Upstairs flat damaging our property.

[Swimminglikeaswan]

Hi! Our upstairs "neighbour" has rented out the flat he owns for several years. He is not a responsible landlord and the property is in a terrible state with a long- term tennant who is equally messy. The issue we have is that the windows to this property are the old aluminium double glazing and in such a poor state that whenever it rains, water runs down the cavity between the walls. The owner keeps saying he will deal with this but never does. Our plasterwork, coving and carpets are ruined. There is no management committee over the properties and our insurers tell us they can claim for damage but cannot enforce repairs to prevent further damage. Am guessing i now have to go down legal route which i can't really afford. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Have you tried contacting your local environmental health department? They could be a good starting point

Separately to the claims they can make, does your home insurance include legal assistance/cover? If so you could get some advice through that about enforcement. Maybe Shelter would also be a source of advice, although they tend to focus on tenants they will have knowledge of how to make landlords fulfil their responsibilities.

Thank You!

Who is the freeholder ? Often external repairs are done collectively and costs shared. What does the lease state?