Housing Disrepair Issue

[beckthepeck]

1. Moved into private rented house in February this year
   
2. It was recorded on the inventory before we moved into the house that there was a loose step at the very top of the staircase - nothing was done to make it safe before me moved in despite the Agent/Landlord being aware of it. The step has since deteriorated to such an extent that it is now extremely dangerous. It is breaking loose and there is a gap running along it in which you can see into the downstairs. We asked the agent to get it fixed again, they sent a contractor around a few weeks ago and then said they were going to shop around because the price the contractor gave was too costly. Its been two weeks and my husband rang them on friday to tell them it needed to be fixed immediately and they fobbed us off yet again
   
3. So my husband emailed the council friday after work.
   
4. Yesterday we got an email from the original Contractor (the Agent/Landlord could not even be bothered to inform us) that he could come and fix it. My husband countacted the council and was told that they had ordered the landlord to see it having seen our photos and the evidence on the inventory.a
   
5. Our landlord did nothing about it until we got the council involved and we have had to live with it for 9 months. The landlord lives in Australia and has been difficult to get hold of to get permission to fix things because of the time difference but surelt the Agent also should not have allowed a house to be rented out with a loose step.
   
6. We are very angry that we were allowed to move into a house that should have been safe before we moved in.
   
7. Is there anything we can do?? I had to move out into my Dad's with our two small children because we had to keep escorting the 3 year old up and down the stairs and could not take the stress of him tripping on the stair any longer. We feel that we have been treated like rubbish.