Disrepair in rented property - Legal advice needed

[LTKY]

I live in a 2 bed flat rented privately. The flat has old single glazing wooden windows and the landlords have sealed and fixed a most of the openable windows. Especially in the main bedroom there is a bay with seven windows from which four should be openable but they have been sealed and only one can open.

 

I asked the LLs to open them at the beginning but they dismissed the request. I was suspicious about this as the windows did not look new and there was a recent paint job.

 

A few months after moving in I realised the windows are draughty and some are most definitely rotten (can even smell rotten wood at night in the bedroom after a rainy day). There are multi-pane old style windows in the middle of the bays, which let strong rain through, forming puddles on the inside part of the sills.

 

I also got a lot of condensation which my regular ventilation did not prevent. Particularly in my bedroom where only one window opens, the rest of the frames were constantly damp and I had to clean mould 24/7 during the winter.

 

I asked the LLs to look into the matter and I showed them the mould. I also clearly told them that the rain leaks through. They said the issue is trivial because I don't ventilate the house!!!

 

I responded that no matter how much I ventilate the rest of the windows are blocked, they get damp inside/out constantly and never dry (they know they are rotten but they downplayed the issue), so they refused to do anything.

 

They asked me to keep my windows open (well the few that open!) during the whole night to avoid condensation, even if it's raining or it poses a security risk to me. They also said in writing I should carry out the repairs with my own expenses.

 

I decided to leave at the end of my contract because the LLs are really unreliable and unprofessional, so I cannot waste my time dealing with such attitude.

 

However, from my perspective this is a breach of the Housing Act about keeping the exterior/interior of the property in decent and good working order, which is the LLs responsibility. It is also written in my contract, which means they have breached that too. I need some legal advice as I am thinking to take action against them because their ignorance caused me distress and led me to move out.

 

Any advice would be much appreciated

 

thanks

Edited June 4, 2009 by LTKY

[LTKY]

bump:(

[maggie111]

As you've moved out, my feelings are that you should write it off, you left when you could and to be honest, what would you expect to achieve?

 

I don't think that the "distress" of the landlords advising you to leave a window open constitutes anything.

 

If you still lived there I'd have thought the housing authority might have a concern about the mould, but even then I wouldn't expect you to receive any monetary recompense.

 

You'll have difficulty proving anything now, unless you have letters from the landlord admitting the state of the windows?

[LTKY]

deleted....

Edited June 20, 2009 by LTKY