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landlord problems-please help

8 replies

therenter · 07/04/2014 15:31

We live in rented accommodation- have been here for 18 months with our four children. Our landlords live away and come down every 6 months to inspect the property.We didn't know it when we moved in but our landlord is totally ocd over his house. He did most of the work himself and I understand that it is his "baby". We also found out after we moved in that he had made things very difficult for the previous tenants when they left and when he lived here himself he had made our neighbours lives very stressful by complaining about every little thing they did.Anyway I am getting to the point...sorry.Myself and my dh have been finding these inspections more and more stressful. Think scrubbing the skirting boards with a toothbrush/deep cleaning the whole house. Only for our landlord to tell us how dissatisfied he is with the condition of the house.We have 4 young children and inevitably they cause more wear and tear then when he lived here with his one teenage daughter. However he will not let us rectify anything. For instance we asked for paint colours so we could patch up marks on the walls were the children have put their fingers (I have cleaned these but find the paint comes off aswell), he won't provide them.We have just received a very snotty letter after his recent visit. My very slight 7 year old leant on the shed door and it collapsed the day before his visit, the whole frame was rotten all the way through and the glass panel was left hanging like a guillotine it's lucky she wasn't seriously hurt. We have never had the keys to this shed as it is his store so we had no idea of the condition. He is asking us to fully replce this door using a qualified carpenter. I feel this is unreasonable considering the condition of the door.Also while he was here he found that one of the supporting beams from under the balcony is cracked and needs replacing- he is also saying we are responsible for this although we have no idea how it happened.Furthermore I found out a little while ago that he did not protect our deposit- I questioned him about this and he said it is because he took two months rent in advance instead. I have researched this and I don't believe he can do this. It firmly states in our tenancy that our one months rent will be returned if the property is in good order when we leave. I firmly believe he will intend to keep this. I know they are having serious money troubles and doubt they can afford to return it.We haven't actually been given notice to leave or given our notice of intent to leave but we can not go through the stress of another inspection again given his unreasonable standards and demands so we are looking for a way out. Although I doubt we will even get a good reference out of him.please can anyone advise on anything in my post. Sorry it has been a long one. There is more but it would have made a long post even more tiresome to read. Thankyou

OP posts:
therenter · 07/04/2014 15:31

I have also posted this is property's but they directed me here for more help. Thank you

OP posts:
CarCiKoTab · 07/04/2014 15:41

I'm sure he has a legal duty to ensure the property is in a liveable condition, the things that you are responsible for should be highlighted in your Tenancy agreement that should be things like repair what is broken, repaint maybe small things like that. Not sure where you stand with the shed but it it was rotting maybe be wise to get some advise from the citizens advice bureau. With your deposit I know that your landlord has to put this in a separate bank account and be fully refundable on leaving. Usually you'll pay a deposit a long with one month's rent upfront and then you get the deposit back, once the tenancy ends. You need to get some advice from the CAB asap.

jumblebee · 07/04/2014 15:49

It is illegal not to put the deposit into a protected scheme. You can take him to court for up to 3 times that amount, as far as I'm aware.

Not sure about the shed situation, but I'm sure you would only replace it like for like, so if it was an old, decrepit shed I don't see why you should have to pay for a brand new door for it.

Is the beam not a structural issue? I don't see how you could have caused damage to it, unless you were hanging off it like monkey bars Confused

Maybe a letter back to him saying that as your deposit was not in a protected scheme you will take him to small claims court if the full amount is not refunded to you upon leaving the property?

jumblebee · 07/04/2014 15:51

Also take pictures of the shed and the door as evidence of it's poor condition!

tribpot · 07/04/2014 15:55

He's having a laugh. The shed is not part of your tenancy agreement, it's not your responsibility to replace it.

He's broken the law if he hasn't protected your deposit and will be fined -info here.

You are not expected to deep clean the house for every inspection, that is purely to ensure that the house is being kept in a reasonable state of repair - it's your home.

As to the supporting beam - WTF? How can that possibly be your problem to resolve?! It's a structural problem with the property.

How much of all this do you have in writing? Please don't engage with this landlord on the phone, get him to email his complaints/demands to you. What I would do is go and see a solicitor and get a letter sent to him pronto outlining where he is deficient and reminding him that you have the right to peaceful enjoyment of your home. The shed door thing is terrifying.

therenter · 07/04/2014 16:07

Thankfully I do have everything in writing so I will get some advise and show them the email he sent. I don't really talk to them over the phone so all correspondence is through email or letters. Lol- no swinging from the balcony like monkey's. I dont know how the crack got there I just know that it is.
I also have photo's of the shed door showing both how rotten and dangerous it is at the moment. Thank you for your advice.

OP posts:
BillyBanter · 07/04/2014 16:22

You have a right to 'quiet enjoyment' of your home. Apart from everything else I would argue that such fastidious checks breach that right.

www.foxwilliams.com/news/704

BillyBanter · 07/04/2014 16:27

Also check out the Shelter website for landlord and tenant rights and responsibilities.

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