Defects in Leasehold Property

[ecs]

I'm just wondering what my rights are with regards to a couple of situations I'm having with my leasehold flat.

The first issue has been going on since February where a wooden lintel above one my my windows has degraded. This has cause the pointing of the brickwork surrounding it to break and has caused a leak. The landlord has told me that there are plans to fix this, but six months on nothing has happened. My windows are very large and I don't particularly want them to be removed during winter and I don't want more water to leak into the property when the weather turns after the summer. Is there anything I can do to expedite the repairs as it seems that the landlord is dragging his heals with this one.

The second issue is an air leak between one of my bedrooms ceiling and the living room of the property above. This is causing cigarette smoke to be vented into the bedroom which I find really unpleasant. I want this fixed yesterday and certainly don't want to wait for the landlord to piss about for 6 months doing nothing so need to expedite this one too- anything I can do about this one?

Thanks

[SimNugget]

Leasehold? Means you own it no? So it is your problem to fix.

Presuming you are a tenant.

1. Not sure but it is in the landlords interest before the wall collapses.
2. Big can of expanding foam unless the void is huge - great stuff.

[ecs]

It's a 150 year rental

Was wondering whether I should drill through the ceiling and pack it in with foam - good shout.

[Wozy68]

Surely there is a management company in place where you all contribute too?
If so it's usually paid out of this fund for the upkeep of the exterior of the building . Where the interior is concerned, if it's found to be no fault of your own usually the insurance or again maintenance fund of the building pays.

To replace the lintel, normally does not need the removal of the window.

[ecs]

The landlord owns the management company - that's who I've been dealing with, they just seem to be pretty slow with everything. Glad to hear that the lintel ought to be doable without taking the window out though.