks of using public toilets until the landlord .Mr Alex Nixon, finally agreed to let a plumber .
install a flush toilet
2 No flooring in the kitchen area due to it being dug up to lay the soil pipe for the flush toilet. Floor is bare concrete and old tiles. Impossible to clean.(Done in Sept 2003 )
3. Chronic damp in the wardrobe of my daughters bedroom which led to nearly all her stored clothes being ruined with the subsequent cost of renewal. (Since Jan 2004)
4. Large hole which has appeared in the middle of the lawn, Approximately nine feet deep and four feet across. Unable to use the garden. Mr Nixon has told us not to call in
anybody to fill it in, as he wants to see it himself . (Since August 2004)

The central heating which is supplied from an old Potterton gas boiler in an outside shed. There was no safety certificate in force when we first occupied the flat.This was condemned on the 28th April 2004 and turned off. The boiler, the pump, and the on/off switching are connected by exposed wires twisted together and bound round very poorly with black PVC insulation tape. the flue pipe goes up through the shed roof, part of which is corrugated asbestos sheeting. There is a gap between the emerging flue pipe and the hole on the roof. Rain comes through this gap like a waterfall and hits the afore mentioned connections. Up until the time the boiler was turned off, we sometimes used to get a mild electric shock from the radiators.We have had no heating or hot water from April 2004 and feel that this may constitute a denial of service and therefore fall into the category of criminal harassment.We may see a solicitor about this. Our landlord appears reluctant to commit himself to repairing the system and making it safe. We are currently using two electric fires which I had to buy and they are costing a lot of money to run continuously I can only heat the living area and my daughters bedroom. In what appears to be a blatant disregard for our safety and comfort , he has hinted that he may not bother with an inspection this year. We are all anxious to move out but we have a dog and a cat and it is difficult to find rented property that allows pets.I also have good cause to believe that we would not get our security deposit back either based on his past performance. I have been told that none of this will make any difference to our place on the housing list. I would be grateful for your comments. Nothing seems to kick this man into action. He phones each month to see if we have paid the rent into his bank. As regards the work which needs doing it is postponed and postponed each time. All the way back to Sept 2003 or in the case of the heating April 2004.
PS. If anyone has a flat to let in the Thanet Kent area please let me know.

Larry

red40
04-03-2005, 13:57 PM
Go to your local authority and speak to the environmental Heath depart.

Landlord & Tenat Act, sc11, repairing obligations. :D

sport
04-03-2005, 21:38 PM
Legally he sounds like he hasn't got a leg to stand on.

However, as long as you have pets, you're not going to get the best properties or the best landlords. You can pursue him through legal means -- but a far better idea is to get rid of the animals and move over to a decent landlord.

Jennifer_M
05-03-2005, 13:37 PM
Yeah that's right, throw the little kitten you got for Xmas on the side of the motorway, and tie the dog to some tree out of the way.

:mad:

Never understood people who can think "get rid of the pet to have it easier", never will.

P.Pilcher
05-03-2005, 14:40 PM
To be realistic, it looks like a "no win" situation. You definitely have several justifiable complaints against your landlord and by consulting the CAB, Shelter or a solicitor versed in property letting maters you could possibly win substantial compensation and could certainly oblige the local authority to compell your landlord to put matters right. However, as you rightly say, he may well do the required work, and refuse to renew your AST when it expires in retribution. About this you can do nothing so really it boils down to finding a new property to rent. The only people who will really benefit from taking your current landlord to the cleaners will be his next tenants unless you can come to an amicable arrangement with him which, from what you post, seems unlikely. Sorry I can't be more positive about the situation.

P.P.

Larryuk
24-03-2005, 11:50 AM
Thanks for the usefull information so far to everybody who replied. If anyone has anything to add I would be grateful.