Please read advice needed

[Flakey]

Firstly let me apologise as this post may be quite lengthy.

 

I moved into a house on the 10th of this month and there are some things not right about the house, some minor things that I suppose I can live with but some things I'm really not happy with.

 

Firstly it states on the tenancy agreement that a full house clean was done in November 2010 (the house had been empty since November until I moved in with my partner on the 10th of this month) and it also states that the oven was cleaned which I believe it was.

 

Now to me a full house clean is exactly that a FULL house clean, but the only things I can see that were done were the carpets were cleaned and the oven was cleaned. Below is a non exhaustive list of what I've found since moving in,

 

Bathroom

 

The shower curtain and bath were filthy (DEEP clean my a*se )

 

Toilet in bathroom with a loose toilet seat (this is a minor thing I know) but it also leaks in 2 places and the bathroom flooring is disgusting.

 

Electric shower attached to the wall in non working condition (NOT listed in the inventory as such)

 

Living Room/Dining Room and Kitchen

 

The blinds in the living room and all the bedrooms have what looks like faded brown spots on some of the slats (strangely in most of the rooms!) the same colour as what blood looks like once it's dried..

 

Some black marks on the carpet in the living room noted on the inventory but they conveniently forgot to note down the 3 pink marks also on the carpet!

 

All radiators work fine but one in the living room which only works intermittently (is this normal?) I'm thinking obviously not but I've tried bleeding it and all that comes out is water, it came on earlier and was very hot but now the heating is on and it's stone cold again when all the others are hot.. Plumber came out today (employed by the agent!) and said he'd come back on Monday to fix the toilet and he also said to put the heating on for an hour before he comes so he can see what's what with the radiators, and he said that the heating might need to be sorted out so the heat is correctly shared between all the radiators as some might be hotter than others. But in my experience if all radiators have been bled and no air is trapped then ALL the radiators should be as hot as each other!

 

EDIT: Just thought of something, everytime the heating had come on before the gas fire was switched on and the living room heater didn't work and we went out yesterday and switched the gas fire off because we were going out and never leave the fire on when we go out, and we'd set the heating to come on with the timer (the same as we do when in the house) the only difference being this time the gas fire wasn't on and when we got back the living room heater was red hot! Could the gas fire be stopping the living room heater working somehow??

 

An odour of dog was evident in the living room even after the carpets were cleaned, the same smell is still evident in the kitchen and isn't pleasant (the floor in the kitchen is tiled and the smell still exists even though I cleaned the floor) so not sure why the smell still exists?

 

There is a heater in the kitchen below the cupboard just under the sink listed in the inventory but not listed as NON WORKING...

 

Plastic Silver bin listed on Inventory as being in the kitchen (No such bin was in the kitchen)

 

Venetian blind in the kitchen very dirty and again sticky to the touch and unable to pull it up or down due to the pulley system being unusable.

 

Outside of House

 

2 Floodlights both not working at the back of the house and the side of the house, this wasn't listed on the inventory but is now! As I went round with a copy of the inventory and noted any discrepancies.

 

Things from the previous tenant were left in the garage but some of the things weren't listed! Again they are now. Not sure how they missed them when they did the inventory though..

 

Hallway/Stairs and Landing

 

Central heating control on the wall is in a non working condition (it's not listed as not working on the inventory) once again it is now.

 

Cream vertical blinds very dirty and sticky to the touch.

 

Shelves inside understair cupboard extremely dirty (again some 'DEEP' clean that was!)

 

Gold coloured blinds at the windows to the left handside at the bottom of the stairs and the right hand side as you get almost to the top of the stairs, both sticky to the touch and the slats stuck together

 

Bedroom

 

Inside door handle to bedroom is loose/almost hanging off (NOT listed in the inventory as such)

 

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Now I've only been here for the last 3 days and people on other forums I've browsed have said to other people who've posted similar threads not to kick up a fuss this soon as it's very early on in the tenancy, But I disagree with that.

 

Basically me and my partner have paid a lot of money to move in here so believe we have the right to say all that's wrong with the property which we couldn't have known until we moved in! £1615 we paid to move in including the fees agents charge to rob people for non existent admin fees and £150 to print a tenancy agreement! Pull the other one

 

Anyway we are going to ask if the toilet and flooring in the bathroom can be redone as in a new toilet and new flooring (and probably get told it's not happening?) as it's in a very poor condition and looking at the state of the toilet I'd say it's been here since the house was built years ago! And if the estate agent says no they won't do it are we within our rights to pay for it ourself and have it done as we can't live with a toilet that doesn't even flush properly (I forgot to mention that) and it needs unblocking on each flush and then it just fills right back to the top once flushed again and we can't use a bathroom to 'clean' ourselves if the bathroom itself is in a disgusting state.

 

I find it really pathetic as well that we have to get permission for each and every tiny little thing! I mean we have to ask permission to have a Sky dish installed! And we've had to E-Mail the agent a sample of the wallpaper we are wanting to use to re-decorate the living room... And we haven't had a response back yet and the E-Mail was apparently sent to the landlord a week ago yet we've still not heard if we can go ahead with re-decorating yet..

 

I mean seriously when renting from an agent do we really need permission to do all the things any normal person would do when they move to a house such as have Sky installed/a new phone line etc!

 

And surely we are within our rights as tenants (even if we are only 2 day old tenants) we've paid a lot of money to move here and it's just not on considering they supposedly did this 'DEEP clean' back in November as the amount of dirt and grime that became evident when we moved in and were sorting everything out was immense..

 

Sorry for the very long post if you even got this far, but I'm at my wits end already

 

We moved from a house that had been fully refurbished where everything was brand new (we'd been there for 20 months) because the walls were super thin and we couldn't get any peace at all in the house and it was a nightmare living there but the house was perfect aside from the thin walls and the sodding neighbours.

 

We've gone from paying £360 a month for a terraced house that was fully refurbished with a working shower to paying £495 for a house with quite a few problems and a non working shower, and the other reasons we moved was so we had a proper garden for our kids to play in and it's a semi detached house.

 

Oh and last but not least the inventory for the property I'm renting has the right information in it and the right number/street name but the wrong village on the front of it! And also the tenancy agreement we have a copy of has NOT been signed by the landlords, is this legal?? Where we signed it, it has my printed name and my partners printed name and our signatures and says it was witnessed by the agent and signed by them but under the landlord section there are no signatures nor any witness signatures either. That can't be right can it..

 

Please try and be nice if you reply to this post as I'm only looking for some constructive advice to help mine and my families situation.

 

 

Thanks for reading.

Edited February 13, 2011 by Flakey
More info added

[Steve__M]

The first thing to do is to get everything on record - write down every detail on a copy of the inventory and send a copy to the agent and landlord.

 

The hard part is rectifying issues which needs to be done by negotiation.

 

Suggest you separate these two issues as the first list needs to be as detailed as possible, whereas you will need to prioritise the issues to be dealt with.

 

It is possibly worth copying to the landlord as my brother has just been charged by his agent for a "deep clean" of a house, yet when we checked it it was still filthy - cobwebs, mud, dust - really basic stuff. Landlords maybe do not know what is going on.

 

PS. Do all this *before* you start redecorating.

[jackieandwayne]

Toilet in bathroom with a loose toilet seat (this is a minor thing I know) - it won;t be a minor thing when you either fall off the toilet onto the floor or pinch your bottom with the seat.

 

the same smell is still evident in the kitchen and isn't pleasant (the floor in the kitchen is tiled and the smell still exists even though I cleaned the floor) so not sure why the smell still exists? = dog pee has seeped under the floor tiles. You won;t get rid of this without ripping the tiles up and renewing.

 

Inside door handle to bedroom is loose/almost hanging off (NOT listed in the inventory as such) - urgent if you have young children, think of the pallaver if they get trapped in there?

 

Just a couple of pointers for when it comes to persuading the landlord to get on with things. And to make him understand why he should.

[Flakey]

@ jackieandwayne

 

We don't have a direct contact number for the landlord only an address which isn't very far from the house we rent from them.. So we can only post a letter about all of this, or should we contact the agent first and if we get no joy go straight to the landlord? As it seems everything we send to the agent they send to the landlord (the agent acting as the middleman!) which seems to take forever to get things done. Also we have never met or spoken to the landlord as yet so don't know how they'd react what with having bad tenants before us.

 

@ Steve_M

 

When we moved in they gave us a copy of the inventory to look at and note any discrepancies (which I believe is the original copy) and said they'd need it back within a week, after we'd checked it all and it would be that copy of the inventory that they would use when the tenancy comes to an end, so I should copy every single page before handing it back to them with my discrepancy notes on it I presume?

 

Also I have the landlords address so do you think they will say anything if I send a copy of the inventory to them? With my notes written on it considering he's paying the agent to manage all aspects of the property, bearing in mind I have never met the landlord and apparently the last tenants they had to get out via the courts because they had dogs in the house when they shouldn't have and dried clothes on the radiators resulting in mould growth on the windows, the agent says the landlords are very nice people, and on the same token so are we.

 

We will be good tenants as we were in the last house we lived in and we got a good reference from our last landlord but we also expect the agent/landlord to be as good and fair as we are going to be as tenants and if something is wrong we expect it to be sorted out.

 

I also got it wrong when I said they did a 'DEEP' clean as it states on the inventory 'FULL house clean' which is basically the same thing anyway surely? I know if I did a full house clean I'd make sure I did everything to ensure it really was a full house clean.

 

Should I send the original inventory that they gave us (with my notes written in the Check-In notes section) and make another 2 copies. 1 for me and 1 to send to the landlord, and should I send the original back to the agent and the copy to the landlord via registered post or just post them to the agent and landlord and just obtain a free certificate of posting?

 

Not sure what they'll say or do about the things that need sorting out though as to get permission regarding decorating I've been exchanging E-Mail with the administrator in the branch of the agency where I live (which I believe to be the wrong person to send them to??) and she's been sending them on to the landlord via E-Mail.

 

I'm wanting to remove all the blinds as well without having to ask to do it!! And replacing them with nets and curtains due to the filthy nature of the blinds, and as long as I keep the blinds and put them back at the end of the tenancy they can't say anything about that surely?

 

Because as long as I'm renting the house I should be able to have whatever I want up at the windows, as long as whats on the windows at the end of the tenancy matches the inventory, that's correct isn't it? Because I find it pathetic that for every tiny little thing I have to act like I'm back in school and ask for every tiny little thing I want to do when it comes to curtains and nets etc which are easily taken down at the end of a tenancy.

 

Also it's noted in the inventory items that were in the garage at the start of the tenancy but there are things in the garage they didn't write on the inventory so am I within my rights to get rid of them considering they aren't in the inventory from the get go? I've noted down what the items are on the inventory on the check in notes section but because they weren't listed originally I should be able to get rid right?

 

Also had to get permission that hasn't been answered yet! With regards to installing a sky dish on the property but there is already a sky dish on the property but it's attached to the chimney!! And I've had a friend take a look as there is a Sky cable running through the wall and he said I'd need to get a new dish installed anyway as Sky won't go on the roof to even check if it's connected and works properly.

 

Makes me wonder how it got on the chimney in the 1st place?? Can't have been Sky who installed it then??

 

I just want to get all the facts because the tenancy agreement we have has NOT been signed by the landlord (is it still legally binding?) and the address on the inventory is wrong as well! It states the correct house number and street name but the wrong village printed on it.

 

Also one last thing I want to check is when we moved in we were told we had x amount of money left to pay and we ended up paying over £200 less than we should have done and were billed an incorrect amount, so we ended up in pocket rather than the agent! We only realised this after the agreement was signed and I've found the receipt we were given on the day we moved in (stating what we'd already paid and what was left to pay) and it's not our name on the receipt it's someone elses! And has the last 4 digits out of the 16 found on debit/credit cards on the receipt (I know we can't nor would ever use that information) but that's a MAJOR data protection act error isn't it, as we now know this other persons address and we've been billed the amount he should have left to pay so can the agent now come back to us and say we owe x amount of money we should have paid because of an error they made!

 

And what would you do with that information now? Would you tell the agent or wait for them to realise their mistake and wait for them to contact us? Should they ever feel the need.

Edited February 13, 2011 by Flakey

[Flakey]

Any other thoughts on my reply Steve_M ??

[curly bob]

Hi Flakey

 

Just noticed you coment " Could the gas fire be stopping the living room heater working somehow??" this sets alarm bells ringing with me I would check to see if the Landlord has got a valid upto date Landlords Gas Safety Record he is required by law to have all Gas appliances checked every 12 months and you should be given a copy as the tenent , the way you say that it appears that the gas fire may be stoping the living room heater working may indicate a serious safety issue and my advice would be to inform the Landlord asap and not to use the appliances untill they have been checked by a Gas Safe reg engineer ( always ask to see the card as many plumbers are not reg )

Hope this helps

 

CB

[MisTaken]

I started to read this thread and at first I thought my boyfriend had a secret account!!

 

My boyfriend and I are in a similar situation, our inventory was severely wrong, and it has taken us 6 weeks of aggravation with the lettings agent to try to get things cleaned and fixed. All we have asked for is that the property is in a clean and habitable state (i.e. the appliances work). We have been polite and professional for the past 6 weeks - well until today when I did shout at the lettings manager as he refused to answer a direct question for the umpteenth time! - when he was here removing a faulty electrical item which an employee of the letting agency broke, but for which we have to but a replacement!!??!!

 

We have asked for the landlords contact details which they have refused to provide, however we do have the address and are seriously considering contacting them directly as we do not believe out lettings agent have been honest with them.

 

We think, as you correctly think also, a property should have been left in a clean state when the previous tenant moved out. It wasn't. I have never complained about the things that I can clean easily (cupboard fronts, washing floors etc), but other things for example the oven had not been cleaned since it was fitted 18 months ago - then I don't expect to clean the oven completely on day 1 of moving in!

 

I do wish you luck, and I agree with steve_m to get as much written down as possible. Also be sure to take lots of pictures of the faults!

We are preparing a collation for the landlord, just to confirm what the lettings agency has told them!

[jackieandwayne]

Sorry Flakey, only just seen this.

 

I think what I would do is get a couple of copies of the inventory as it is, take photo's of your own of everything you say is wrong, digital with date stamp, make notes on oneof the copies, copy that, and then arrange to go in and see the agent or have him come to the property. At this stage, I'd give the agent a chance before I contacted the landlord - you never know, they might be willing to correct things for you. But hang onto the idea of contacting the landlord at a later stage if need be. No need to aggravate the agent yet.

 

If it says in your tenancy you have to ask permission to do anything, then that's what must be done. Always do this in writing, keeping a copy and a copy of any reply. Photograph whatever you do before and after, and you could even send a copy of this to the agent for their file. Should they come out to check what you have done you can get them to sign a copy for your records.

 

This business regarding dogs, for hygiene reasons you need to be sure the place has been thoroughly cleaned, and disinfested (warmer weather, think fleas). I don't think it unreasonable to ask that the tiles be replaced.

 

You should have a copy of the gas certificcate and the electrical safety certificate.

 

The stuff in the garage - well put in writing that you would like the garage cleared so you can use it as it is part of your tenancy. If they write back to say you can clear it then its up to you if you want to but its their responsiblity really. A token reduction in rent perhaps, until you can enjoy that part of your tenancy hmmm?

 

Don't know about SKY they are a law unto themselves, if BT can scale a telegraph pole safely then I don;t see why SKY can;t manage a chimney!

 

This business about the receipt. Well, you photocopy it and then contact the agent in writing, saying you appear to have been given someone else's financial details by them in error, would they please come and collect the document from you. If, later down the line, you have reason to fall out with the agent, this may come in useful! But is is a breachof the DPA I believe, and I think its the ICO you can complain to if so inclined. Something like that anyway.

 

Go through the agent first and see how you get on. But the golden rule is keep a file, everything in writing, then you always know where you stand.