Rights regarding general repairs etc as a tenant

[Twiga]

Just a quick enquiry to see if anyone could give me an idiots guide to what I should expect from our landlords regarding up-keep of our house/repairs. Am aware that my best bet may be to contact CAB but thought I'd ask anyway.

Prob is we're dealing with our landlords direct - agent only did the intro stuff. Both are very pleasant people.

Three weeks ago we informed them that the washing machine wasn't usable as due to not being installed/balanced properly it was physically moving out of it's alcove it was vibrating that badly on the spin cycle. For three weeks we've duely been using the local laundrette - total pain on a money/time front and have had to switch to disposable nappies so more cost. They've been out five times to look at it, each time attempting to prop it with bits of wood or fiddle with the feet to try and balance it - no-ones pulled it our yet. Looks like a workman is now coming next week to look at it.

This evening I pulled the sofa out from the wall in the living room and there's damp, the paint is flaking and the wall is wet to the touch. The house was bought as a fixer upper but due to the market couldn't sell so is being rented. We totally understand their position as we're currently trying to sell our own house where we used to live to very little avail right now. Thing is money is tight for us too and the rent here means we're effectively paying the equivialant of 3 times our mortgage to cover the two properites so for me it's a little frustrating to be stuck waiting so long for things to be sorted and for things to not be right with our rental property. Don't want to be narky with the landlords and also starting to feel like we do nothing but go to them with one prob after another. Obviously the wall is going to need sorted.

Not really sure how much we can push for things to be sorted quickly etc given we're dealing with them direct - if it had been the agent I would have rung and had a good moan by now. Sorry this is so long, not really sure of law down here in England (we moved form Scotland).

bumping - sorry i know this is long and dull but any help appreciated .

Here is the Shelter (England) site which may help link

This is the CAB's advice

Damp is somehing that your landlady needs to sort out, however not sure on the washing machine, depends whether it is in the contract or not.

Thanks for those links - better get some stuff down in writing, we've been a bit lax about it because they've been approachable so most comm has been via txt. This is their first time as landlords and ours as tenants (since we were students) so we've been trying to be as friendly as poss, prob a bit niave as is buisness after all.

FGMID - the machine is theirs rather than ours ie kitchen fully equiped when we moved in on an appliance front. All appliances new so it's not like they wouldn't be covered under guarentee etc if faulty.

should clarify that it's never worked properly, we never caused the prob with it.

In that case down to her, if its under guarantee then she shouldn't have to pay for it. I also find it easier to go through agents.

This is why I will not accept privately renting (as opposed to waiting for the council to house me).Too may properties now on the rental market placed there because they have not sold.
Many of the owners have no idea of the responsibilities that being a landlord entails.
Not to mention the number who may be over stretching themselves financially and may head for bankruptcy.
I want a secure tenancy this time - a place to call mine as long as I pay the rent.

Off topic I know but I do feel there are alot of new landlords out there who are totally unprepared for what that means.

If it's her washing machine and also her damp property then the repairs of each are down to her.

They have to fix the damp. I had to when we rented a property.

As or the machine - it just sounds like as much of a pain to them as it is to you. Try and stay calm about that one

Definately write at least an email with any issues rather than texts so you can keep a history.