Hello, Is anyone able to advise me on what I should do about the following issues, that my LL is yet to address? 1.) We havent had a copy of the Energy Performance Certificate 2.) Reported loose bathroom tiles in August, 3 days after moving in - still not fixed 3.) No smoke detectors (not sure if this is a legal requirement though?) 4.) Cold water tap broken in bathroom - reported in November still not fixed 5.) Missing knobs that control the oven, so have to use a cocktail stick to switch it on - only found this out after we had moved in 6.) Electrical Inspection Report not provided, not sure if legal requirement but we live in an old house and we've had shocks off the main oven switch and sockets in lounge, and the electrics trip weekly! Many thanks

It's very frustrating considering the other issues we have overlooked, but as you say, maybe its the least stressful solution. Can anyone advise me on the other points?

To be honest, once the 12 months is up we will be leaving the property anyway, there have been other issues since we moved in that havent be rectified despite numerous requests. 1.) We havent had a copy of the Energy Performance Certificate 2.) Reported loose bathroom tiles in August - still not fixed 3.) No smoke detectors (not sure if this is a legal requirement though?) 4.) Cold water tap broken in bathroom - reported in November still not fixed 5.) Missing knobs that control the oven, so have to use a cocktail stick to switch it on - only found this out after we had moved in 6.) Electrical Inspection Report not provided, not sure if legal requirement however we have both had shocks off the main oven switch and sockets in lounge, the electrics trip weekly!

This invoice came from the 2nd plumber not the initial one, he has not charged us...yet.

It was the LL who called the plumber out who gave incorrect advice not us - her usual plumber (a friend) was available to come out the next day and the whole week the heating was off, yet she didnt ask his opinion when I kept calling to say we had concerns about the plumber. I just dont feel she did all she could to help the situation.

Thank you Rebel11, I did actually read somewhere else that it is the Landlords responsibility. I have written to her and disputed the invoice as per S11 of the above and asked that she pays the bill as it is her responsibilty, she refused and said its nothing to do with her, and it is up to us to pay it as we caused the problem. Any ideas on my next move?

Hi, Apologies in advance for the long post! My partner and I are 6 months into our 12 month AST with a private LL and have been having a few issues during the past month or so, I wondered if anyone could advise me on the following... We live in 1920's semi detached house in rural location (5 miles from nearest town) which is heated by home heating oil, which is new to us having always had a gas supply to our previous homes. Anyway 2 weeks before Christmas we ordered 500L of Heating Oil from the supplier that the LL had recommended, delivery was arranged for 16th December and cash on delivery. Unfortunately it did not arrive on the 16th, so I contacted the oil company on 17th Dec who informed me that they could not find a record of our order, I was obviously very concerned about this as the oil level was very low, I asked if they could make an urgent delivery - unfortunatley they couldn't deliver until the first week in Jan, due to the weather conditions and a shortage of oil. I called a number (14 in total!) of different suppliers to see if we could get an emergency delivery but each one said the same, or that we would need to apply for an account which could take 7 days before we book a delivery. This was not suitable for us so we contacted a friend who uses oil who said we could buy drums and fill up at garage pump 15 miles away. We had no other option at that point than to try and fill the oil tank ourselves (it was -15c so didnt want the oil to run out!), we filled 4 drums of oil (100l) and poured it into the tank...I went to check the boiler was still working and found that it has stopped and 'locked out' - my partner tried to start the system up but it wouldnt go. I felt the radiators and they were starting to get cold....yes the oil had run out! I called our LL and informed her of the situation and she said she would try and contact the usual plumber who lives 2 miles away and get him out that day, but we would have to pay for any repairs as we had not kept the oil filled up. I explained the delivery problems we'd had but she said its not her responsibility to pay for the plumber its the tenants. We have never rented before so we presumed she was correct. The LL called back to say the usual plumber was not available so would I look in the yellow pages and try to find a different plumber, and she would do that same. She then called me back and said she'd found a plumber to come out who charges no call out fees and he would be round at 4pm, I was due at a hospital appointment that day so she agreed to come to the house and meet the plumber in my absence. She called me that afternoon and said the system had an airlock and we need to fill the tank up with oil, I reiterated that we were struggling to get oil from anywhere and would have to drive 30 miles round trip and fill 25litre drums, we said we would do that and ring her when we had more oil in the system. This temperatures at this point were still between -12c and -18c and we had a foot of snow, as it was so cold and we couldnt get any oil until the monday we decided to stay at a relatives for the night, when we returned the next day the pipes had frozen and we had no water (only a trickle from the kitchen cold tap) and the toilets would not flush, also no shower. I informed the LL that the pipes had frozen and she said we had to keep the house warm with heaters to unfreeze the pipes, I explained that we had purchased halogen heaters and had been trying to keep one room warm but couldnt as there is a no door into the conservatory so we're losing all of the heat. She was not very understanding and advised me to draw the curtains and sellotape them to the wall to keep the heat in! That night my partner and I slept on the sofas in the living room, with 2 halogen heaters and a small electric heater and it was absolutely freezing even though we were fully clothed and had blankets, duvets and hot water bottles. On the monday we managed to get 250l into the tank manually, I called the LL again and informed her, she called the plumber out again and he tried to get the system going but again said we needed more oil - this seemed strange because it worked prior to this with less oil. After spending 3 days filling the tank up with 625l of oil (25 drums) and hiring a van for 3 days to do this we called the LL again, by this time 6 days had passed without heat or water and my partner and I had both got terrible flu, I was in tears to the LL and said we really hoped that theres enough in the tank now (the tank was over half full!), she told me to call the plumber out again to try the system again - still no luck, he said we needed more oil. We were shocked because by this time, my partner and I had forked out £740 - an extra £400 than the original cost of our oil delivery (£340 for 500L) and had filled the tank with more than enough oil. The plumber said he was going away that evening and couldnt come back until the New Year. I called the LL immediately and told her that we were not prepared to keep putting oil into the system as we did not feel the plumber knew what he was doing. I also stressed that it had been 6 days now without heat or water and we are 2 days from Christmas, she said she would try the plumber who lives 2 miles away (why didnt she try him after my previous 4 phone calls I don't know!), he arrived with the LL 45 minutes later. We explained what the other plumber had said re the oil level - he said it was complete rubbish and we didn't need that amount of oil to get the system going...100L would suffice. The plumber then set to work on the oil boiler and released the airlock, he then bled the radiators and the heating gradually came back on - the whole process was 1 hour. As you can imagine we were very upset that we had spent the extra money unecessarily, and it was clear that the plumber did not have a clue about oil heating systems. I was even more upset when I received an invoice from the plumber (sent by the LL) for the repair bill of £55.00, considering what we had already paid out. Also the house was effectively inhabiltable for those 6 days as there was no basic sanitation or heat (she gave us 20 year old small electric heater which did nothing!), even though we stayed in the living room for 2 nights to keep the pipes warm at her request. Can anyone advise me if: a.) It is the T responsibilty to pay for the plumbers repair bill b.) Would we be able to request some sort of compensation / rent reduction from the LL for the number of days the house was inhabitable? Any advice would be greatly appreciated

I will call them first thing in the morning. I really dont want them to award the judgment in the claimant's favour as the amount they're claiming is £2100 - however the true amount I owe is £926, hence my defending the claim. I'll never buy Leasehold again! Thanks for your advice Supasnooper, much appreciated!

Thanks Supasnooper I've had a look and it says in the user guide that if a defence is submitted after 4pm it will be processed the next day the court is open. So i'm guessing i'm screwed??

Hi, I could really do with some advice on the following:- I have had a Claim issued against me which I have part admit to but part defend. I contacted Northampton Bulk Centre to find out the deadline for my response and was told the 4th October (a Sunday) This was fine and I set about preparing my defence (nightmare!), I managed to get it all complete and went online to submit it as advised by the lady I spoke to at Northampton Bulk Centre. After I had put all of the information in I clicked submit and it showed a message saying it had been submitted on Saturday 3rd at 4:32pm however if it was weekend or bank holiday it wold not be processed until the next day the court would be open. Nowhere did it say this when i was putting the details in nor did the lady at Northampton advise me to submit on the Friday if the deadline falls on a weekend. I have checked online and it says " Your Part Admission was received by the Court and processed on 5 October 2009." My question now is have a automatically got a CCJ now? Is there any way I could appeal as I did infact submit it online on 3rd October, a day before my deadline? Sorry for the long post! Any help is very much appreciated! Classy

Hi, Havent been on for a while, so thought i would update... I sent a letter on 3rd October to Cap One requesting the amount of charges back from them as it stands i havent had any response from them. What is the next step? Do i need to ask for the credit agreement now or do I just write another letter saying i will proceed with the court claim if i dont hear from them in 14 days? Thanks for your help !

My statements have finally arrived! (by special delivery!) I have gone through and totalled up the late payment and overlimit fees and have a total of £528! I didnt think it was going to be this much! What i need to know is which interest am I best claiming for ? The 8% or the Contractual interest? I have read through the guides but i am still a little unsure of what to do I have started my letter to request the money back and have also included the text about a default. I did notice on my credit report that they had entered a default against me in 2004 for £549 but i do not recall ever receiving anything informing me about it. Anyway in 2006 i managed to clear the balance on the account by paying Scotcall (DCA) £500, he agreed a settlement figure with Cap One whereby they would accept £500 as the final figure and wiping the £49 off. However when i checked my credit report in April this year i nitoced that the default is unsatisfied and an outstanding balance of £49 is on there! I do not believe i owe this £49 as it was agreed with the Scotcall and Cap One that £500 was acceptable as a settlement figure. How do i go about getting this sorted out? Any advice is much appreciated CL

Just over two weeks have now passed since I sent off my SAR and havent heard anything from Capital One yet, the cheque hasn't been banked either. Does anyone know how long it usually takes for them to send out? I suspect that they will wait until the last minute !

Thanks StokiePotter, i'm going to post it at lunchtime! The clock starts ticking now! Dont worry i will hold out for all the money !

Thanks guys, I have now downloaded the template letter, do I need to send any proof of my ID? I was going to send a photocopy of my drivers licence. I have got my credit report from Experian in front of me and its doesnt show a reference number for the account anywhere. It just says the date the card was started and then the default date and amount and history. I have included my previous 2 addresses so hopefully they will be able to find me from those and also my date of birth etc. I will keep you updated

Hi I need some advice please... I had a Capital One credit card which i got behind on payments, it was eventually settled in 2005 and paid in full. However i requested my credit file recently and have found a default for £49 on there from Capital One. i have never been told about a default so im not too happy about it and want it to be removed. Also i am wanting to claim back the charges that i incurred during the time the account was open, i remember being charged about £50 a month for quite a while as i was over my limit and paid late etc. I have a problem though, i have no record of the account number as it was lost when i moved house following my divorce. Does anyone know how i would go about claiming without my account no? Thanks in advance CL

Thanks tonycee. I think i will leave reclaiming them until i have changed lender

Yep i think this is [problem] too! I am with Southern Electric, i switched recently using U.Switch, it took about 3-4 weeks and they do it all for you - you also get a free case of wine worth £65 from Virgin Wines for switching!

In 2006 i fell into arrears on my mortgage with Birmingham Midshires, each month i was charged a £35 arrears charge and also a bounced payment charge of £40. This went on for a number of months even though i was trying to pay off as much as i could afford each month. (i had lost my job) Eventually BM issued repossesion proceedings against me and i was charged for this and also the solicitors fees which were around £500. I managed to clear my arrears after I admitted my situation to my father and he helped me clear them and i paid him back when i got a new job though I havent been in arrears since this and my payment record has been perfect since February last year What i would like to know is; a.) Am i able to claim back these charges back b.) If i was successful in reclaiming them back what effect would it have on me if i wanted to apply for an advance further down the line? (I am still with BM and im on a good rate so wouldnt want to remortgage) c.) I have a list of the charges from my mortgage statement so what letter would i send them? CL

I too have the same problem with CIFAS warnings - I have three identical ones which Natwest put onto my credit file with Experian in June last year. They all say that i gave false or misleading information, which i have never done! I actually applied online for a step account in June 07 and recieved an account number and internet bank pin etc, then two days later i recieved a letter from Natwest saying my application was unsuccesful as i didnt meet their criteria, i was given Experians address and the usual crappy information leaflet. Next day i received a bank statement from Natwest saying account closed - i had the account for two days! I rang and questioned it but they couldnt find any record of me on ther system. Anyway i didnt find out about the CIFAS warnings till June this year, i wrote to the address for Natwest on my credit file 8 weeks ago asking why they have put these warnings on and asked them to be removed - i've heard nothing back from them. Any idea what i should do next as i am positive this affects my chances of credit - i cant even open a basic bank account now!

I thik it seems all in hand, what do you guys think? Thanks CL

IN THE NORTHAMPTON COUNTY COURT BULK CENTRE [/font] B E T W E E N LOWELL PORTFOLIO I LTD MISS xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx CONSENT ORDER the Parties having agreed to the terms set out in the Order and Schedule below BY CONSENT IT IS ORDERED All further proceedings in this action be stayed on the terms set out in the Schedule hereto save that Lowell Portfolio I Ltd be at liberty without further Order to enter default judgment on its claim against the Defendant including interest and fixed costs if the Defendant shall fail to comply with the payment terms set out in that Schedule. There be no order as to costs. The parties have agreed that the Defendant do pay to the Claimant £2,593.86 inclusive of interest and legal costs in settlement of this claim as outlined below, failing which the Claimant be at liberty to enter judgment for the full balance outstanding for payment in this action at the time of any default by the Defendant 59 monthly Instalments of £43.24 and one instalment of £42.70 to be paid to the claimant by Direct Debit. The first payment to reach the claimant by 28 September 2008. Dated this 12th day of August 2008[/font] We hereby consent/agree to the I hereby consent/agree to the above Order and Schedule Order and Schedule

Hello im back again! Have had a draft consent order sent through by email from Lowells / Hampton Legal - they have asked me to review it and if agree with it need to email him and they will send the hard copy out. Can you take a look and let me know if it looks in order - i think it looks fine.... ill post when i get home in an hour!

Yes i do already have a default on my credit report, this has a note next to it explaining what it was for and the circumstances which led to it. I agree it does have an affect on my ability to obtain credit but my mortgage company is already aware of the default (this is the only credit i would be needing) They have no problems with me remortgaging with them whilst having a defualt but they will not lend if i have a CCJ. so this is the reason really why i did not want a CCJ. My partner and I are planning to buy a house together so i need to make sure i dont have a CCJ. Once the debt is being paid off i can put a note onto my file to say that it is being paid off and Lowells 'should' inform the CRA's that i am settling the debt. So this will be seen by potential lenders.

Hi Noomill, dont worry no need to apologise. All the advice i have been given on here has been positive and i cant wait to barbeque Barclays! I will keep you all updated on any more goings-on!!