Renting for 6 months, 1 toilet unusable for 6 months.

[Mumraathenoisylion]

Hi I'd like some advice if possible! I have been renting (with dh and dcs) for 6 months. During this time the en suite toilet has never worked. We were blamed and told we had put baby wipes down the toilet at first, then eventually (after 4 months) someone came with a camera and found the pipes under the house to take away waste do not meet and therefore the the entire system is broken.

We pay £1500pcm for the house, which is a nice new build house but I feel annoyed we have paid this much monthly and had facilities that aren't working. Is there anything I can do? reduce the rent retrospectively? reduce the rent I'm paying now. They've finally got someone coming this week from the insurers but I have no idea how much longer it will be until we have a working toilet.

wow - so it is a new build and a toilet wasn't connected? I hope your LL is raising merry hell with the builders and NHBC guarantee.

I can entirely see why it has taken so long because the cowboy builders will be stalling, and will continue to do so.

however this is not your problem. In your LLs position I would offer some rebate and claim that back from the builders. Continue to pay your contracted rent but open negotiations on these lines.

Unfortunately the LL moved to Nigeria, it all seems a bit dodgy as he lived in the house before we did but insists there was no problem with the toilet!? Or the shower for that matter which took 3 months to be replaced (boiling hot water unsuitable for use).

The agent is very much biased toward the LL and has treated us terribly, it's something I've not had to deal with before sorry for the stupidity of my question but how would you suggest opening this conversation with the agent?

Thank you for replying!

the agent is paid by the landlord so will be biased. Although it doesn't stop my agent never returning my calls

there is post and email in Nigeria. (look at all those scams!!). So you contact the landlord. You are legally entitled to his contact details.

Presumably the en-suite lav is not the only lav in the house. Therefore you have adequate facilities if the other/s are still working, so the landlord is discharging their legal obligations and you are not in a position to demand a rent-reduction. Although you are perfectly entitled to ask. And your landlord is perfectly entitled to say "no".

Have a think about what costs the landlord may have incurred having a legal battle with the dodgy builders and then have a think about how likely you are to get a rent-reduction as a consequence. Threatening to leave at the end of your fixed-term might concentrate their mind, who knows?

It's within the 10 year NHBC cover, he has just had to instruct the agent to deal with it.

We have had the intrusion of numerous people, the agent told us we had broken the toilet, put baby wipes down it and if that was the case we would have to pay for all repairs (we stated over and over again it wasn't the case), it has been a constant battle in this house for repairs to be made. We will be leaving at the end of our fixed term anyway.

I asked the agent about a rent reduction and she was horribly unhelpful and rude to me, just told me we had to live with it and they're sorting it out now. It just feels like we're being ripped off, keeping the house really well and not getting what we pay for. If I were in a hotel suite and one of the toilets wasn't working I would be moved or have some money back.