To be shocked at landlord’s allegations about me

The landlord knew that extensive works were needed, but rented out the house without telling new tenants that they would be living in a building site, is more how im reading it.

I hope you win OP. She sounds like a bloody nightmare landlord.
I had a landlord once who got her dad and his mates to do any job on the house that was falling to pieces. The amount of stress it caused was unreal.
Ive had good landlords and bad. Too many of them dont want to provide even the legal minimum.
Im so grateful not to be renting anymore.

So basically you're complaining the landlord carried out repairs and that caused you stress. I do hope you come up with something better than that 😂

That she's going for a histrionic/emotive attempt to manipulate them into ruling in her favour.

How many baths or showers were taken before the water problem became obvious and how soon after that did you notify the LL of the issue? How soon after notification did work commence, when was it finished, and did it been to be redone?

You need clear, documented timelines of all the bodged work, including tradesman details, LL's receipts, statements from tradesmen as to length of time spent on the jobs, scope of work, whether previous repairs had been bodged...

I would assume a rental with enough room for OP and two children would cost more per month than the max for small claims court, unless I've missed where the OP mentioned the specific court.

If you knew that using the bath and shower caused water to pour through the ceiling, and you continued to do so, then you're not in the best position. You've caused a lot of damage and it sounds like she's been proactive about getting people in to fix it.

You don't get costs awarded in a small claim like this. Each side pays their own costs.

So
You're unhappy because there were faults and damage and her response was to instigate work to fix it all?

This, with bells on.

@JustWowserplease take this advice. The threat of costs awarded to you will make her see sense.

Maybe she was instructed to do the works by the council or they were legally required. There are times when building works are an upheaval even for those who are home owners . You sound like a massive ball ache as a tenant tbh . Do you think you’re landlady doesn’t need to pay the mortgage if works need to be done . The bank doesn’t come to her and say you’ve got noise and disruption so don’t pay us . Entitled much . Good luck to your next landlord .

Not especially clever tbh...we can all see her wording and it not accusing op of anything. I imagine the courts will see that too.

If anyone could go around suing anyone else because they had nightmares and their own imaginations had got the better of them, the courts would be packed out!

I imagine both the stress claims will not get much time spent on them by the courts. I think the legal threshold to sue for stress is a lot higher than "she wanted my address and I imagined she would torch my house and I had NIGHTMARES"

Courts tend to deal in facts and losses. So if you incurred costs yourself because of the landlord's negligence (and can produce receipts etc), that's the sort of thing you'd be able to claim. For example, putting work right at your expense, or taking unpaid leave from work to deal with a problem the landlord should have sorted.

They won't deal with monetary compensation because you felt stressed or because your landlord had nightmares (with no material impact).

but you haven’t won? So you still have nothing to demonstrate?

If she's representing herself you should get a solicitor to represent you. Always try to stay one step ahead. She's defending the claim herself because she knows that you don't have a solicitor representing you - there's no risk to her, either you win or you lose, but it won't cost her more than if she caved in. Get yourself a solicitor so that if you win you can pass some of the costs onto her. That might make her realise it's not worth defending the claim.

If you hire a solicitor shell probably start talking settlement.

You need to hire a solicitor, OP.

Representing yourself is stupid.

It conveys that she is grasping at straws.

She can't prove 'nightmares' or anything else she has stated in her response. Dragging her children into this is a sure sign of trying it on.

Don't take any of this personally. You are suing her and her allegatiins are only to be expected. Trust your legal representative to represent you and trust hers to represent her. The judge will recognise BS for what it is.

For your part, you'll need to be able to prove whatever stress or emotional distress you've claimed. Do you have a paper trail? Evidence from doctor visits?

You can't really blame her for saying what she can (and who's to say it isn't true) in order to get sympathy and help with her case.

The courts are used to it and can generally work through what's real and what's hyperbole.

You’ve posted about this before? You were advised then that you could only sue for actual loss so wouldn’t get the whole six months and you would likely damage the credibility of your claim if you did?

What is it you're actually suing her for?
Presuming you have evidence to corroborate your story then just counteract the accusations she makes about you with proof.

You have never threatened her with harm or with burning down her house, so the things she says in that regard will carry little or no weight. She's entitled to say the process has been stressful and upsetting for her, as I'm sure it has.