Landlord messing around?

[Rubyrhi123]

Hi all
I've lived in my flat for 2 years now. I'm a model tenant, look after the place and pay my rent on time every month. I am happy to have an inspection at the drop of a hat and have had no issues until recently.

The washer dryer stopped working. It was filling up with water. The estate agent sent a contractor round who within 5 minutes decided it couldn't be fixed and needed to be replaced. He didn't even pull it out or do anything to it. He said this was through no fault of my own though.

3 weeks later I finally come home to my 'replacement appliance' to find it's the cheapest washing machine (no dryer) you have ever seen. What am I meant to do? Surely they should be replacing this like for like? The flat has a condensation problem as it's a very old building so I was advised to limit drying clothes on racks to a minimum. Now what am I meant to do?

Shall I raise this or suck it up?
What do I say?

I don’t think you’ve got a specific right to a washer dryer (plus they are shit anyway). It’s disappointing your landlord is a complete cheapskate but not uncommon.

Can you buy your own condenser dryer? Then you can take it with you when you go. These are more efficient and will help alleviate the condensation issue.

You could ask for it to be replaced with like for like and see how that goes. I would opt to either ask for or buy myself a dehumidifier that has a clothes drying function - cheaper to run and will work on your condensation issues too.

You could ask for like for like and mention the increased chance of mould/condensation from drying indoors if you don't have a dryer. Technically speaking the implied terms of your tenancy include a washer dryer as that's what was there when you agreed to it, although I've no idea how you'd force him to actually give you one.

My LL did this, well, the agent did. Randomly decided to replace my old, but perfectly functional, fridge freezer. With a fridge. So I've had no freezer for months and the agent only said, 'Oops'. I couldn't be bothered to argue, it was just one of many half assed things and I ran out of fight. Luckily I'm moving out in a couple of weeks.

Does your inventory say washer/dryer or just washing machine?

What does your contract say about white goods?

Check your contract and inventory.

Landlord is responsible for replacing white goods and appliances listed in the contract if they go wrong. So if your contract lists a washer/ dryer your landlord must replace it with a washer dryer.

Some contracts have wording to the effect that appliances that go wrong are the tenant’s responsibility to replace - but this looks unlikely in your case as landlord has already taken action.

Landlord should know this. Letting agents certainly will. I wonder whether the landlord did not notice that the old appliance was a washer /dryer and just ordered a washer by mistake.

Ask the agent for a copy of their complaints procedure and then use it. If no satisfaction report them to their regulator whose address MUST by law be on their website. If they dont respond or dont have a complaints policy report anyway. They will not want you doing that. You can also leave factual reviews on all the appropriate review sites like Trustpilot etc. They are employed to provide you with a service so you may need to push back hard against them.