Helping my dad with his student flat

[whataboutbob]

Hello everyone. My dad has a flat which is usually rented out to 2-3 students. Sadly due to health problems the running of the place is too much for him. There is an agency involved, which finds him tenants and collects deposits and rents. They have been in touch to say the place requires attention and there are a few issues. I ve read the report and main issues are: damp/mould around the bedroom walls, decorative issues eg blue tack stains on walls, leaking shower head and cold kitchen tap not working. In the past the agency has given what I believe to be very aggressive quotes for getting work done. They wanted £16000 a few years ago to re decorate the place. In the end dad and some friends did all the work (but not to a professional standard).
How can I get this stuff fixed without spending too much ? I have power of attorney so I can make the decisions now. I'd like to get all these issues corrected, without spending a bomb. Thanks.

[lalalonglegs]

The easiest way of doing it is to go to the flat, see what needs doing and let some tradespeople in to give quotes. It takes a deal of trust and luck to do it long-distance. You could try seeing if there are any property maintenance companies in the area that could take on the works but they could charge as optimistically as the agents.

If I were you, I would concentrate on getting the plumbing fixed - some utility companies such as British Gas have domestic plumbing arms that might be able to help, I don't know how good/expensive they are but I think they do actually turn up - and see if you can sort something out for the summer break in terms of giving the flat a good going over to sort out all the other problems/redecorate etc. I would then think about a different lettings agency.

[specialsubject]

nothing major but obviously needs sorting. The damp and mould are probably due to lack of housekeeping, drying washing indoors, insufficient heating and ventilation. Clean up, wipe down and redecorate, although do check for real damp issues just in case.

The blu-tak cause is obvious - before redecorating the stuff needs to be cleaned off or it comes through.

Sixteen THOUSAND? Did this include the gold plate? You need a decent painter/decorator and a big bucket of magnolia paint and white gloss.

a new shower head is easy, so only the kitchen tap needs a competent plumber. A student flat is going to get hammered and will need regular repaints and maintenance, more than other kinds of lets.

[gregssausageroll]

You can sort it easily yourself. Get some recommendations for painters and decorators, plumbers etc. if you have a local Facebook page or the mumsnet local page for your own area these may give you some recommendations.

A damp proofing specialist or your local council (council can take a while) should come out and tell you if it is damp or condensation. If condensation then you can buy a dehumidifier which will help. Also make sure your bathroom has a vent connected to the light as this will help.

[whataboutbob]

Thanks everyone this is very helpful and supportive. I feel sorry for the students who are putting up with these issues really. I will aim to take a week off work in June / whenever students vacate and trouble shoot. Just remembered I have a which? Membership and they list recommended local traders.