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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

to expect my rented house to work?

20 replies

ButterPieify · 17/01/2011 00:47

The boiler has broken tonight. I have of course emailed the letting agent, but I'm not holding my breath as the oven has been broken since september. The latest reason is because it needs a new flue (it was disconnected by the emergency gas people after a carbon monoxide leak due to it not having adequate ventiltion, despite this having been flagged up as an alomst fail on two yearly gas inspections) and the contrctor can't go on the roof when it is wet.

We have a room as you enter our house (kind of like a conservatory but brick on two sides- we call it the garden room) and the bulbs blow within an hour of being replaced, so we have given up on replacing them. This was also reported in September, and they haven't so much as sent someone to look.

We pay £525 a month in rent, which is loads more than a mortgage would cost on a house like this, but we were ok with that as we thought we wouldn't have to worry about repairs.

The latting agent is blaming the landlord, but tbf, I think they are all a shower of incompetents.

Why do people think they can rent out houses as some kind of hobby? ARGH!

We have two under 4s in this house, DH had to cook Christmas dinner at his mums, then walk round with it. How is this ok?

OP posts:

iceandlemon · 17/01/2011 00:57

If your landlord or letting agent are not fulfilling their obligations wrt repairs I would get in touch with your local authority's private sector housing people for advice. YA not being U to expect the services you are paying for!

AuntiePickleBottom · 17/01/2011 00:58

seek legal advice from the CAB

Original poster

ButterPieify · 17/01/2011 01:02

I have no idea how to contact the LAs private renting people- I can't find the number online (although I may be being daft).

I keep putting off going to the CAB as it takes weeks to get an appointment and I keep thinking it will be mended soon. Seems not. Sigh.

Do you think it could be worth writing a letter to the actual landlord (at the address on the contract- we have never had direct contact with them) to tell them what is going on?

OP posts:

Deciduousblonde · 17/01/2011 01:09

If the agent is your first port of call (which is usually the case) then they shouldn't be passing the buck.

If you continue to get no joy from them, tell them you will withold the rent forthwith. You are most definitely not being unreasonable!

iceandlemon · 17/01/2011 01:09

Just call their main switchboard. LA's have powers, whereas CAB can only really advise! Might be worth contacting landlord as they should be put in picture if agency is providing them with poor service, though they might be the ones dragging their heels...

Original poster

ButterPieify · 17/01/2011 01:16

If we withold the rent, they can evict us, according to Shelter. They can evict us for no reason with only 2 months notice :(

Right, LA is getting rung tomorrow. This is beyond a joke now. the letting agent just keep muttering about them having staff off sick, then they couldn't get hold of landlord, then they couldn't find gas fitter, then they couldn't get hold of the landlord again, and so on, dragging on for months.

We are hoping to buy our own place at some point relatively soon, but at the earliest will be this summer, and ideally we would like longer to save up (ie a year or more) so it isn't like we are fly by nights. We have lived here for nearly two years now, we pay the rent on time (even though the letting agent once accused us of not paying for two months, until we provided them with our transaction numbers, then they "found" the payments), we look after the place and do minor DIY, DH grew up three doors down so we have good relationships with the neighbours, we are the ideal tenants, but we are getting rubbish service from them.

I think they know how attached we are to the street, so we don't want to move, so they think they can do what they like. sigh.

OP posts:

Deciduousblonde · 17/01/2011 01:24

So you were accused of not paying the rent for 2 months, and they didn't start eviction proceedings?

They definitely are a shower aren't they?

Bottom line is you are paying for a service yuo aren't receiving. In fact, so is the landlord. As you say, he may not even know about it..you never know!

Original poster

ButterPieify · 17/01/2011 01:41

They rang me up and started shouting abuse down the phone, that we couldn't expect to live for free, etc etc (I was 8 months pregnant at the time). It also turned out that we had paid the rent twice in one month (we were changing over bank accounts at the time, DH was in charge of paying it and he thought it hadn't gone out of the account, so he paid in cash as well, but it had only been delayed out of the account) and they hadn't pointed this out at all.

They are one of the biggest letting agents in the area too- we thought that would mean we would be secure- it cost us a huge amount to move in to start with, and even then it took a month from us saying we wanted to move in and had money ready to them actually handing over keys! We should have realised by then really.

Also worried about witholding rent as ILs stood guarantor for us (we had just moved to the area and so DH only had temp work and I was too pregnant to get a job)

I hope we don't end up having to move to another rented place before we buy, we were hoping to stay here another six months to a year (and maybe even buy this house in the end) but we can't go on like this.

Does anyone know a reliable letting agent in the North East?

OP posts:

tyler80 · 17/01/2011 07:13

If they are not doing repairs you are entitled to write to them, give them a reasonable time it needs to be fixed by or you will arrange for the work to be done yourself and deduct that from your rent.

AMAZINWOMAN · 17/01/2011 08:02

Yes, the law is in favour of landlords when it comes to repairs. You can't withhold rent as you'll get evicted. It makes my blood boil as I have the same problem and the landlord swans around in a nice sports car.

BeenBeta · 17/01/2011 08:11

Definiteley ring the LA and ask to speak to the Housing Officer. Councils come down very hard on private landlords who mess tenants about.

You need to document what has happened to you and a flue that leaks carbon monoxide will probably make the council act very quickly against both landlord and agent.

This is not on at all.

arentfanny · 17/01/2011 08:28

It sounds like the letting agents more than the landlord. I would definitely write to him aswell as the LA to let him know what is going on.

LIZS · 17/01/2011 08:44

You need to formally complain to the agent . ll's often have a maintenance contract, or the agent uses the same firm for a numebr of properties, and the fact the boiler is unsafe makes it urgent. If they don't respond say you will speak to ARLA or whichever body they claim membershiop of as well as council.

BubbleBobble · 17/01/2011 09:00

I'm surprised you're still living there, to be honest. I know from experience how awful it is to be living in a house with an incompetent landlord, so I'm sending you a very un-mumsnet-like hug. hug

All the advice above is great, apart from the advice to withhold rent. Don't do that under any circumstances without taking advice first.

The landlord could be blissfully unaware of the problem with the agency, or it could be both. Either way, your first step should be to make a formal complaint after seeking advice from CAB and your local authority.

I had a carbon monoxide leak in my old rented house. My landlord was refusing to provide the gas safety certificate (despite the fact he was a FIREMAN) and I got my local council involved. They rang him that day and funnily enough, it was sorted out within hours. We handed our notice in after that, I was pregnant at the time and it was too much to cope with.

I know you're attached to the area, but can't you look for somewhere else? I just can't see how putting up with all that is worth staying for.

Deciduousblonde · 17/01/2011 09:42

I didn't mean for you to actually withold rent, but the threat can often get things done :)

manicbmc · 17/01/2011 10:37

If it is an agency beginning with P in the NE I'd run a mile. They are awful.

I think just a call to them saying you are involving the LA and taking advice from CAB might be enough to get them moving. I'd also be letting the landlord know what a rubbish service they are providing.

mousymouse · 17/01/2011 10:42

I would write to the agency/landlord saying that you are seeking advice from CAB and or LA.
then go to LA (environmental health) to seek advice. I wouldn't withhold rent (yet), you need to follow certain steps for that, a very complicated process.

Original poster

ButterPieify · 17/01/2011 11:01

Manic - it is! Have you had the same kinds of issues? The agency that begins with P and rhymes with mattinsons?

Well I just rang them ,they say they are waiting to hear back from the ll. DH is very ill with some kind of stomach upset in a house with no heating :( Kids have been packed off to nursery.

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manicbmc · 17/01/2011 11:04

Different one beginning with P lol took bf's deposit and first months rent but wouldn't hand over keys as they couldn't get hold of his guarantor.

I'm lucky enough to be in a council house but they are like hens' teeth.

Tbh they sound like they are fobbing you off again.

Original poster

ButterPieify · 17/01/2011 11:12

I have rung the Sunderland council private lettings people, who are looking into it for us.

I would LOVE a council house, would be more than happy to rent a council house all my life- security and repairs, not to mention the cheaper rent as we wouldn't be lining some half arsed investors pockets! Unfortunately you need a ll reference to get on the 2 year waiting list, and that would just give the ll a reason to get rid of us as they would know we wanted to leave.

The house deposit savings pot is steadily growing though, we are doing every scrap of overtime that we can, I'll be off probation at work soon, so it'll just be a case of building up a stck of payslips and regulry pying off the bills early for the credit rating and we will be able to get out of here!

TBH, at this rate, we will have to get another rental before we can buy :(

OP posts:

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