I really hope someone can help - I'm so worried...
On Friday, the hot water tank in my grandparents house split for the 5th and final time and water leaked through the floor between the upstairs and downstairs, saturating the walls, celing and carpets, and causing the electrics to trip upstairs and the heating to go off. They also have no hot water.
They are 92, are private tenants but receive housing benefit to help with the rent. My grandfather is also virtually immobile.
They called the agents who manage the property on behalf of the landlord, and the agents said there was nothing they could do to replace the tank as they "needed parts". myself and my mother happened to be visiting on Saturday and by the time we got there, they had been to drain the tank but the electricity and heating was still not working and it is COLD.
After some pressure from us, they sent an electrician who was there for 10 mins and who emptied an electrical socket of water ( ) and got the power back on and heating working.
Throughout this process, the agents were vile. Rude, unwilling to help, refusing to answer phones, refusing to action anything faster. I spoke with social services who said that they couldn't do anything themselves, but that the onus was on the agents to spend whatever was required to fix the hot water tank immediately due to my grandparents age. When this was put to them, they said that if y grandparents wanted anything done over the weekend then it would be at their expense, and that "there are no legal ramifications for us" if something happened to my grandparents.
I have spoke with my grandparents this morning and the agents still havet been to replace the hot water tank. They left a message this morning and no-one has called them back. They've been without hot water for 4 days now, but they are refusing to allow me to call and put pressure on the agents as they're petrified of being evicted (which I think is a high likelihood anyway based on how much the landlord will have to spend on repairs)
Does anyone know if we have any legal recourse?
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Legal matters
Elderly grandparents and uncooperative landlord/agency...
6 replies
NoWayNoHow · 09/02/2015 12:16
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