Yet again, I'm facing problems with rented accomodation...and again it's an issue with dampness....
We have complained on multiple occasions about the dampness, but now it is getting beyond a joke. Here is some of the issues (theres 4 of us)we are having,
- Logged a call regarding our washing machine six days ago. We haven't so much as had an engineer look at it yet, despite calling 4 times about this issue. 7 days is completely unacceptable in my eyes.
- We have an issue with our bathroom constantly flooding when someone has a shower etc, despite complaining about this on multiple occasions, nothing has been done.
- They added fire door fittings to the top of the door, automatically forcing the doors to shut. These are incredibly stiff, and as a result, door handles have come off when trying to open the door. This is also adding to our problem with dampness, as we can't have doors open during the day to let air flow through the house freely. We took them off the hinges, but received a formal warning from the letting agency, stating these must be fitted at all times. They found this out by actually accessing the property without notifying us (all) in advance, they contacted only one of us - who was out the country at the time anyway.
- The house is freezing.....its perma cold, so we have to have the heating on a lot... It's probably due to awful window fittings etc. In my room for example, it's quite small and when the girlfriend stays over, (4/5 nights a week), we get an immense amount of condensation on the window...enough that my windowsill actually drips onto the carpet - and has caused it to go gray/mouldy. Naturally I clean this up.
Finally, the main issue. In two of our bedrooms, we have what can only be described as severe mould. All along my skirting boards I have an immense amount of black mould. At the corners it's several cm thick, with evidence as high as 5ft up the wall, and around 1ft from the roof.
This wasn't a noticeable issue when we moved in, however, I have since found out, this was reported previously by the tennents, and was merely cleaned, so wasn't noticeable when expecting the flat. Since the doors have been added etc, this has obviously accelerated the issue.
The air in the room is incredibly unhealthy, it smells strange, and you can feel the dampness in the air. It affects my sleeping, but more importantly it is causing health issues for my girlfriend and my housemate. This has also ruined some of my clothes, and quite frankly I'm at breaking point. It's completely unacceptable, and I want to refuse paying my rent as I don't think these are adequete living conditions and I don't think enough is being done by our leasing company to resolve the issue.
Is there some kind of procedure I can follow, or third party to go through to get this resolved?
Thanks in advance.
Need some advice (UK dudes)
Moderators: Benn, Calix, senji
Perhaps http://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/ ?
I had similarly bad experiences in the early 90s (LOL) when I was renting in the Midlands.
The letting agency were a large well known firm in Birmingham, yet it didn't stop them acting like conmen.
They took days to respond to anything - broken window, mould, faulty heating etc
When I left, they even had the cheek to not return my deposit because they created some bullshit excuse about having to clean the mould, the broken window and faulty heating.
Wankers.
All I can advise is contacting the CAB as Benn pointed out, or speak to the local authority (council) and see if they can advise you further.
TAKE PHOTOGRAPHS of all the problems - preferably with some kind of time stamp just in case of a further dispute with deposit or repair bills.
The letting agency were a large well known firm in Birmingham, yet it didn't stop them acting like conmen.
They took days to respond to anything - broken window, mould, faulty heating etc
When I left, they even had the cheek to not return my deposit because they created some bullshit excuse about having to clean the mould, the broken window and faulty heating.
Wankers.
All I can advise is contacting the CAB as Benn pointed out, or speak to the local authority (council) and see if they can advise you further.
TAKE PHOTOGRAPHS of all the problems - preferably with some kind of time stamp just in case of a further dispute with deposit or repair bills.
Signatures broken since 2009...
Sounds exactly like my old flat. Being on the ground floor is shit. Best time was pure sewage coming up through bath plug on christmas eve, and landlord refusing to send anyone out becouse "it's too expensive at christmas" until I turned up at his house with threats of violence and promises of said sewage through his windows..
Can't really help though sorry, ours was a private rental, and basically we had no rights:/
Can't really help though sorry, ours was a private rental, and basically we had no rights:/
iv had a nightmare with my last letting agent before we moved for my current job.
they basically witheld 750£ deposit, and cheekily tryed for 375£ more, for a huge array of UTTER BULLSHIT reasons. (example 80£ gardening fee, when we had arrived it was a jungle and when we left we'd had a garden party the day before and id spent a good 2 days tidying/mowing lawn etcetc.)
its currently taken 5 months to go threw the "deposit protection scheme" and im now awaiting more correspondence after being told about a week ago it will be settled in the next 28 days.
take photos
gather evidence
timestamp
send anything by mail RECORDED (my agent bullshited about never recieveing my multitude of mail and then cheekily invented mail backdated claiming I NEVER RESPONDED roflcakes.)
basically. they are fucking conmen, and get everything you would legally require in a claims court (we were on the verge of this before conmen agents agreed to netruel abitration, of which we were basically told by the arbitrator that the agents were jokers and nothing they claimed would hold up)
they basically witheld 750£ deposit, and cheekily tryed for 375£ more, for a huge array of UTTER BULLSHIT reasons. (example 80£ gardening fee, when we had arrived it was a jungle and when we left we'd had a garden party the day before and id spent a good 2 days tidying/mowing lawn etcetc.)
its currently taken 5 months to go threw the "deposit protection scheme" and im now awaiting more correspondence after being told about a week ago it will be settled in the next 28 days.
take photos
gather evidence
timestamp
send anything by mail RECORDED (my agent bullshited about never recieveing my multitude of mail and then cheekily invented mail backdated claiming I NEVER RESPONDED roflcakes.)
basically. they are fucking conmen, and get everything you would legally require in a claims court (we were on the verge of this before conmen agents agreed to netruel abitration, of which we were basically told by the arbitrator that the agents were jokers and nothing they claimed would hold up)
Sounds about right Merc. They basically plan to never give you a deposit back. Both of my sisters lost their deposits on old flats, as did the girlfriends sister...The one good thing about my last flat = no deposit to lose.
They just make up bullshit reasons to keep it, and it's so much effort to get it back that 90% of people don't bother. This is why no one wants to rent in this country. In France and Germany you've actually got as manyrights renting as you have if you own the property..
Best Britain
They just make up bullshit reasons to keep it, and it's so much effort to get it back that 90% of people don't bother. This is why no one wants to rent in this country. In France and Germany you've actually got as manyrights renting as you have if you own the property..
Best Britain
Sounds like two classic issues, rising damp and improper ventilation. These are both factors that feed off each other, you might be able to do something yourself about this if it is a house, but you will ultimately need someone to come and sort it.
Look for "breathers" around the outside of the house, these will be either bricks with holes/slots in or air vents around the bottom couple of courses of bricks. Check these haven't filled up with gunk and moss and you can always unblock any holes i them.
Are the windows old or new? They sound like old single glaze, unventilated windows and are getting condensated as a direct result of the poor ventilation and general dampness.
The rising damp can be caused by any number of things including what I also described, but could also be the result of a loose soil pipe in the shower/bath or basins or just subsidence. You can see if a damp course has been injected by looking around the lower level of the house from outside, look for drilled holes, possibly now filled. If it hasn't had one, then it definitely needs it!
Either way 6cm deep mould is utterly unacceptable (although it wouldnt be 6cm if you did any fucking cleaning you layabout). As already recommended, say to your letting agent that you will be approaching citizens' advice as to further action if nothing is arranged in the next 5 days.
Anyway
Look for "breathers" around the outside of the house, these will be either bricks with holes/slots in or air vents around the bottom couple of courses of bricks. Check these haven't filled up with gunk and moss and you can always unblock any holes i them.
Are the windows old or new? They sound like old single glaze, unventilated windows and are getting condensated as a direct result of the poor ventilation and general dampness.
The rising damp can be caused by any number of things including what I also described, but could also be the result of a loose soil pipe in the shower/bath or basins or just subsidence. You can see if a damp course has been injected by looking around the lower level of the house from outside, look for drilled holes, possibly now filled. If it hasn't had one, then it definitely needs it!
Either way 6cm deep mould is utterly unacceptable (although it wouldnt be 6cm if you did any fucking cleaning you layabout). As already recommended, say to your letting agent that you will be approaching citizens' advice as to further action if nothing is arranged in the next 5 days.
Anyway
_______________________________________
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Denied victims the evil turns upon itself. It whines, cries, and wails for more victims.
Deny evil its prey.
NEVER enter Felucca.
In time, Felucca will die AND evil will die with it
NEVER enter Felucca.
Denied victims the evil turns upon itself. It whines, cries, and wails for more victims.
Deny evil its prey.
NEVER enter Felucca.
In time, Felucca will die AND evil will die with it
Merc this tenancy deposit scheme is a load of fucking bollocks, but I hope you realise this is not something the letting agents want to do, it's another labour goverment stealth tax.Mercury wrote:iv had a nightmare with my last letting agent before we moved for my current job.
they basically witheld 750£ deposit, and cheekily tryed for 375£ more, for a huge array of UTTER BULLSHIT reasons. (example 80£ gardening fee, when we had arrived it was a jungle and when we left we'd had a garden party the day before and id spent a good 2 days tidying/mowing lawn etcetc.)
its currently taken 5 months to go threw the "deposit protection scheme" and im now awaiting more correspondence after being told about a week ago it will be settled in the next 28 days.
take photos
gather evidence
timestamp
send anything by mail RECORDED (my agent bullshited about never recieveing my multitude of mail and then cheekily invented mail backdated claiming I NEVER RESPONDED roflcakes.)
basically. they are fucking conmen, and get everything you would legally require in a claims court (we were on the verge of this before conmen agents agreed to netruel abitration, of which we were basically told by the arbitrator that the agents were jokers and nothing they claimed would hold up)
They hold onto your deposit earning interest, and using it to fund £12bn failed NHS IT projects, then their dream scenario is if you have a dispute with the agent/landlord because then they get to delay repayment of the deposit by several more months = more interest. They don't give a fuck who gets the money, just how long they can hold it for.
_______________________________________
NEVER enter Felucca.
Denied victims the evil turns upon itself. It whines, cries, and wails for more victims.
Deny evil its prey.
NEVER enter Felucca.
In time, Felucca will die AND evil will die with it
NEVER enter Felucca.
Denied victims the evil turns upon itself. It whines, cries, and wails for more victims.
Deny evil its prey.
NEVER enter Felucca.
In time, Felucca will die AND evil will die with it
Sorry but I disagree, there are plenty of rights now for both the tenant and the landlord. The problem is that the average tenant isn't aware of their rights and allows themselves to be bullied by letting agents and landlords. When I was first a student renting my house I knew nothing about what I could and couldn't do, and I expect it's the same for most people.
Of course lettings agencies aren't going to make tenants aware of their rights, they are acting for home owners not tenants.
But maybe I'm wrong, so please give me an example where you think the law is wrong in regards to tenants' rights. Every tenant signs a contract before moving in, this is your chance to make sure things are fair. If you can't understand the contract then a solicitor's help should be sought.
Of course lettings agencies aren't going to make tenants aware of their rights, they are acting for home owners not tenants.
But maybe I'm wrong, so please give me an example where you think the law is wrong in regards to tenants' rights. Every tenant signs a contract before moving in, this is your chance to make sure things are fair. If you can't understand the contract then a solicitor's help should be sought.
_______________________________________
NEVER enter Felucca.
Denied victims the evil turns upon itself. It whines, cries, and wails for more victims.
Deny evil its prey.
NEVER enter Felucca.
In time, Felucca will die AND evil will die with it
NEVER enter Felucca.
Denied victims the evil turns upon itself. It whines, cries, and wails for more victims.
Deny evil its prey.
NEVER enter Felucca.
In time, Felucca will die AND evil will die with it
I think your spot on with what's causing it Zim.
Small update: We have really forced the issue with the our agency, and apparantly we have an external company coming to check it out - whether anything will happen I don't know, but it's a positive sign.
There's no breathers or anything like that unfortunately
The windows are relatively new, but they are cheap. The house was broken into twice in the past three years, through our kitchen window, and the guy that refitted the window said they were poor quality windows. We knew about the house break ins, so we got a burgler alarm fitted, and so far, it's done the trick (as the house was broken into at the Christmas period on both occasions)
The damp in my room in particular is not caused by pipes I think or the bathroom, I'm far enough away that I shouldn't have any pipes coming through my room - as the boiler is in the opposite direction.
It's not quite 6cm of mould.... My mistake if I said that, it's around 3cm at it's worst place, which is still unacceptable - and although we can clean it(that shit requires intense cleaning to remove!), it's obviously not correcting the situation - although it can't hurt.
Strangely enough, I went out last night for a few drinks with my girlfriend, sister and co, and my sisters best friend actually works for Citzens advice as she is doing Law and is in her final year, so I've spoken to her about it, and she'll help us out if need be, so looks like we might get to the bottom of it. I never really knew Citzens advice covered this kind of thing, so thanks.
Small update: We have really forced the issue with the our agency, and apparantly we have an external company coming to check it out - whether anything will happen I don't know, but it's a positive sign.
There's no breathers or anything like that unfortunately
The windows are relatively new, but they are cheap. The house was broken into twice in the past three years, through our kitchen window, and the guy that refitted the window said they were poor quality windows. We knew about the house break ins, so we got a burgler alarm fitted, and so far, it's done the trick (as the house was broken into at the Christmas period on both occasions)
The damp in my room in particular is not caused by pipes I think or the bathroom, I'm far enough away that I shouldn't have any pipes coming through my room - as the boiler is in the opposite direction.
It's not quite 6cm of mould.... My mistake if I said that, it's around 3cm at it's worst place, which is still unacceptable - and although we can clean it(that shit requires intense cleaning to remove!), it's obviously not correcting the situation - although it can't hurt.
Strangely enough, I went out last night for a few drinks with my girlfriend, sister and co, and my sisters best friend actually works for Citzens advice as she is doing Law and is in her final year, so I've spoken to her about it, and she'll help us out if need be, so looks like we might get to the bottom of it. I never really knew Citzens advice covered this kind of thing, so thanks.
This is away to get very messy, I'm incredibly unhappy about the latest developments & attitude of the agency towards us. I'm pretty certain what is now going on is not legal, and looks like we might have to seek legal advice after all 
I'll post a more detailed update at some point, but I'm actually too angry right now.
I'll post a more detailed update at some point, but I'm actually too angry right now.
Said I was gonna fill out more detail, but I really can't be arsed typing it all out, as theres so much, but for example, last night... it's currently around -8c -> -10c outside here.
My bedroom window was soaken with condensation, it woke me up dripping onto my carpet (as the window sill was flooded) at 2am. Cleaned this up. My room was freezing, it was impossible to sleep properly. Eventually got to sleep, then at 7am, I had to repeat the above despite drying it - obviously opened my window during the day to let air in and help dry up the wet carpet, but with it still not being anymore than +1c outside it makes the room ridiculous cold and take forever to heat up.
And right now, early evening, for example we've looked at the tempreture with the heating on full blast (it's not on while we sleep...so imagine the tempreture drop at night), one of the main bedroom's is at 12c (55F I think?)
Housing Act 2004 - Hazard 2:
My bedroom window was soaken with condensation, it woke me up dripping onto my carpet (as the window sill was flooded) at 2am. Cleaned this up. My room was freezing, it was impossible to sleep properly. Eventually got to sleep, then at 7am, I had to repeat the above despite drying it - obviously opened my window during the day to let air in and help dry up the wet carpet, but with it still not being anymore than +1c outside it makes the room ridiculous cold and take forever to heat up.
And right now, early evening, for example we've looked at the tempreture with the heating on full blast (it's not on while we sleep...so imagine the tempreture drop at night), one of the main bedroom's is at 12c (55F I think?)
Housing Act 2004 - Hazard 2:
I really don't want to get involved in legal shit, as pointed it, it's immense hassle etc, but the lack of help from our Agency is really leaving us with no choice.2. EXCESS COLD
This covers the threats to health when temperatures fall below the minimum
satisfactory levels for relatively long periods.
Health effects.
A healthy indoor temperature is around 21°C. There is small risk of health effects
below 19°C. Below 16°C, there are serious health risks for the elderly, including
greatly increased risks of respiratory and cardiovascular conditions. Below 10°C a
great risk of hypothermia, especially for the elderly.
Causes
• Main causes appear to be changes in outdoor temperature among other factors;
• Sleeping in cold bedrooms greatly increases health risk;
• Dwellings with low energy efficiency ratings (poor insulation);
• Greatest risk is in properties built before 1850, lowest in more energy efficient
dwellings built after 1980;
• Absence of central heating/poor inefficient heating systems; and
• Excessive damp which reduces thermal insulation.
Preventive measures that can have an effect on likelihood and harm
outcomes:
• Appropriate levels of thermal insulation to minimise heat loss. Level depends on
location/exposure/relationship to other dwellings/buildings orientation;
• Appropriate heating system safely and properly installed and maintained and
controllable by occupant;
• Appropriate/properly installed/maintained occupant controllable low-level
background ventilation without too much heat loss/draughts;
• Means for rapid ventilation at times of high moisture production in
kitchens/bathrooms through fans;
• Properly sited/sized permanent openings (e.g. air bricks/open-able windows);
and
• Properly fitting butt-jointed floor boarding/doors/windows.