Moved into houshare and already want to leave

[Kitty321cat11]

Hii moved unto a new houshare . On viewings the room seemed OK and hose seemed OK. Landlord explained housemates are fine and clean how the house is clean.

I took it as I could not see issues when at time . Its 12 months contract.

I moved in and their is black mould around the window of my room and around the radiator. The kitchen is horrible ..takes me back to being first year at uni . Tiny and the fidge is soo dirty ti touch (cleanish inside)i dont want to use it .

The shared bathroom. One is really mouldy and soo ditry .random furniture piled up inside the bathroom . Other bathrooms the toilet seat is completely missing and the itfer gas a crack jn ceiling.

Raised it woth Landlord...she says its the tenants responsibility and then explained how the tenants dont look after the hose or clean .

I then realised the door to my room does not lock . Landlord, she says its forbidden for a lock on door.

Ive lived in other houseshares and never had this gut feeling to leave so quickly. My last place was messy but mot unhygienic but had locks . Other house I've been jn same.

Im 28 and cant deal with basic standards of cleanliness not bring met anymore. I feel so misled .
Im planning on staying out of room and showering at old place (lease for that ends next week) until my dad comes on monday .

Am I being unreasonable to trust my gut and see if I can unwind my tenancy?

YANBU just leave.

But didn't you go to look at the place first?

Sounds disgusting. Weren’t you allowed to see it before you signed contract?

you could have a huge clean up yourself and then try to bring housemates on board. Sounds like hard work though. Is there any get out clause in contract? Can you get some legal advice on that from a housing charity?

Leave now! It will have an absolutely terrible effect on your mental health if you don’t and you won’t be able to think about anything else. If the other people are living like that, you will never be compatible with them. Say you have a mould allergy and cannot live there.

Well it’s a bit odd that you didn’t notice these things when you viewed it. I can understand not noticing that there were no locks because you probably would have just assumed that there were and not checked. But things like mould, dirty kitchen, furniture piled up … how did you not notice?

How is she supposed to leave if she’s tied in with a 13 month contract?
OP why would you sign a 12 month contract without looking at the place beforehand

Well you're in a contract now, so the only way you're not stuck there is if the landlord lets you leave. I personally would ask nicely, then if they say no go on the attack. Message every day about faults that need sorting, threaten to go to environmental health/ the council for the mould, look up legislation about locks on doors (I think there is some). Basically be the nightmare tenant that they regret giving the room to, in the hopes they think you're not worth the effort. I would start it today, don't wait until you move in properly.

Report him to the environmental health department at the local council.

Why didnt you look at it before signing the contract?

Technically they're right about locks on the door in a houseshare, it changes something about the tenancy from what I recall. The rest of it though, sorry but it was your responsibility to see on viewing - you could try and negotiate with the landlord but unless there's a break clause you would be reliant on their goodwill as you're liable for the rent until the end of the contract.

It is a horrible feeling I've lived in many a grotty house share. Try to make your room nice, and maybe see if the housemates would be open to chipping in for a cleaner if they're not willing to do it themselves?

I did .. it was with 3 other people . The landlord showed us round said people were clean and flooded cleaning rota....on reflection I wishing spent more time inspecting the bathrooms and state of kitchen but this was the 5th house I voewd and the area is in a really desired neighbourhood. I think I overlooked the state of the property until I moved in

I am going to leave today its horrible...biggest mistake was on the viewing not asking more questions to landlord and to the housemate present (landlord would not leave so we could ask questions on our own) . It was 5th house i viewed, in a nice area and when I viewd it like I did not properly look at the bathrooms (esp the ine with the extensive mould)

With the furniture she said it will be gone ...I was with other people and my fault not going back to look at the bathrooms again . The room was sold as being refurbished. Landlord said shes strict on a cleaning rota and actually on the viewing the kitchen was clean .

It was 5th hosue I viewed and I wish I asked more questions

Unlikely you’ll be able to get out of the contract, unless you can find someone to take it over. If you want clean you need to do the cleaning, not ideal but in the real world if no one else will do it it’ll be down to you.

If the area is good and suspect you’re stuck in a contract then can you speak to your house mates and clean it up together. If you all muck in it won’t take long. Sort out the issues then ensure everyone is looking after the place. Windows open to prevent new mould. Regular cleaning of communal spaces by everyone.

Legally where are you if you leave?
Ring / text / write to the landlord about the problems.

The cleaning rota should be easier than any other issues. What does your tenancy say about rota?

You've signed up for 12 months and you can't get out of that so you'll have to make the best of it. Get your marigolds on and give everything a good clean. Get a fridge to keep in your room.

Aren't there new tenancy laws now that mean you actually cannot be tied into a contract? The Tenancy Rights Act states

Under the new tenancy laws (the Renters' Rights Act), you will no longer be tied to a full fixed-term contract and will be able to end your tenancy by giving two months' notice at any point.

Hopefully OP 2 months will be the max you have to pay for. Good luck sounds like a shit hole and having just looked at a load of properties with DD in central London it is disgusting what some landlords expect their tenants to live in.

I fail to see how you didn't notice these fairly major issues when you viewed the property? Have a look at your contract to see what you have to do to end the tenancy agreement - you may have to pay a penalty.

@Kitty321cat11 it's unlikely you will be able to unwind the contract, is there a break clause?

As you'll be on the hook for the remainder of the contract, it may be cheaper to have a firm come in and do a one-off deep clean?

Who knows, the other tenants may chip in with the cost! 😉

What kind of tenancy do you have? Does the landlord live there too?

I took a place which I had viewed but found one wall was thick with mould. I remember a major cleaning session with a friend and we got it to an acceptable level. The whole place was damp and I hadn't noticed when I viewed as heat was on high! Anyway with a bit of effort I was able to make it nice and stayed 18 months in the end. Any chance you can make the best of it? Appreciate communal areas make that more difficult.

i think if you are all on the same tenancy then no locks are required but if it’s a hmo and you are all on separate tenancies then locks are required to be fitted. I’m not an expert though and I’m sure someone will be along soon who does know the rules.

With door locks, I believe there is a difference between a house-share and an HMO (House of Multiple Occupancy). House shares do not have locks as it’s a shared tenancy and HMO’s do as each occupant has their own tenancy agreement.
I don’t see how a house-share with strangers is safe. Anyone can walk into your room while you sleep (although I think a bolt on the inside of the door only may still be legal) or take your belongings while you are out.

If you can’t get out of the contract, you can . > put on a new toilet seat yourself
> get your own fridge in your room
> tell the landlord to get rid of the junk furniture
> buy some anti-mold spray and use it. Also a mini dehumidifier

there are many things you can do to make a flat share nicer. So if you are in a good location and the other flatmates are ok then you can make it work.

@SandrenaIsMyBloodType unfortunately that is the reality for many renters, living with complete strangers, no background checks and no security. Its pretty horrible that it's based on luck.

Mould isn’t a dirt issue, it’s a damp issue. You can bleach it and it will disappear for a couple of days but then be right back because the spores are deep. It needs specialist treatment to remove. This is 100% a landlord issue because it’s a serious health hazard.