Hello i'm really in need of some help, I am posting here on behalf of my sister and her boyfriend and 11 week old baby. They moved into a 2 bedroom part-furnished flat in April 2012, they went through a Letting / Estate agent. When they moved in to the flat, the whole flat was dirty and the oven was filthy. Shortly after they moved in they noticed consistent growth of mould in the kitchen cupboards and mould also formed in every room.
The landlords response to this was lending them a dehumidifier which they have to use on a daily basis, this has to be on constantly. Shortly after the extremely old boiler failed on numerous occasions, the first time it broke down the landlord sent an engineer out, who had told them it had some sort of leak and was on its way out, and no action was taken.
The bathroom has mould on the walls and ceiling which was noticed upon moving in, which they had cleaned to no avail. The shower inside wall has in the past allowed water ingress into the flat below via there electrics according to the plumber and neighbours. This seems to be an ongoing problem.
Finally after a second plumber/electrician came out to inspect the boiler which had completely failed, they deemed it to be condemned on a number of faults. In consequence, they were told by their landlord that they need to vacate the premises at their own cost whilst they install a new boiler over a 3 day period. In addition, they expected them to either return to the property with the heating on full power for 4 days to dry out the property. Or remain away from the property at their own cost.
Yesterday her boyfriend contacted the landlord to query about the process of the boiler installation, and he was told the boiler has been fitted and is working. On inspection today they found that the boiler hasn't been installed completely. Also on inspecting the bathroom all the tiles have fallen off the outside wall (Please see pictures attached below).
On a further update he contacted the landlord yesterday evening for a second time to query what he recommended they do in the mean time regarding their alternative accommodation. He became very aggressive and said "I've got a lot of properties and I've been a landlord for over 10 years. Its your problem not mine, and if you don't like it. Move out! Go somewhere else".
This morning, they contacted their Letting / Estate agent Northwoods in St Albans, Herts, for some guidance on the problems they were experiencing, they explained the situation and the letting agency was very dismissive and told them to sort it out with the landlord themselves.
They're paying a lot of money for this 2 bedroom flat and they don't have the money to pay for a solicitor. I hope someone here can guide me on what they can do.
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Regards,
Danny
The landlords response to this was lending them a dehumidifier which they have to use on a daily basis, this has to be on constantly. Shortly after the extremely old boiler failed on numerous occasions, the first time it broke down the landlord sent an engineer out, who had told them it had some sort of leak and was on its way out, and no action was taken.
The bathroom has mould on the walls and ceiling which was noticed upon moving in, which they had cleaned to no avail. The shower inside wall has in the past allowed water ingress into the flat below via there electrics according to the plumber and neighbours. This seems to be an ongoing problem.
Finally after a second plumber/electrician came out to inspect the boiler which had completely failed, they deemed it to be condemned on a number of faults. In consequence, they were told by their landlord that they need to vacate the premises at their own cost whilst they install a new boiler over a 3 day period. In addition, they expected them to either return to the property with the heating on full power for 4 days to dry out the property. Or remain away from the property at their own cost.
Yesterday her boyfriend contacted the landlord to query about the process of the boiler installation, and he was told the boiler has been fitted and is working. On inspection today they found that the boiler hasn't been installed completely. Also on inspecting the bathroom all the tiles have fallen off the outside wall (Please see pictures attached below).
On a further update he contacted the landlord yesterday evening for a second time to query what he recommended they do in the mean time regarding their alternative accommodation. He became very aggressive and said "I've got a lot of properties and I've been a landlord for over 10 years. Its your problem not mine, and if you don't like it. Move out! Go somewhere else".
This morning, they contacted their Letting / Estate agent Northwoods in St Albans, Herts, for some guidance on the problems they were experiencing, they explained the situation and the letting agency was very dismissive and told them to sort it out with the landlord themselves.
They're paying a lot of money for this 2 bedroom flat and they don't have the money to pay for a solicitor. I hope someone here can guide me on what they can do.
Regards,
Danny