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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

I don’t like my new house! AIBU to take it further with agent?

97 replies

Realitea · 14/10/2018 23:20

We had to move as our previous landlord was selling and we didn’t have long left after notice was given. We couldn’t find anything in the area, nothing came up, so we chose nearby instead. All the new builds were too small/too far away/too expensive so we came across this house which is quite large and has a lot of land. Bargain! We thought. We had a look round with the agency and that was it, we paid up. So far it’s cost us all of our savings (to me £3k is a lot! It’s all we had)
Once moved in I realised how run down it actually was. Black mould on the inside of curtains, single glazed windows which fill up with condensation, slugs in the kitchen, woodlice everywhere, a wet wall from the damp, filthy cupboards inside, big gaps between the units and appliances which stink of damp.
I feel awful about this. I’ve sent pictures and emailed the agent to say I had no idea it was this bad. I’ve bought with my credit card, a big dehumidifier which fills up to full every day.
The dc’s love it, they’re playing outside every day and it is very scenic here at least. Dh loves it too, he thinks it’s his dream house! Hmm
I just feel gutted. I am constantly worrying about the problems the house has and I’ve already booked a plumber myself to fix the kitchen tap as it’s like something from the 60’s and actually hurts to turn the bloody taps as the handles are so short and stiff ?!!
I’m just thinking how we can’t move again as there’s no money left and if I complain too much we’ll get turfed out. The landlord obviously doesn’t give a stuff about maintaining the house or bringing it up to standard.
The energy rating somehow got a D. I’d say it should be more like an F.
What on Earth do I do?

OP posts:
faeriequeen · 14/10/2018 23:37

Do you know what is causing the damp wall? Could it be a blocked or broken gutter and rain running down? Or does it seem to be coming up from the ground?
It might be a simple fix if you talk to the letting agency about it? The landlord will want to fix damp as it damages a house over time.

AjasLipstick · 14/10/2018 23:38

It sounds very like my current rental...which I love.

What's stopping you changing the curtains in the kitchen? Put up some new ones and wipe down the windows and frames every day. Keep them dry....go over them two or three times a day.

The gaps between units, get a thin brush and sweep them out, spray with bleachy water and put the heating on to dry.

Paint the inside of the cupboards. I did this as I was faced with peeling 1950s-60s lino which stank.

I pulled it all out and painted the insides.

faeriequeen · 14/10/2018 23:38

Also, do you need a plumber or just some wd40 on the taps?

DianaT1969 · 15/10/2018 00:09

You could change the tap at your own expense and keep the old one to put back when you leave. Bad taps really spoil a kitchen.
Take photos of the cupboards for the agent/ll, then clean them with bleach and line them with striped wallpaper.
Definitely change the curtains, or don't have any if not overlooked.

DarkDarkNight · 15/10/2018 00:19

Black mould on the inside of curtains, single glazed windows which fill up with condensation, slugs in the kitchen, woodlice everywhere, a wet wall from the damp, filthy cupboards inside, big gaps between the units and appliances which stink of damp

OP, are you me? This is my private rented house. I hate it. I can barely bring myself to store any food in the biggest cupboard in the kitchen, if they’re in there too long the bottom of the time go rusty!

The kickboards aren’t attached in any way and are too short and there are gaps between the washer and the cupboard so the wind whistles in, it is freezing in winter. My heating bill costs a fortune and it is a constant fight to stop mould all over the house really.

I can’t bath my son in the bathroom in Winter, it’s too cold. He gets the quickest shower imaginable. Also there’s no extractor fan in the bathroom yet a clause in my tenancy aggrement that I am responsible for ensuring there is no damp in the property.

I recarpeted the living and dining room as the carpet was so stained and threadbare it was getting me down.

The whole thing has made me bitter. I am still waiting for the exterior to be painted and the gutters to be cleaned.

springydaff · 15/10/2018 00:41

contact Shelter for advice on your legal rights. They are the experts Flowers

bridgetreilly · 15/10/2018 00:51

I don't really understand why you are worrying. The maintenance of the house is not your problem. If it's not habitable, that's down to the landlord, not you.

DownUdderer · 15/10/2018 03:06

I really feel for you! I feel like a few posts here aren’t being too sympathetic to you!

I know from my own experience that you feel worried about making too many complaints in case the LL will want you to move out instead of getting things fixed and nice. I used to try not to report everything that was wrong with the place, because I didn’t want to seem like hard work but I was miserable with a toilet that didn’t flush properly. I did report it three or four times and it never got sorted out.

Do you think you can investigate the damp wall? Often water is penetrating the wall from a leak outside, maybe broken gutters or a leaking pipe, is it leaking from a bathroom that isn’t draining properly? Is the sap coming up from a broken drain? Or broken pipe?

Have a look on eBay or on a charity shop for curtains, or a discount shop.

Good luck

PyongyangKipperbang · 15/10/2018 03:54

Get in touch with Shelter. You'd be surprised how quickly things will get sorted when they are threatened with legal action.

zozozoo · 15/10/2018 04:02

I've called out environmental health in a previous privately rented property - they were very helpful and wrote to my landlord promoting him to sort things out. Had kids in the house and a mould problem. This was a few years ago so things might have changed but I'd say it's worth looking into

FlorisApple · 15/10/2018 04:24

That's really awful and stressful OP! I have been there, after my DH rented a large, characterful house, that I hadn't seen, because another property had fallen through and we were on a tight time frame. I went in for the first time by myself with our one year old, while he stayed behind to clean our old place. I just couldn't believe the state of it. Window frames were covered in mould (the agent had shown it with the curtains closed), back yard full of glass and rubbish (they "didn't have the key for the back door" Hmm), toilets were leaking, and the whole place smelled of cats. Once we moved in, more problems started appearing: the washing machine was full of black gunk and mould, then the ancient boiler broke and water flooded through the ceiling of the dining room, fleas started emerging from the carpets and slugs invaded the kitchen every night.... I thought it would never end and it was one of the most stressful times in my life. I just didn't know what would go wrong next.
But, take heart, OP: I pushed and pushed the landlord and agent to fix things and they eventually did do some repairs, I cleaned and cleaned and it made a huge difference. We fixed up and cleaned the garden and spent lots of time out there when we could. And the best thing was that we made friends with our neighbours and they turned out to be really nice. I should warn you though, when the roof started leaking and the landlord discovered he needed a new one, he gave us notice and sold up about a year and a half after we had moved in. The work I did in the meantime, though, did make a huge difference to the feel of the place - try getting one room at a time in a better state.

Bloodybridget · 15/10/2018 05:37

I'm surprised that a new-build has single-glazed windows, I thought they had to be at least double-glazed.

PyongyangKipperbang · 15/10/2018 05:41

I'm surprised that a new-build has single-glazed windows, I thought they had to be at least double-glazed.

Its not a new build....... Hmm

ButtPlugInMyHalloweenHaul · 15/10/2018 05:54

Mould is so dangerous to your health OP. My sister lives in a home full of mould and it has broken her health totally. She lives on corticosteroids. She married a farmer with a massive inherited house. It killed his mother in the same way. His father sensibly moved out into a tiny but dry house in the grounds but still has health issues as a result of the mould.

Realitea · 15/10/2018 07:42

I’ve only been here a week, if I go to shelter now I wonder how long I’ll have until the landlord says we have to go. Our last house was our home for ten years and once I started asking for things to be fixed up the landlord gave us notice.
I will wipe down the windows to stop the condensation. I’ve heard there’s a film type thing that can fit over the glass but I don’t know if that would make condensation worse.
I am spending this week cleaning and will get some trips of wood to go between the cracks in the kitchen. I think cracks in window and door frames could have polyfilla maybe?
I do have nice curtains up now from my old house. I took a photo of the mouldy ones and sent it to the agent.
The damp wall is around a corner of the window halfway up. I think it’s just from a crack in the stone outside letting it in.
Dh is going to try and unblock the guttering as it’s a flat roof and it’s definitely blocked in a couple of places. Maybe that will help.

OP posts:
LellyMcKelly · 15/10/2018 08:11

Start looking around for other houses, then start pushing and pushing the landlord. Phone the council and get environmental health out if there’s a problem with mould, and check he’s on the Landlord Registration Scheme. If not report him. As others have said, get Shelter involved. Check the terms of your lease. If there is a commitment to various things that clearly haven’t been done raise them with him. Citizens Advice Bureau might be able to help to. Tell the agent you are pursuing these routes in addition to complaining to themYou’ll either get at least bits of it fixed or you’ll get notice. Either way, things should improve.

Bloodybridget · 15/10/2018 08:33

My mistake, sorry. Posted in the small hours when I should have been asleep.

specialsubject · 15/10/2018 08:50

Forget shelter. Contact the council and raise an improvement notice . All in the how to.rent guide, which you were of.course given...Hmm

That.means even if you aren't in contract, you can't be evicted.

Single glazing won't change, you agreed to that.

Forgottencoffee · 15/10/2018 09:41

How long is your fixed term contract? Your LL cannot have you out before this date.

Perhaps the LL doesn't know what the condition of the property is like. It wouldn't be unusual for an agent to move new tenants in quickly after the previous ones left. Do you know how long the previous tenant lived there?

I'd write a list of jobs that need doing in order of priority and email/post/hand deliver them to the agent and keep at them for an update. If you don't feel like you are getting anywhere with them then write to them and ask for the LL's contact details, legally they must supply them within 21 days. Then you can contact the LL yourself with the issues.

springydaff · 15/10/2018 09:49

Forget shelter???

Ffs. Shelter would no doubt give the advice you've given ss - plus an awful lot more besides. Angry

Realitea · 15/10/2018 09:52

I’ve met the landlord, he came out to say hello the day we moved in. He definitely does know about the house’s problems, it was highlighted in the inventory and it’s quite obvious by just looking at the place.
Today I’m going to give a letter to the agent highlighting all the issues I want addressing. The fixed term is six months so he can’t make us leave before then. (I hope that’s true!)
Meanwhile I’m going to spray bleach and water and clean all the Black mould off the window frames, keep them dry and apply a mould proof paint over them. The dehumidifier is saying it’s the right humidity but there’s still condensation on all the single glazed windows despite having dried them about an hour ago!

OP posts:
Racecardriver · 15/10/2018 09:55

I don't understand why you have been spending money on repairs instead of a lawyer. You know you can't stay here unless it gets fix so find a lawyer and start looking for a different property.

TrickyD · 15/10/2018 10:13

But you looked round, all the problems were highlighted in the inventory, and you say the problems are obvious. Why did you accept it?