AST - breach on landlords part
Discussion
Odd one.
I rent, because I like renting, and it means we get property adventures without stamp duty
This last one was picked in a bit of a rush, and is 1) too small, 2) shabby for the money, and 3) an accidental landlord who is replacing nice broken things with lowest price working stuff, utterly inappropriate to the property (and choosing to ignore some things on the snagging list entirely).
Both the missus and I are viewing this as a constructive breach on their part, but I'm struggling to find anything that helps us with next steps. From a LL perspective, it's easy - serve a S.8 for rent arrears. What do we do as tenants?
I rent, because I like renting, and it means we get property adventures without stamp duty
This last one was picked in a bit of a rush, and is 1) too small, 2) shabby for the money, and 3) an accidental landlord who is replacing nice broken things with lowest price working stuff, utterly inappropriate to the property (and choosing to ignore some things on the snagging list entirely).
Both the missus and I are viewing this as a constructive breach on their part, but I'm struggling to find anything that helps us with next steps. From a LL perspective, it's easy - serve a S.8 for rent arrears. What do we do as tenants?
See here: http://england.shelter.org.uk/get_advice/repairs_a...
In your shoes unless they were safety issues or the original items massively contributed to the value of the property I would keep exactly to the letter of the AST and move as soon as I could & chalk it up to experience. Going down any kind of formal route will only make life harder, especially at check out.
In your shoes unless they were safety issues or the original items massively contributed to the value of the property I would keep exactly to the letter of the AST and move as soon as I could & chalk it up to experience. Going down any kind of formal route will only make life harder, especially at check out.
walm said:
"shabby" place and he is replacing with "low price" stuff?
Sounds entirely appropriate!
Can you give an example?
Is it just a 2 oven Aga not the 4 oven one? #FirstWorldProblems
It is actually a 2 oven AGA Sounds entirely appropriate!
Can you give an example?
Is it just a 2 oven Aga not the 4 oven one? #FirstWorldProblems
Not sure that's working right as it's on the blackline and top oven v hot, bottom oven temperate at best, but am afraid to complain in case they replace with a Baby Belling.Silly things like landlord themselves did the refresh decoration, and as well as painting over the border paper from the 80's, they've put emulsion on the kitchen cabinets, so that's wiping straight back off. Door handles loose, replaced with different ones on either side, windows all painted shut. Bodged decoration.
Gates hanging apart, no replacement until they fall off, and leave the garden open etc.
Shower not working (because they were told to fit a dual feed pump, fitted a single feed) took best part of three months to fix.
Snagging lists supplied, no great issue, but they are cherry picking and ignoring the rest. Silly things like broken bathplug chains will not be replaced, wobbly flagstones in the hall will be ignored.
Agents being good at nodding, agreeing and doing SFA. Agents suggested the possibility of us allowing prospective new tenants in, and we said we would be happy with this, and would put stuff in storage to make it look like a spacious 4 bed for a family, get a daily in to keep it spotless, and lo and behold, it's all gone quiet.
I don't want to drop the landlords in it by flitting (and ruining my good references), but I'm not seeing a middle ground between STFU and wait, and ruining their lives like we had tenants do to us ages ago.
Been in the same boat ... well, sort of. The stuff that was already broken when I moved in mostly didn't even get fixed or the LL told me to sort it myself and he'd get me some tins of beer! The guy was an overgrown kid who though everything was a bit of a laugh and I knew I'd get nowhere with him so I quietly stuck it out until the AST ended and made sure I had somewhere decent lined up.
randlemarcus said:
walm said:
"shabby" place and he is replacing with "low price" stuff?
Sounds entirely appropriate!
Can you give an example?
Is it just a 2 oven Aga not the 4 oven one? #FirstWorldProblems
It is actually a 2 oven AGA Sounds entirely appropriate!
Can you give an example?
Is it just a 2 oven Aga not the 4 oven one? #FirstWorldProblems
Not sure that's working right as it's on the blackline and top oven v hot, bottom oven temperate at best, but am afraid to complain in case they replace with a Baby Belling.Silly things like landlord themselves did the refresh decoration, and as well as painting over the border paper from the 80's, they've put emulsion on the kitchen cabinets, so that's wiping straight back off. Door handles loose, replaced with different ones on either side, windows all painted shut. Bodged decoration.
Gates hanging apart, no replacement until they fall off, and leave the garden open etc.
Shower not working (because they were told to fit a dual feed pump, fitted a single feed) took best part of three months to fix.
A bath plug is about £1.50 from the plumbers merchants and you can have a nice shiny chrome one for £3.
Snagging lists supplied, no great issue, but they are cherry picking and ignoring the rest. Silly things like broken bathplug chains will not be replaced, wobbly flagstones in the hall will be ignored.
Agents being good at nodding, agreeing and doing SFA. Agents suggested the possibility of us allowing prospective new tenants in, and we said we would be happy with this, and would put stuff in storage to make it look like a spacious 4 bed for a family, get a daily in to keep it spotless, and lo and behold, it's all gone quiet.
I don't want to drop the landlords in it by flitting (and ruining my good references), but I'm not seeing a middle ground between STFU and wait, and ruining their lives like we had tenants do to us ages ago.
Are you the agent? 
randlemarcus said:
This last one was picked in a bit of a rush, and is 1) too small, 2) shabby for the money, and 3) an accidental landlord who is replacing nice broken things with lowest price working stuff, utterly inappropriate to the property (and choosing to ignore some things on the snagging list entirely).
Out of your 3 complaints, 2 are for things you knew or ought to have known before you signed the lease. randlemarcus said:
It is actually a 2 oven AGA Not sure that's working right as it's on the blackline and top oven v hot, bottom oven temperate at best, but am afraid to complain in case they replace with a Baby Belling.
The rest sounds rubbish but this bit sounds normal to me. I think you're supposed to adjust the temperatures to the middle grounds of those two extremes by using the cold shelf (which you're not supposed to keep in the AGA when not in use, it needs to be stored cold). Well I think that's what my AGA book says anyway. We have the 4 oven so don't have to mess about with that though! Not sure that's working right as it's on the blackline and top oven v hot, bottom oven temperate at best, but am afraid to complain in case they replace with a Baby Belling.creampuff said:
Out of your 3 complaints, 2 are for things you knew or ought to have known before you signed the lease.
Can't disagree, if I'm honest. It looked bigger without all my crap in it The shabby thing is subtle shabbiness (fresh paint, but the wrong paint, and windows painted shut). Some was noticed, and promised to be fixed, some is stuff you only notice after you start using stuff. Funnily enough, they aren't keen on test drives.Gassing Station | Speed, Plod & the Law | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff