Abbreviated history as much as possible as long sorry!
Moved in almost 6 months ago. Property advertised as ‘long term’, checked with agent as we needed to rent for two years as sold house for good reason and planning to move across country after DS finishes college - agent confirmed that will be fine and landlord would prefer that anyway.
Property is fully managed by letting agent.
6 month contract only issued day before move in date as unexplained delays. Queried and told all contracts start at 6 months and would then be renewed assuming all is well. Bit annoyed but not much we could do about it as ready to go. Informed downstairs ceiling plaster still wet as been repaired due to now resolved leak via email day before move in.
Now to the REAL issues!
Less than two weeks after move in, waterfall of water through downstairs ceiling (same place as previous repair). Transpires pipes under new bath, fitted before we moved in, not fitted correctly. Plumber does a quick fix but finds more issues and says whole bathroom needs ripping out as wall on bath side completely rotten under tiles and tiles will start falling out (separate issue to pipes).
Quick fix did not work so a week later, another waterfall through ceiling.
En-suite (next to bathroom) also leaking through same ceiling in a different area. Asked not to use it until checked. Landlord again told it needed to be ripped out as same wall connecting to bathroom rotten and shower leaking through joins in shower walls.
Both en-suite and bathroom originals in 30 year old house and never updated. We knew they were dated but would live with that as long as they were usable and could be kept clean. We’re not informed of any leaks apart from the one that was apparently resolved before we moved in.
9 different contractors in and out over the next two months. Told we could not use either bathroom for 5 days so no washing facilities. Landlord offered £150 compensation which I felt was inappropriate due to the level of disruption and no washing facilities so refused. I requested a month’s rent rebate but was told that was outrageous!
Eventually main bathroom patched up again but still needs to be properly repaired and we have had to put up another shower curtain inside the bath to stop any water getting on the tiles around the bath as well which is annoying as you’re in between two shower curtains and inside one tends to blow towards you with the breeze created by the shower so you have to bat it away!
En-suite into 4th week of being refitted as landlords contractor keeps making excuses not to come so we are having to expect them but then they don’t turn up. It should have taken less than 2 weeks.
Luckily I work from home but the noise when they are here is horrendous. Cutting tiles, drilling, the ripping it all out. I have to do teams calls on my phone in the car! Landlord is not bothered about this. Contractor coming from an hour and a half away as probably a bit cheaper despite us getting quotes from local contractors we know which landlords refused to look at as they wanted a trusted contractor although current contractor says he’s never worked for them before or met them!
We have now been left with no use of en-suite for almost 4 months on a less than 6 month tenancy.
Ceiling downstairs was almost coming down and repaired after two months so more contractors in and mess and disruption as whole thing needed to be taken down!
Massive silverfish infestation discovered a few weeks after leaks started so had to get quite firm that landlord had to get pest controller in and that had to happen several times including full fumigation where we had to be out of the house. That really upset me as couldn’t hoover or mop for 6 weeks! I was finding them on our bed and in clothes in the built in wardrobes.
Landlord now dealing with us directly despite property being fully managed by letting agent as they apparently told the landlord she had to deal with us herself after all the issues.
Letting agent let slip a few months ago that landlord was advised to replace both bathrooms a year before we moved in and they got quotes for her but she did not proceed. Despite this, they deny they knew of any existing leak issues as previous tenant never reported any.
Landlord rang us last night to update us that she can’t afford to replace the main bathroom for a few months and then went into a long monologue about the money she’s had to spend so far, how she’s an accidental landlord, shes not making any profit as rent only covers her mortgage, she’s actually had to spend money and she’s had relatives in hospital, so much stress and she doesn’t want us to be upset with her, then said she’s probably going to have to sell up as her mortgage is going up later in the year but she won’t increase the rent just yet despite us getting a new en-suite!
She wants us to put up with the disruption and mess AGAIN when she does get round to replacing the main bathroom so she can then sell it while we’re here paying rent and then kick us out.
She also said she told the letting agents to only do a 6 month tenancy due to her discounted mortgage ending this year and will not be renewing it so it will go month to month until she decides whether to sell in the summer so we were lied to about the property being long term!
I had thought about making a compensation claim for breach of contract and misrepresentation myself (through Form N1) as I have been so angry about this but decided not to as we didn’t really want to sour relations with landlord and move again in such a short timescale as we will be moving next year anyway and it’s just a nightmare moving, so we just let it go but now it’s pretty obvious we are going to be kicked out anyway later this year so I have nothing to lose!
We feel this property was misrepresented both as a long term tenancy and also that it was not fit to be rented out and think we should be compensated for all the disruption, lack of peaceful enjoyment and stress.
AIBU?