Hi all
Was wondering if someone can give me a little advice, it may be that legally the agency/landlord have done everything correct and it's just us that aren't happy with it but would love some opinions/advice
We moved in to a rented house February last year, shortly after moving in we noticed that the garden gate didn't close and so it couldn't be locked securely, the fence panel attached to the gate was old and damaged so we asked if this could be sorted.
The landlord sent someone round to measure up to have it fixed but they couldn't measure up due to overgrown bushes outside the garden Which were up against the fence panel. The agent contacted our local council to have them cut back the bushes to enable the work to be carried out, the bushes were eventually cut and since this time last year the fence panel/gate haven't been fixed.
We have continuously chased this up to be told that the landlord is claiming the council caused the damage when cutting the bushes and was claiming against them. The agents continued to promise to chase up the landlord to get the work carried out but nothing has happened. So for 16 months we have had to keep the gate closed by using an old tin bucket and plastic garden chair my 6 year old daughter hasn't been able to play out in the garden for fear she could wander out (as the bucket/chair doesn't hold gate shut that well) or for fear someone could just walk in...also we have kept our mountain bikes (my partners one is quite expensive) in the house just in case someone ever walked in to the garden and broke in to the shed.
We basically have had enough (there are other problems but none as long and drawn out as this one) and gave the correct notice based on the tenancy agreement to vacate the premises.
One of the managers of the agency has since come back to us and advised that despite no one informing us for how ever many months the council was refusing to pay as they say it wasnt them and landlord had no proof (it wasn't them!) and the landlord was refusing to fix it as she wanted compensation from the council for the damage despite originally sending someone out to measure up to fix the problem.
Is there anything we can do about this? the reason I ask is stupidly there was something that we didn't amend on the inventory when we first moved in a slight scuff in the floor and so have been told they will deduct some money from our deposit as compensation to the landlord I know it was already there but as I didn't stupidly add it to the inventory we do not have a leg to stand on but I'd like to find out if I have a leg to stand on regarding this gate issue.
Ideally id like to be able to counteract the scuff not being added to the inventory with this gate issue.
Any advice would be great
Thanks