To expect my daughter's flat to be fit for her to live in

[Tswiftscat]

My eldest daughter is in her final year at uni. She moved into a privately rented flat in September and is paying through the nose for the cheapest flat we could find as it's a very expensive town. Flat seemed fine when viewed but since she moved in there's been nothing but problems, hole in the roof, serious damp, water running down one wall which is now crumbling. But the worst thing is that her boiler has packed up three times since September. It was fixed after two days the first time and worked fine for about six weeks. Stopped working again this week, the guy that came to fix it after the first day said it was beyond fixing and they needed to get a new boiler fixed, two days later after no heating or hot water a guy comes round and 'fixes' it today. Less than two hours later it has packed up again. She is freezing, hasn't been able to shower for days and is at her wits end as she's trying to get her dissertation written with all this stress and disruption going on.

She is now packing up her stuff to come home as she can't cope. I helped her pay her rent all upfront for the year (£11000!) as she didn't have a guarantor. I couldn't be guarantor as my credit rating is shot to pieces after my ex husband left me with a lot of debt which I have now cleared but still have a shit credit rating. Surely the landlord/letting agent shouldn't be allowed to rake it in from such a shitty flat that is unfit for purpose. Can we get her rent back and find her somewhere new? Poor girl is so stressed and she has to finish her dissertation by the 16th but she's still got over half to do and an exam next week to revise for!

To beI would have a look on the Shelter website for information regarding her rights as a tenant OP, rather than ask on here as fact is better than opinion. You can speak with a Shelter advisor or alternatively she can visit the Citizens Advice Bureau. She could also seek advice from her university student care. I would advise she have her tenancy agreement to hand for this, and familiarise herself with the contents- specifically the landlords obligations.

The situation sounds awful for her but she's an adult so unless there is more to it- this will be a good opportunity for her to assert herself, learn to include a break clause in future etc. If it is a private rental, as her mother, you can't do anything about it on her behalf really other than advise and support. Unfortunately dodgy landlords and awful student rentals are nothing new. It's despicable. Perhaps next time she could co-habit? It's generally cheaper.

Hopefully she is able to get her dissertation done at home at least.

has she reported the repairs that the boiler has went off against and reported the other repairs?

First and foremost that’s what she needs to do, if she has then raise a formal complaint.

She has severe anxiety and didn't like the idea of living with strangers and there were no friends on her course looking to share which is why she is living in her own flat rather than a house share. She also is now suffering from depression which has been exacerbated by these problems plus the stress of her dissertation. I know she's an adult technically but she's still my daughter and I'm desperately worried about her.

She reports it all straight away but most of it hasn't been dealt with and even the boiler is left for days in this cold, leaving her freezing and with no hot water.

Many local authorities have private housing officers. They could help possibly?

The state of some student housing is an absolute disgrace. Can the university help? Ours had a welfare officer, and they were really good at supporting students in situations such as this. It might be worth her popping in the SU.

The council can help - the housing officers can compel landlords to do repairs under threat of fines etc

It sounds as though hers is at least somewhat responsive, so might comply if the council get involved.

I feel for her - spent a very cold December and January with no boiler (heating and hw) once, but estate agents deemed this OK as the landlords were trying to get it sorted.

Thank you for the advice re student welfare and the housing officer, we will look into this when she's home and warm!

Environmental health at the council helped years ago when friends lived in dodgy accommodation.

You paid £11,000 up front to rent a place! I hope they put at least some of that in a tenancy deposit scheme!
You could have used that as a deposit on a small flat or house depending on where you live.
Other than constantly badgering the agents, I’m talking every day, contacting the council and reporting the repairs more than once, there’s not a lot more you can do for her. She has the right to know who her landlord is along with the address, so you could find that out and write to them if she’s not dealing with them directly.
As for getting the money back, it’s unlikely, I assume she signed a 12 month tenancy and without a break clause, she’ll be liable for the whole years rent.

South east and very expensive city so £11000 wouldn't have been anything like enough for a deposit for a flat and she couldn't have got a mortgage anyway as a student.

england.shelter.org.uk/housing_advice/repairs/complain_to_environmental_health_about_rented_housing

Get an electric heater and shower at uni? Nearly all my friend rented houses were cold hovels at uni. Everyone survived with small heaters and hot showers in uni gym.

Make sure you have everything in writing - call Housing Officer, get name and follow up by email. You need a paper trail.

Talk to the accommodation department at the University they may be able to put pressure on the landlord especially if he is a university approved provider.

The uni gym isn't free for students and the membership is extortionate so unfortunately she can't afford to be a member in order to use their showers.

She needs to talk to her course supervisor and apply for an extension for her dissertation citing extenuating circumstances, and if she goes through student welfare they may be able to help throw up some last minute on-campus accommodation if available.

Is it Brighton? Sounds like many places I've lived in.

She should go on Judge Rindee!

Councils will have a 'private housing standards' team. Sometimes this is done by environmental health who can inspect and put pressure on landlords/compel them to take action. This tends to be a slow process if landlords aren't willing to comply.

I'd advise her to report all repairs by email so she has evidence of all the times she's contacted her landlord.

I feel for her, private rented housing can be really poor and it is miserable living with damp.

Yes it is Brighton! She's still at home with me, letting agent contacted landlord who was supposed to be organising the boiler being fixed/replaced but had done nothing. Letting agent has now chased them and the landlord said it will be fixed next week so she's going to stay at home until then. She's also had a uni counselling session today and tried to speak to student services but they didn't have a drop in session today. The counselling has made her feel a little less in despair and pointed her in the direction of some practical help as well.

YANBU and the law agrees with you
england.shelter.org.uk/housing_advice/repairs/is_your_home_fit_for_human_habitation

Assuming that she has been reporting the problems since September, when she moved in, that's 3 months and counting. So she should definitely report to the council's environmental health team.

Other advice and action points:
england.shelter.org.uk/housing_advice/repairs/what_to_do_if_your_landlord_wont_do_repairs