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View Full Version : T's problems with L's Letting Agent



abz123nul
07-07-2010, 16:08 PM
I will try to be brief but it is a big problem. 3rd august 09 i move into different placed. They wanted cheques up front, paid within 6 months, no deposit just agency fee. 2 weeks after moving in had persistantly bad mould all over ruinign my things, rotten floorboards, whole house needed rewiring wires were crumbling, gas wasnt safe, boiler doesnt work properly, plumbing is terrible lots of blockages & leaks, multiple occasions people have left themselves in whilst i have been in shower and also when i was in bed! wanted to leave before contract was up as not happy that house is fit to live in, they wouldnt let us. now i owe £350 but do not want to pay just want to leave to a better place.

terrible service, people dont know what they are doing, workers even say they'll never sort problems as they dont want to lose money. just wondering where i stand and what i can do. thanks, any replies will be very much appreciated. Last week i received a visit from one of the letting agents who i'd never seen before. He came round at 6pm on a Sunday out of the blue. Asking when they'd get paid I said when they sorted out the mould and other problems around the house. He came in and said 'yeah we can sort that out, just a little bit of plastering'. He seemed to think it was a simple job but anyway, some builders came around the next day and they were shocked by the state of the living room. Every other word that came out of the guys mouth was 'jesus christ!' because the paper and wood were just peeling off and it stank to high heaven. It was obvious that the problem was bigger than the letting agent thought.

I overheard the builders talking to this guy and he just wanted to botch it up but the builders refused. They said they had to pull up half the living room floor, then they said all of it. Then they said the kitchen too. Then they changed their minds again as they said they would re-house us to a really nice place, the letting agent didn't even tell me to my face, the builder did. Then they changed their minds again and moved us two doors down while the do the living room and kitchen floor. Even this house is not great, lots of dodgy door handles, chair broke when my partner sat on it, skirting board fell off, hole in mattress, an electrical socket is hanging off, fridge was dirty, shower rail and head attachment are broken, house smells of piss and stale smoke.

Turns out that some weeds dug their roots into the brick and water was just running inside the house. The wood was soaking and rotten, it seemed the house was built on mud, and there was some concrete around the fire that was absorbing the water. At least the builders are fixing it now, but our tenancy expires at the beginning of august so it wont benefit us.

After all this hassle, this letting agent keeps coming round bugging me about the rent, the truth is I don't have all the money as my student loan ran out. They also kept changing their minds about how much I owed and my partner (who owes nothing). All the advice I getting is not to pay them, in my eyes they broke their contract as the house was unfit to live in. Builders told us we could have easily fell through the floor! Also the contract hardly states what the landlord should do, I don't even know who the landlord is all this is the letting agent. They will take me to court if i don't pay but they are so unreasonable, either they knock of £50 or they want us to leave now and they'll forget about the money (knowing full well we have nowhere to go).

They are unwilling to waiver the money even though the house was unfit to live in, we endured lots off hassle, letting themselves in without notice, no gas of energy certificate and lots more. On top of this I've hears that the two brothers and sisters father got done for fraud (its a family business)! I also have never had any manuals or guides for their appliances. Does anyone know what I should/could do, I don't really want to go to court but I can't and won't pay them.

dominic
07-07-2010, 16:34 PM
Can you repost breaking that up into paragraphs.

I've tried reading it but lose my place every 5 lines.

westminster
07-07-2010, 19:23 PM
They are unwilling to waiver the money even though the house was unfit to live in, we endured lots off hassle, letting themselves in without notice, no gas of energy certificate and lots more.... Does anyone know what I should/could do, I don't really want to go to court but I can't and won't pay them.
It's unclear as to whether you are still living in the property or not. If you are, then immediately contact the Environmental Health Officer at the local council and ask them to inspect - they have the power to force the landlord to make repairs.

Regarding gas safety certificate, you should request this in writing and, if the landlord fails to provide it, report him to the Health & Safety Executive. http://www.hse.gov.uk/gas/domestic/faqlandlord.htm

If the landlord claims against you for unpaid rent, you can counterclaim for the disrepair. But to do this you will need good evidence of all the disrepair, so take photos and report all the disrepair to the landlord - in writing. Keep a copy of the letter and get proof of posting. Write again if the LL doesn't take action. Keep records of everything that happens such as builders coming round, phone calls with the LL or agent, etc.

If you do this and gather sufficient evidence of the disrepair, there is a chance that the court would award you some money as compensation. And this could mean you don't have to pay the unpaid rent.

More info on the Shelter website
http://england.shelter.org.uk/get_advice/repairs_and_bad_conditions/repairs_in_private_lets

thevaliant
08-07-2010, 04:11 AM
Firstly, EVERYTHING IN WRITING. If it isn't written down, it didn't happen.

1. You rent of the Landlord, not the Letting Agent. If you're getting nowehere with Agent (LA) go direct to Landlord (LL). If you don't know address for serving notices on LL, then rent is not due. The address may be the LA address, but that is fine. Just write to them.

2. Write to Landlord, setting out problems. Inform him he has:
a) Seven days to recify all problems or else you will do so at your cost and deduct from rent
b) If problems are so serious that they can't be recified in seven days (major building works) then you wish to be rehoused, at his expense. Get Environmental Health involved.

You must keep paying rent throughout except in option 2a.

dominic
08-07-2010, 08:56 AM
Firstly, EVERYTHING IN WRITING. If it isn't written down, it didn't happen.

1. You rent of the Landlord, not the Letting Agent. If you're getting nowehere with Agent (LA) go direct to Landlord (LL). If you don't know address for serving notices on LL, then rent is not due. The address may be the LA address, but that is fine. Just write to them.

2. Write to Landlord, setting out problems. Inform him he has:
a) Seven days to recify all problems or else you will do so at your cost and deduct from rent
b) If problems are so serious that they can't be recified in seven days (major building works) then you wish to be rehoused, at his expense. Get Environmental Health involved.

You must keep paying rent throughout except in option 2a.

Almost correct: if you haven't been provided with an address for service for the LL in E&W, rent is not due until you are.

Meme
09-07-2010, 09:40 AM
If you are a student you might be able to get free legal advice from the student union at your university? I would look into it.

Paul_f
13-07-2010, 16:41 PM
OP hasn't acknowledged answers nor thanked anybody for advice after 6 days. Have they bothered to even look at their own thread? Probably not!