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vicsasuk
18-10-2006, 12:50 PM
I rent an office from a letting agent and have a Law Society Business Lease, the lease states the Landlord is to comply with the following duties in relation to the building:

* To maintain the state and condition (including decorations)

However when we moved in to the property in July 2005 a list of repairs were provided to the landlord's agent who agreed to carry this out within two weeks and agreed two weeks free rent for this, however none of the work was carried out until November 2005.

Another problem was a broken entrance door from the outside the lock was broken and a locksmiths had to be called as this was a Saturday and the Agents could not be contacted I had to pay for the call out and repair of the lock, when I attempted to be reimbursed I was told by the agents that they would not reimburse me.

Last problem was bulky rubbish left over from the previous tenant and also bricks rubble and an old boiler from when boiler eventually replaced still in backyard almost a year later blocking entry from the rear for both myself and the tenant in the office below us meaning this is a communal entrance.

Because of all these problems I continually contacted the landlord to negotiate rent however he failed to respond over the last 4 months and I decided to withold rent hoping to make him answer my letters but instead I get a visit from a Bailiff demanding the rent.

I have now paid this and have been informed that I should make a claim for damages through the court for all the above.

Any suggestions how I would put this accross to a judge???

LandlordZONE
15-11-2006, 20:03 PM
It's very unusual for the landlord to responible for decorations as well as repairs - I'm pretty sure a standard law society lease would not include this even as a non-repairing lease.

You've got to appreciate that a commercial tenancy is very different to a residential one, where the landlord is always responsible for repairs.

If this is a non-repairing lease it is usual for the landlord to be responsible for outside repairs, walls roof, major items etc., but the tenant would normally be responsible for minor repairs like locks, doors, windows etc, and including all internal work, heating lighting etc and decorating.

If rubbish is left in the premises, then I'm afraid that's how you accepted it.

Where a Landlord does have repairing obligations (either a direct covenant or through a service charge) then a tenant can undertake action on the landlord in the form of a REVERSE SCHEDULE OF DILAPIDATIONS.