Hi @BankFodder and @stu007, Thanks for getting back to me. The photo evidence of the items that were in my bin which was knocked over as well as the items of clothing and feces from the rats that were in my drawers are in the folder in the link below: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1f2zJIKvZANURiA2yXzhzeYl0f9JMIDb2?usp=sharing https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1f2zJIKvZANURiA2yXzhzeYl0f9JMIDb2 I appreciate the help and will be getting in touch with the council soon. With regards to the deposit scheme, the deposit sits with MyDeposits which (from what I can tell form the website) allows me to raise a concern/dispute. I have still received no correspodence from the agent as of Thursday afternoon despite numerous attempts. Thanks.

Yes that’s the one.

All the above certifications are set out and there are smoke alarms. I unfortunately made the mistake in not taking photos when I arrived however did take a video upon leaving. The deposit holder is mydeposits.co.uk and the landlord is “Want This Room”. Fortunately I have already moved out and settled in. I will call the council and respond then. Thank you!

Hi @BankFodder Thank you for responding. The house is owned by the agency and I am dealing with one of the agents. I have tried to get the owner of the agency to give me a call. I was promised that he would give me a call on Thursday which did not happen either. I have also been a tenant since the end of December 2019. My deposit is kept with a third party holder - what would be the correct process with them? There is one other tenant in the house and she has also expressed moving out and is considering taking legal action. She has told me that this is not the first time that rats have been a problem as she has lived there a number of years and this issue has come up in the past but then went away so she figured the problem had been solved. (I have asked to get this in writing.) She has also been completely ignored by the agent (the agent is the only contact we both have) and is not sure how to progress. I will update them of the address change and call the local council in the morning. My only worry is that as a young and foreign working professional new to the processes that may be implemented in the Uk that I am taken advantage of and lose out financially, especially during such a stressful period. Thanks!

Hi all, Almost three weeks ago it was evidently made clear the house-share I was living at was infested with rats in the kitchen. I made the landlord aware of this and they said they would take action and asked me if I was happy with the chosen method of killing the pests to which I replied and had no response and the message was left unread for two weeks until the situation escalated and I came home to a Bedroom that had been ravaged by rats (no food was left out and clothing/items were damaged as well - photo evidence was taken both of damage and proof of rats ie feces) After this, I messaged (as all my calls were ignored) the landlord and made them aware and stating that I would like compensation, would be moving out a month before the end of my agreement due to the health risk and would like my deposit back. At this point I was told that the owner of the tenancy company would give me a call to handle the situation. This has not happened and we are three days on, my additional follow up message has been ignored as well. At this point I just want to walk away and not pay this months debt which would see me “break my contract” due to not paying the rent. What is my stance on this? Would I be able to not pay my rent for this month and receive my deposit back? Or am I in a position to offer my deposit as rent (it is the equivalent to one month) and leave? My only worry is receiving a CCJ due to not paying the rent and being taken to court. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!