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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:
MissConductUS · 16/10/2018 20:17

Can you get something like this expanding foam for filling the cracks?

www.amazon.com/Red-Devil-0920-Expanding-Polyurethane/dp/B004EVIYCW?tag=mumsnetforum-21

It's brilliant and only takes a few minutes to do.

stubbornstains · 16/10/2018 20:19

Has anybody here had any experience of positive pressure ventilation? Apparently it's a New Thing and can do wonders for damp houses. Only a few hundred quid I think, which surely the tightest LL could shell out: www.eco-home-essentials.co.uk/positive-pressure-ventilation.html

I'm ROFLing at the PPs suggesting "this isn't the 1800s, nobody should have to live like this" etc. Literally tens of thousands of people are living just like this! Down here in Cornwall, damp capital of the UK, there's hardly a rented stone period property that doesn't have mould problems. And, in the present rental climate, tenants are feeling they have to put up with it, and LLs don't feel any pressing need to deal with it.

A PVA/ water mix does the same job as anti mould paint- it's basically just sealing the cleaned mould patches in. I think it's 2 parts of water to 1 of PVA, but since I've been in an actually dry HA new build for 2 years now, I'm starting to forget the details of my constant struggle against the mould with a newborn in the house.

That HG spray sounds good, but a good regular non toxic anti mould spray is white wine vinegar mixed with tea tree oil.

CottonSock · 16/10/2018 20:55

Not managed to read all the thread op, but my house was like this when I moved in. It's Victorian.

We bought it not renting, so now double glazed mostly.. but I still run two dehumidifiers intermittently. Esp when drying washing, or if windows start to steam. I did use window film, but made it hard to open windows. I put it on in winter only.
Window vacs are good for clearing the windows each morning.
We also have the heating on quite a lot, and try not to dry washing inside.
I got a magic mould spray that took away all marks without even scrubbing. I can look it up if you are interested.
The dehumidifiers are meaco dessicant ones and are brilliant.

icanbewhatiwant · 16/10/2018 21:04

Gosh...my husband and I own a property each we rent out. I am in shock at people saying the landlord may chuck you out for complaining. I would hate my tenants to not tell me if something is wrong. They know I’m on the end of the phone and will get anything sorted ASAP. Are other landlords that bad? To me the cost of finding another tenant and having the property sit empty in between would make me do my best to keep the tenant happy. My husbands latest tenant was due to move in and refused to go in, as she said the kitchen wasn’t clean enough. We’d had professional cleaners in. Then spent 4 hours on it ourselves. She still wasn’t happy. I was worried she would complain constantly but actually she’s been ok.
I hope you get your house sorted OP.

BitOutOfPractice · 16/10/2018 21:22

I can't believe the amount of people who seem to think that the op should just put up with this sub standard housing.

Custardee · 16/10/2018 21:50

Dehumidifier - slight caution, don't over-dry out your bedrooms with it, I did when my daughter was a baby as was so worried how mound might affect her and ended up drying it out too much and giving her croup.

perfectstorm · 17/10/2018 01:56

Gosh...my husband and I own a property each we rent out. I am in shock at people saying the landlord may chuck you out for complaining. I would hate my tenants to not tell me if something is wrong. They know I’m on the end of the phone and will get anything sorted ASAP. Are other landlords that bad?

The law was changed on retaliatory eviction because so many people were visiting the CAB over the issue, they flagged it up as a massive social policy concern. Sadly, the cost of housing and the cuts in housing benefit top ups mean you have a large pool of people who have little bargaining power, and are ripe for exploitation.

So yes, sadly some landlords are appalling.

CuriousaboutSamphire · 17/10/2018 07:16

I can't believe the amount of people who seem to think that the op should just put up with this sub standard housing Why substandard? It seems to have blocked gutters, maybe a cracked brick and previous tenants who didn't necessarily ventilate it properly.

The first 2 are easy for the LL to fix, if he knows about it, OP seemed to suggest he didn't.

The last is entirely down to OP and, as many of us live in houses that are prone to condensation and do not live in substandard houses, I am not sure what there is not to believe!

Treacletoots · 17/10/2018 09:12

Exactly what @curiousaboutsamphire said!

The OP isn't living in a substandard house. Tenants need to understand that looking after a property is just as much their responsibility as the LL. Condensation is nearly always caused by ineffective ventilation and often drying clothes indoors. Yes maybe the guttering needs clearing but that's a very minor job and won't cost much to sort at all.

If you move into an older (and cheaper) house, don't expect it to perform like a new house. It's no different to a car! I live in an older cottage and we have to take regular action with all the above listed issues. It doesn't mean it's substandard, it's just old! We have double glazing too which helps but isn't a cure all.

Has the OP had any luck resolving any of the issues yet?

AjasLipstick · 17/10/2018 09:25

BitOutofPractice When you're a tenant, you sadly get used to not upsetting the apple cart too much.

It's very easy to get your tenancy terminated. Yes, you might get a month or at best two month's notice...then you've got to find somewhere else.

And what? Hope it's near your kids' school? Move your kids?

It's shit. But that's how it is.

grumiosmum · 17/10/2018 13:11

If the property was properly ventilated, no-doubt the OP would be complaining that it's too draughty!

M0gg · 17/10/2018 13:16

OP what have you spent 3k on? Deposit and rent up front?

manicmij · 17/10/2018 14:00

At the risk of being shot down in flames for being unsympathetic did you not see the faults and smell the damp when you went to see the house. You were either so desperate that you ignored the signs or you have absolutely no idea about housing. It is though the landlords responsibility to ensure the house is habitable. Surprised the letting agent hadn't highlighted the problems to the landlord before taking it on their books. My experience with letting agent is one commented oven needed a bit of a clean! How this one missed the dirt and smell is beyond belief. Shelter should be your first contact for advice and help.

Realitea · 17/10/2018 15:25

M0gg, yes I spent the £3k on the desposit, fees, removal company and extra furniture that the house needed. The kitchen doesn't have many cupboards so we needed a dresser and things like that.
manicmij, I viewed the house during summer. There were no damp smells and no mould around windows. A lot of the tenant's belongings were stacked up, he was a bit of a hoarder, so we didn't get a clear view of everything. I do have an idea about housing, I actually work in property myself! That's why it's frustrating coming across a landlord who doesn't take pride in the house he lets out because all other landlords I've come across in my job have always carried out repairs very quickly and don't let stuff like this happen. Having said that, he has sent builders out already to fix a lot.
To those saying the inventory highlighted some issues and why did I take it..I was handed the inventory at the same time as the keys AFTER I'd paid just over £2,000. I believe it has been in the press this week that this is unfair to tenants and I would agree. Tenant's should be given the inventory and time to go over it thoroughly without pressure so that they can make up their minds about whether to proceed.
The dehumidifier I bought is brilliant, you can set the humidity level you need (which should be around 50-55) and it just turns off once it's got to that point. It takes 20 litres of water so you don't have to empty it constantly. Since moving it to the hall instead of the main bedroom, I haven't had any condensation on the windows. Yippee!
After sending that email the other day, the builders were round this morning at 8.30 getting to work on fixing the holes and cracks, putting stripping at the bottom of the doors and clearing the guttering.
I have to add not all the windows are single glazed. For some reason they're all different throughout the house, different styles, different glazing.
I've got my mould spray now anyway and I've chucked all their mouldy curtains and put nice new ones up from my old house. I can just wash them on a hot wash if they start to get spots on them.
So now my main worry is the slugs coming in - I REALLY hope no mice get in! That would be the final straw for me, I think! But now the builders have filled the cracks, maybe it'll be ok..although I don't know what's lurking behind the kitchen units. I need to board up the gaps between appliances and then it should be fine.

OP posts:
GreenFingersWouldBeHandy · 17/10/2018 15:35

Do the kitchen and bathroom have vents on outside walls? If not, request them.

Dehumidfiers only work for a limited amount of cubic meters - so either do rooms in rotation with closed doors, or buy more than one.

You can also buy proper mould remover from most DIY shops/some supermarkets stock it too.

Yes, I have lived in mouldy houses!

Pack all unused clothing/linens away in airtight containers (don't forget coats/shoes - I lost a lovely pair of leather knee-length boots to mould!).

Make plans to leave after 6 months if they don't take action immediately. It will take MONTHS for the place to dry out properly even if they do all the structural stuff tomorrow. Sorry!

grumiosmum · 17/10/2018 15:46

OP, if the house is in the country and is old, you will get mice.

CuriousaboutSamphire · 17/10/2018 15:48

Sounds good. Your LL is obviously not one of the bad guys.

On inventories, I say up front I am an inventory clerk, I write them for a living Smile

There is a significant conflict between the legal obligation to have the inventory done very close to the check in time, guidelines state no more than 48 hours prior, and the need for the tenant to know abut any issues. Ideally the LA would have told you about the damp and the inventory would simply have noted it, no surprise to anyone.

It isn't supposed to include any 'surveyor' type information, it is just a list of things and a condition check, as observed. Any new regulation won't change that (well, it could but shifting it towards a surveyor would drastically increase its cost, making it unlikely to happen or rents will rise by £1K over a 6 month period to over it) or will only make things worse for all parties.

Realitea · 17/10/2018 18:45

Good point Curiousaboutsamphire. Having a surveyor involved would make fees even more extortionate!

Grumiosmum, don't say that! I don't think I could cope with mice. or RATS! ergh. Someone is helping me mdf up the gaps between the kitchen units and appliances. I asked the previous two tenants and they've both said they have never seen them in the house but they do run around the attic at certain times of the year. I can handle that as long as they don't get in the house.

OP posts:
Jac1970stone · 17/10/2018 21:16

Put a line of salt along anywhere the slugs can get through - you may find some mucky slimy piles in the morning to clear up but it will either deter them or kill them! It makes them fizz quite impressively actually....

Onecutefox · 17/10/2018 22:45

The mice would breed in the attic. I would call Pest Control.

flowergrrl77 · 18/10/2018 00:03

I’ve had mice and slugs get into modern homes too... nowhere can be fully pest protected! Best solution to mice I ever had was cats...

Slugs? I’m still battling those... they like the cat food :(

lunchboxloony · 18/10/2018 23:55

We own an old property - mildew on walls and ceilings does happen and I have to bleach it away once or twice a year. And slugs and woodlice (and ants and spiders) - yes! No idea how they get in but they do. We had mice in the attic but I now keep a mousetrap and some rat poison up there and haven't seen signs of any for years (though we had an impressive wasps nest in there two years ago - aargh!!). We also have a lot of single glazed metal windows, which I wipe down with a towel in winter months - it's not the end of the world. It's life - in an older house (and I believe much healthier than these insulated modern boxes, although far harder to heat Grin). All that said - you shouldn't have to live with mould and major damp. Hope you get the worst things sorted and are able to enjoy your new home soon.

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