asking on behalf of a friend -damp in rented property

[sausagesandwich34]

friend of mine privately rents a maisonette with an attic room

the whole property is damp, the walls literally feel wet and the attic room is so damp it's unuseable

he is a student doing graphic art and they picked the flat as they thought it would make a good space for him to work but he can't leave anything in there as the paper gets wet and wrinkles it's that wet

there is a shower in a center room with no window

it has an extractor which vents into the eaves, the extractor hose can be seen in a cupboard under the eaves but does not go outside

there is no loft insulation, in the same cupoard you can see the roof lining

he's been on to the letting agent but his contract says landlord is responsible for repairs

landlord says they need to air the property!

they don't dry clothes in the flat, they use the extractor when showering and do crack open the windows but the flat is very cold, they have a card meter for the gas so it's exensive and they are both masters/PHD students so obviously can't afford to keep the heating on with the windows open to dry the place as has been suggested

does anyone have any advice for them?

shall I post this in legal too?

thanks

Perhaps a dehumidifier would help with the damp? Has made a massive difference to condensation in my house.

lots of idiotic design features there - it's obvious why it gets damp with the shower venting into the attic! 20/20 hindsight, but people renting a property need to look at all these things BEFORE signing up.

the shower needs to be vented outside and the place to be properly insulated - but the landlord is not obliged to do these things (Although he would be nuts not to as the damage is going to mount up very quickly through people just living there)

dehumidifiers cost lots to run. This sounds like a 'stick it out to the end of the lease and then leave' situation, sorry.

BTW with correct tariff choice metered fuel need not be more expensive.

I thought it was pretty idiotic when he told me but it's the first place they have rented (were lucky to be in halls) and they didn't know what to look for

there isn't a lot of choice for the rental market for students in our area, they had to pay first 6 months up front plus the bond to get someone to take them on

we are only about 8 miles from the uni but the student housing is all HMO and as they are a bit older, they wanted something a bit more grown up

I've lent them a dehumidifier but they aren't cheap to run and it's not a long term solution for them

rental contract runs to july! ouch!

Landlords have a legal obligation to ensure the property is fit to inhabit. With damp this bad they need to sort it or they are in breach of contract.

I speak from knowledge of some housing regs and personal experience with damp and mould.

Do:

• Inform the landlord about the problem in writing. They will now be obliged to rectify it, by law. If the letting agent is responsible for repairs it's their responsibility and same applies. Telling them to air the property won't suffice.
• Call Shelter's housing advice line, they helped us get out of our contract in this situ (though not students, same laws apply) and to get some compensation. They will tell you to send written notification and can help write this.
• Take photos
• If necessary threaten to leave as they are in breach of contract as it's not habitable

Do not

• Withhold rent
• Threaten to withhold rent
• Believe anyone who advises withholding rent as this will lose all high ground

NB inform them in writing regardless of any telephone correspondence. Shelter can advise on exactly which legislation to quote. Do call as they are excellent at advising in situations like this.

I've told them to keep paying the rent

don't want to give the landlord any reason to evict them

What kind of tenancy is it eg assured shorthold? Are they in England? (Tenancies work slightly differently in Scotland.)

And have they been notified that their deposit is being held correctly?

Just reread your post and seen it's definitely the landlord who needs to sort it, missed that before sorry. Do call Shelter, they can and will help.

Whereas environmental health are bugger all help not much use.

they are in england -I'm not sure what type of tenancy agreement they have other than the letting agent arranged viewings etc but the landlord is reponsible for repairs

12 month contract ending in July

I'll pass on the info about shelter

I have suggested CAB to him but they are only open 2 afternoons a week and he is struggling to get an appointment with them

oh and letting agent confirmed the deposit

this is difficult, when I rented a place that had serious damp caused by stuctural issues they just kept giving me leaflets about not drying clothes indoors - they always try to blame the tennants!

Don't bother with CAB, just call Shelter.

They will need to dig out the tenancy agreement so they can say if it's an assured shorthold tenancy and if it has a break clause - this will affect the advice given.