AIBU to think that we're getting shafted by our estate agents?

[proudmum420]

so we moved into a house soon, and im sharing it with a couple other people, but the state of the house is just shocking really. they've done absolutely nothing to help (apart from one agent (who is not our agent!! frustrating!!)) and these issues have been going on for weeks now. we've been in to their office countless times the past few months and were told that we were only getting our way on the last set of things because we were going in every single day!

Here's a list of the things that are wrong with the house, and i want to know AIBU to think that we're being utterly f*cked by our estate agents? and if so what can we do about it

¥ Water leaking through the bathroom floor into the kitchen below.
¥ None of the fire and carbon monoxide alarms had been fitted with batteries, putting us all at serious risk in the case of a fire or gas leak.
¥ A faulty gas hob that needed to be immediately replaced.
¥ The master bedroom did not have a bed frame or a mattress; it took almost three weeks for either to arrive.
¥ Bags of rubbish left in the front garden by previous occupants that took over a week to remove.
¥ Filthy upstairs carpets which required professional cleaning; which we were assured had been completed prior to our occupancy. It took over a month for cleaners to arrive.
¥ An extensive and recurring mould problem in the bathroom, kitchen and one of the bedrooms – despite being informed upon countless occasions that two of the occupants were asthmatic, one severely so to the point of needing a nebuliser, and the other had developed a cough since the beginning of the occupancy.
¥ Broken light fixtures in the kitchen and hallways which were only fixed after several weeks and multiple visits by your handyman
¥ A broken kitchen window that has still not been fixed
¥ No kitchen chairs, requiring us to scavenge furniture off the street to eat at the kitchen table
¥ Terrible painting in practically every single room
¥ No curtains - we were told that they "don't do curtains"

(the landlord itself is a holding company so we don't actually get to communicate with them, and the property is managed)

AIBU?

[sooperdooper]

When did you move in? Didn't you notice any if this stuff before then? If so, why did you take the place?

I agree if sounds grim but given how much there is to put right & how little they've done I'd be tempted to just live elsewhere

[RamblinRosie]

Sadly, they're not your estate agents, they're your landlord's agents, they work for him/her/them. First thing to do is photograph everything in detail, then talk to Shelter.

[MissConductUS]

No. Find another place to rent. This.one has serious safety issues.

Why would you even consider this place?

[proudmum420]

we moved in a month and a half ago. we didn't notice the stuff because tbh we're not exactly experienced in renting or it was just hidden underneath something. when we looked there was still people in the house and they were quite happy and settled.

should we talk to shelter? do you think that its that serious?

i feel like such an idiot for taking this place tbh

[nocake]

If there are gas safety issues then contact your local council.

You're responsible for the batteries in the smoke and CO alarms.

[Bluntness100]

Why contact shelter? Just put your notice in and find someplace else.

[HousefulOfBoysNow]

Tbh if you want to be taken seriously, I would take somethings off your list.

Bad painting job? Pretty much tough luck - do you really expect the LL to come and redecorate? Unless you're paying an absolute premium for a very high end property yabu.

Bags in the front garden that took 'over a week to move' - and what? They're gone now - what are you hoping to achieve by keeping on moaning to the agents about it?

Pick the serious issues that are actually affecting you, like the leaks and the mold, and complain about those. Presenting such a big list which also contains fairly trivial matters makes you look like a persistent whinger and more likely to get the agents rolling theirs eyes about you than arranging any quick action.

[MrsOverTheRoad]

Bluntness oh it's that easy is it!??

Why didn't I know that? If I'd known how easy it was to find a new rental, pay the costs of moving etc and not to mention manage the stress of that, then I could have saved myself MONTHS!

OP....the mould can be reported to your local council's health and safety dept. They will send someone out and then issue paperwork to the agent/landlord to repair it immediately.

[19lottie82]

The smoke detectors need to be wired into the mains, legally.

But as pointed out the letting agents (not EA) work for your LL, not you, and it’s not up to them what gets fixed / replaced. They can’t do anything (apart from maybe the bare legal minimum), without approval from the LL.

[flumpybear]

Can you contact the council perhaps? Environmental health control? Are there landlord teams that address these types of issues? May be worth a phone call to your local council and check

[gallicgirl]

Contact private sector housing at your local council but I recommend looking for a new place.
Unfortunately our MPs think it's ok for landlords to let dives like this.

[19lottie82]

Does the property require an HMO license based on the number of people living there?

If it does, I’m not saying you shouldn’t report it to the council but just be aware of the consequences if you do. They may well ask you all to move out immediately if the LL refuses to pay for the modifications for it to pass as an HMO (happened to a friend of mine).

[scaryteacher]

19Lottie No they don't have to be hard wired, smoke alarms have to be provided for each story of the building, but not hard wired. If that were a requirement, we would have had it done, and the letting agent would have had it done for me, but the ones in our house that we let are battery operated.

OP Is it a furnished let? If not, then I wouldn't expect a bed frame or mattress.

Can you not stick batteries into the alarms? Whilst I provide an initial battery for the alarms, I would expect a tenant to be able to stick a new battery in when the old one failed, as I did in our Married Quarter and now in our private rental in Belgium. Both houses we have rented privately here have had neither smoke alarms, nor carbon monoxide detectors; I've had to buy and fit them.

Curtains - well, there are curtains in our new rental, and I've taken them down and put mine up. I will have to spend something on curtaining, but for the most part, my own will do.

Condensation - you need to open windows after baths/showers; have the windows open each day, even if only for 10 minutes; not dry clothes over radiators; and heat the house adequately.

[dantdmistedious]

Is it furnished or unfurnished?
Are you in there or not?

I think some of it is up to you tbh, and not your EA but your LL for the other stuff.

[Gaudeamus]

CAB explains your rights and how to complain.

Keep going in every day, and make sure that you email the agent after every visit detailing your complaints and what was said to document their (in)action.

In future, consider taking someone with experience of renting or owning property along with you when you first look around if you aren't confident of spotting problems, and bring a list of features you need to check.

Did you sign an inventory? Were the maintenance issues recorded?

[Shootfirstaskquestionslater]

The decorating, curtains and furniture is up to you to sort out not your LL or the EA unless it's suppose to be furnished. You can stick batteries in the smoke alarm and carbon monoxide detector that's up to you to sort out not them. The rest of it is up to them to sort out though.