Hi everyone
I rent an expensive house in London with my family (two kids), which is being sold by my landlord with us in situ as tenants. As part of the exchange process, a gas safety check was conducted. A “dangerous” leak was discovered and the gas supply cut off until new piping was installed and the gas rerouted. Our gas oven was also condemned as dangerous and disconnected.
It turns out, now I’ve looked into legal requirements and what has/ hasn’t been done, that my landlord hasn’t done a gas safety check for 5 years! He should have done so annually. Nor has he done an electricity safety check. None of the legally required certificates exist so the tenancy has been illegal for 5 years!
Do we have a claim against the landlord for rent repayment/ damages?
Do we have a claim against the (leading) estate agent which let us the property and continued to gather the rent/ charge commission without checking these certificates existed/ were being renewed.
Many thanks for any advice. I am truly speechless with horror at what might have happened/ the health implications for my family.