Discussion
I need advice before losing the plot.
We rented a property in June of last year for £1850 per month. In November due to a faulty hose on toilet upstairs the property flooded. We claimed for small losses from our insurance and the landlords dealt with theirs. During the next 5 months we were left with dehumidifiers running 24 hours a day and the utility and downstairs toilet primarily unusable due to no electrics working. The kitchen was left with one bulb working out of 8 spots with the remaining lights hanging from ceiling. The landing carpet was also ripped up due to needing access to floorboards and never replaced.
In April this year their insurance finally sanctioned repairs and we were told that they would cover temporary accommodation for three weeks to a value of £1800. Which they would pay as insurance said the house was livable during work despite having no kitchen and dining room and builders on site everyday. We have two dogs which were not allowed in temp accom. The landlords stated they could not afford to pay for dogs kennels. We felt the work would be difficult to finish in three weeks so booked four weeks for us and dogs separately. This cost us in excess of £1,500.
When the four weeks were up the house wasn't finished and we had to move back in whilst it was completed. In addition the house suffered from terrible damp in several rooms, when I told landlords they stated not to put furniture against walls!
During the five months the landlords gave us a rebate of £250pm. When we left in September the landlords told us to provide electricity bills in order to reclaim extra electric usage due to dehumidifiers running 24 hours a day. I did this and expected approx. £150-200 back.
I chased this yesterday and received the following:
"I have , it came through on Saturday , I was going to ring you as we have had a problem with the shower room whereby there has been a break in the silicone which we weren't made aware of . We have now had to take off most of the tiles in the actual shower & will have to replace all the board behind the tiles & unfortunately @ present can't match tiles so may need to replace the whole room . What are your thoughts , it's not related to the flood I have had that checked but is due to the silicone being broken / lifting . Will wait your reply . I hope you are all well"
Obviously we were not aware of any break in the silicon.
What would be the appropriate reply?
We rented a property in June of last year for £1850 per month. In November due to a faulty hose on toilet upstairs the property flooded. We claimed for small losses from our insurance and the landlords dealt with theirs. During the next 5 months we were left with dehumidifiers running 24 hours a day and the utility and downstairs toilet primarily unusable due to no electrics working. The kitchen was left with one bulb working out of 8 spots with the remaining lights hanging from ceiling. The landing carpet was also ripped up due to needing access to floorboards and never replaced.
In April this year their insurance finally sanctioned repairs and we were told that they would cover temporary accommodation for three weeks to a value of £1800. Which they would pay as insurance said the house was livable during work despite having no kitchen and dining room and builders on site everyday. We have two dogs which were not allowed in temp accom. The landlords stated they could not afford to pay for dogs kennels. We felt the work would be difficult to finish in three weeks so booked four weeks for us and dogs separately. This cost us in excess of £1,500.
When the four weeks were up the house wasn't finished and we had to move back in whilst it was completed. In addition the house suffered from terrible damp in several rooms, when I told landlords they stated not to put furniture against walls!
During the five months the landlords gave us a rebate of £250pm. When we left in September the landlords told us to provide electricity bills in order to reclaim extra electric usage due to dehumidifiers running 24 hours a day. I did this and expected approx. £150-200 back.
I chased this yesterday and received the following:
"I have , it came through on Saturday , I was going to ring you as we have had a problem with the shower room whereby there has been a break in the silicone which we weren't made aware of . We have now had to take off most of the tiles in the actual shower & will have to replace all the board behind the tiles & unfortunately @ present can't match tiles so may need to replace the whole room . What are your thoughts , it's not related to the flood I have had that checked but is due to the silicone being broken / lifting . Will wait your reply . I hope you are all well"
Obviously we were not aware of any break in the silicon.
What would be the appropriate reply?
leedogg3 said:
Obviously we were not aware of any break in the silicon.
What would be the appropriate reply?
This.What would be the appropriate reply?
Simple as that.
If they want to take matters further, they then need to start calling you a liar, and then proving you have lied on the balance of probabilities. That's realistically not going to happen. Of course, you don't need to go into that, just stick to the facts.
Edited by JustinP1 on Wednesday 25th November 09:40
redddraggon said:
Normal wear and tear surely?
The suggestion would be that the OP ignored an issue with the house that caused damage. It's usually a term of a tenancy agreement that the tenant informs the landlord straight away about any issues or anything which is causing damage. What they seem to be aiming towards is that the OP failed in this duty, breached his contract, and is therefore liable for the losses incurred. leedogg3 said:
Thanks for replies. I am amazed at the response from the landlord to be honest as I feel we have been extremely reasonable throughout the while episode. I guess we will never see money for excess electric..
Yes, that's what they are aiming at. Their angle is 'Look at this big problem.... want to forget about your money?'.Keep things short and sweet. Say you know nothing about a problem with the silicone. Don't mention the electricity money. Keep correspondence totally separate about the two issues.
JustinP1 said:
Yes, that's what they are aiming at. Their angle is 'Look at this big problem.... want to forget about your money?'.
Keep things short and sweet. Say you know nothing about a problem with the silicone. Don't mention the electricity money. Keep correspondence totally separate about the two issues.
Will do, thanks for your help.Keep things short and sweet. Say you know nothing about a problem with the silicone. Don't mention the electricity money. Keep correspondence totally separate about the two issues.
Collectingbrass said:
How was the condition of the shower recorded in the move in inventory and condition report? It would be highly unlikely for it to go from "all in order" in June last year to the extent of work your landlord is alleging is required now.
The shower room was visibly inspected during our first day accompanied by the agency representative and again on the day of vacating. On both occasions it looked fine. It was a double walk in shower cubicle with a floor tray. It wasn't the brightest room so any silicon inspection would have to be done on your hands and knees. There was definitely no obvious sign of a fault. I have now replied stating we were not aware and it was not picked up on the final inspection, other bits were and we agreed to an amount taken from deposit. During the 15 months we were there I reported damp, a faulty drainpipe, once the kitchen had been replaced I made them aware of faults and on the week before we left I informed them that there where problems with the oak floor the fitters had laid.
leedogg3 said:
Bump! Have now had a reply completely ignoring my reply asking again what I want to do regarding shower??
Copy and paste what you told them previously. Add that you are not liable for any and all repairs to the property, including ones that you had no idea needed repairing.What they are doing is obvious now. They are attempting to get you to offset payment for the electricity. Put a deadline on receiving the electricity money. Is your deposit in a scheme?
Edited by JustinP1 on Friday 27th November 15:45
JustinP1 said:
Copy and paste what you told them previously. Add that you are not liable for any and all repairs to the property, including ones that you had no idea needed repairing.
What they are doing is obvious now. They are attempting to get you to offset payment for the electricity. Put a deadline on receiving the electricity money. Is your deposit in a scheme?
We had deposit back within two weeks less a couple of items.What they are doing is obvious now. They are attempting to get you to offset payment for the electricity. Put a deadline on receiving the electricity money. Is your deposit in a scheme?
Edited by JustinP1 on Friday 27th November 15:45
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