Tell me I'm not BU (landlord related)

[icovetthee]

I've been living in this house with my DP and two DC's under 5 for almost two years. It's a nice house but has a lot of problems.

1. The boiler is old (around 10 years) and the control knobs that control the heat of the water no longer work. The landlord has known about this for a year and a half and has done nothing about it.
   

1. The back window that's 3.5ft high and opens inwards doesn't lock. The handle doesn't go all the way down to lock so while it looks closed a big shove from the outside will push it in. Landlord said it's fine as we're an end of terrace house with two 20ft walls either side of us.
   

1. The plaster is coming off the walls due to damp. We painted the hallway as there were some marks and every time we used the roller the roller would pick up more plaster than paint. The same in the dining room. Nothing has been done.
   

1. The DC's bedroom had thick, green mould on the windowsill and walls. We contacted the landlord and he said it was our fault for not properly ventilating the place. DP did it himself by cleaning, resealing, putting in a new windowsill as the old one was literally rotting etc. Yesterday we discovered huge patches of black and green mould in the alcoves we use as wardrobes in our room and on our windowsill. I have asthma and two young children and he has refused to come out until the 8th to look at it as he has his children home from university (yet lives around the corner).
   

We can't move privately with or without an agency as we have no money (I'm on disability and DP is on JSA) and the council have told us since we're adequately housed it could take two years bidding on the list. My dad has urged me to go in with photographic evidence on Monday and explain that the house is unsafe to see what they say. I know Enviornmental Health can get involved but I'm scared we'll end up evicted as we have nowhere to go.

There are some things we are to blame for for example the gas fire in the lounge was turned off and deemed unsafe because DC2 had messed with the coals and we haven't replaced them yet (£40 for this particular fire) and the carpet on the stairs needs replacing when we can afford to/decide to leave as the stains are our dog's fault. I don't think IABU to be pissed off with our shitty landlord. We deal directly with him as it's a private tenancy and he won't bother to fix anything if it doesn't cost him less than a tenner. What makes it worse is that we're paying £550 a month to live here when other properties similar in the area are only £475-500 and they aren't directly opposite a busy pub where glasses get smashed into our front garden during arguments every weekend.

I'm off to the council Monday morning to show them the photos etc and get all my eggs in a basket but I'm livid that he's known about all of this for so long and just refuses to do it. I'd be a bit happier if he'd just lower the rent to cover the fact that he's a bit crap and we'd do most of the cheap repairs as DP is a dab hand a DIY but we know that's very unrealistic.

I appreciate if IABU and a bit stroppy but I needed a rant :(

[hurricanewyn]

OP - you've mentioned the council, but are you on the lists with HA's like Charter or Gwerrin? As well as their estates, they also have loose houses in other areas (iyswim).

The bondscheme with the council is quite restrictive - it's called a paper bond & the landlord gets a promisary note that any damages will be covered by the council if needs be. This means that only certain landlords will accept it.

Can you get a guarantor?

[1charlie1]

Hi OP. A point about the mould - you mentioned rotting windows, which sounds similar to the position DH and I are in with our current one-bed rental. Landlords and letting agents will always try to blame damp and mould problems on tenants, and in come cases we may well be responsible.

HOWEVER if your windows are structurally unsound i.e. rotten, it won't necessarily be humidity causing the mould. Our windows are appalling, rotten, constantly covered in water and fuzzy with mould (have been trying to get something done for a year), but the humidity in our house is actually lower than normal levels (around 25% - should be between 30 - 50%). DH went and bought a hygrometer from Pets at Home (designed for reptile enclosures), and took photos of the humidity levels in the flat to prove that it wasn't us causing the problem, it was the crap windows! When the LL finally sent someone out to check, he agreed that the windows were so rotten that water from outside seeping into the wall cavities and wooden frames was the problem, not internal humidity. So don't get a dehumidifier until you've checked your humidity levels are actually the problem. You can get a cheap hygrometer from B&Q for a tenner.

As many private lets at the lower end of the market seem of poor quality in our experience, I wonder how many of us are being held responsible for the landlord's failure to maintain the fabric of their properties?

[1charlie1]

One more thing - even damp on walls might not be due to tenant- created humidity. We had EXACTLY that problem in our bedroom - a strip of mould all the way down the corner of the wall, and spreading along the base. Again, there was the suggestion it was us causing it, but the hygrometer again showed below normal levels of humidity. The LL sent someone out to check and it turned out that the roof valley outside needed to be reflashed, as water was entering the brickwork every time it rained. That little hygrometer has saved us a lot of stress! Otherwise we would be frantically dehumidifying to no effect, and worried we were placing our deposit at risk.

We can't possibly be the only tenants experiencing mould and damp due to the poor condition of our building, but everything I've read online suggests that it is always the tenant's actions which create these problems.

[1charlie1]

Sorry, one more post! icovetthee, I just read in one of your posts that your DH suspected a problem with your boiler pressure. My DH was sorting ours at 3am this morning! It was making a sluggish whirring sound, and the pressure guage was in the red zone (registering zero). He looked up the boiler company online, and there was a helpful video explaining how to adjust the pressure. He sorted it in about 5 minutes (after much consternation, effing and jeffing beforehand!)

[alistron1]

On some combi boilers there should be an inlet tap to top up the boiler pressure. In my extensive experience of shit boilers having to run the water in a tiny stream to make it hot usually indicates a dodgy sensor, which can lead to buggering the PCB.

I've got the right move app downloaded and have 7 properties saved to view this week. Here's to non leaky houses, with reliable heating, hot water and sinks that aren't propped up on planks of wood!!!

[mummytowillow]

You need to ask for a copy of the boiler safety certificate, I bet he hasn't got one!

It needs doing every year and i would imagine that would be brought up if it wasn't safe.

[icovetthee]

Thank you for the tips. I will be buying one Monday. The council list here is combined so charter/council etc are all on one list and you bid for certain properties you like every week.

DP has checked the water pressure. He's fiddled and it seems normal but when it comes to the bath the hot water is still the same so I don't have a clue.

[topbannana]

You should have a tenants copy of the Landlords Gas Safety Certificate. The checks should also take far more than 5 minutes (DH is a heating engineer and does hundreds of them but he is watching the Red Bull space jump and is starting to get annoyed at me interrupting him :o)
However I have managed to prise out of him that the broken knobs should be noted on the forms and if the water temperature is very high then the boiler could be deemed us unsafe and action should be taken.
The engineer should be checking the meter, pipework, gas pressure and ideally using a flue analyser to measure CO levels. He should also check any other gas appliances such as fires, cookers etc.

[icovetthee]

I don't have a copy. Does anyone know where I can get one?

[fergoose]

the plumber who did the annual safety check will have given you a tenant's copy, and a copy to the landlord too

when did the gas appliances last get checked?

[icovetthee]

About 10 months ago but I don't remember being given a copy. I remember signing a pink sheet so I must have it. I will check my files.

[topbannana]

You should have signed a white sheet (it will have been in triplicate) One will go to you, one to the LL and one to be retained by the engineer or his company.