Move ourselves out to where?
We asked to be reimbursed for a hotel when were were told we could not use both the bath in the bathroom and shower in the en-suite to wash in but were told as it was only going to be for 48 hours, the landlord didn’t have to. That then turned into a week. Same with the boiler being damaged, it would be fixed in 24 hours so the landlord didn’t have to supply alternate heating appliances, but the landlord insisted his bodgejob contractor repair it himself so he didn’t have to pay for it, which he couldn’t, so it was 6 days.
Yes it was like a paddling pool, if you can imagine continuous buckets of water pouring through the ceiling which was all the water draining from a bath. This was around 10 days after we’d moved in and I’d decided to have a bath to relax after all the moving and unpacking. Someone was downstairs, luckily, and heard the ceiling crack and water pouring from the next room so was able to shout and we all came down and grabbed buckets and loads of towels. I say luckily as there was a PC, laptop and monitors with electrical leads directly underneath and he was able to push the desk away and thankfully the laptop was closed!
The letting agent was strangely unbothered and said if there was water damage, we would have to claim off our own insurance, no matter that our premium would go up and we’d have excess to pay. They sent someone out 3 days later to fix the bath,
The second time the bath was used, after we were told it had fixed and had waited for the sealant to dry, the exact same thing happened but thankfully we’d moved the desk!
At the same time, because we’d all been using the en-suite shower, water was dripping through the light fitting down into the same room, as the bathroom and en-suite are next to each other.
When the (different) plumber came for that, we were told it could not be used as the shower was so old, the water was pouring through the corners into the floor space, and it needed to be completely ripped out.
When it was ripped out months later, the walls under the wall tiles were mush and thick with black mould and skirting boards were wet and sodden but this was also coming from the shower over the bath in the bathroom next door which was leaking through the wall tiles. The only reason it isn’t still leaking now is that we put another shower curtain inside the bath so we’re in between two shower curtains (which is annoying as they blow on you from the shower pressure) and the wall doesn’t get wet. Landlord said initially they’d retile but then said they wouldn’t and gave notice!
It’s unbelievable but true.
Pest controller found a massive silverfish infestation in between the bath and en-suite walls
from long before we moved in. Landlord kept saying when the damp was gone, they’d go but the wall needs ripping out.
I’ve never seen anything like it in my life.
What was worse was that the landlord kept delaying work on the en-suite, telling us a plumber was going to start but then saying they taken other jobs so couldn’t start. DH was booked for a major operation and we planned it that the work would be finished as we were initially told, then they turned up 2 days after he came out of hospital so he couldn’t rest in bed as en-suite is in our room and had to recuperate on the sofa with contractors in and out and noisy building work going on - ripping out the whole en-suite and cutting tiles. 8 weeks of will they turn up today as they’d say they were coming and then text that they couldn’t.
We let them get on with and didn’t complain, hoping when it was done, we’d be left in peace only to get an eviction notice just over a month later!
Too right I’m furious!
We have found another property, which we were accepted for today, more expensive as it’s the only one in the area, but we’re having to pack up again, pay for another removal van, and then most likely fight for our nearly £3k deposit back, after only 7 months and yes we were assured that it was a long term let but they put a 6 month break clause in the contract. I’m going to have to inspect everything to make sure the silverfish don’t come with us as well,
TBH I can’t believe the responses I’ve got and it just shows that if people don’t think this was a despicable way to treat tenants who did absolutely nothing wrong, then I can only say that MN must be full of landlords who behave this way themselves.
I have read up on all the legislation, not much in the way of case law, but hopefully I can make some for other poor tenants experiencing similar!