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Major Damp Problem HA Messing Me About Help


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Hi this is my first post

 

I am only just thinking about this as I have had yet another letter about a repair charge outstanding.

 

10th September 2006 I had an argument with my ex partner which resulted in my door being kicked in he left after a very violent attack from both partys (I gave as good as I got for once lol)

 

The police were called and they contacted my landlords emergency service this even happened at 1 am, 9 am the guy turned up screwed the screws back in and left should have done it myself but the door was buckled when I tryed to lock the deadlock

 

They charged me £70 for that minor repair think £30 of it was emergency call out

 

I gave them my police number but they are still contacting me about it

 

Do I have to pay or can they claim on insurance because of the crime ref

 

If I can get out of this how do I go about it

 

Thanks for your help in advance

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IMO you have to pay. But you could sue your ex partner for the money.

7 years in retail customer service

 

Expertise in letting and rental law for 6 years

 

By trade - I'm an IT engineer working in the housing sector.

 

Please note that any posts made by myself are for information only and should not and must not be taken as correct or factual. If in doubt, consult with a solicitor or other person of equal legal standing.

 

Please click the star if I have helped!!

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IMO you have to pay. But you could sue your ex partner for the money.

 

 

Isn't it up to them to collect the money off him, not me ?, if you have a crime reference number usually you do not have to pay anything, I once had a break in where they stole a good few items including rented dvd's, I filed the crime number with the rental store and they took them off my account I assume they claimed from their insurance as I did not hear anything else about it.. surely this would be the case again with my situation ?

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  • 3 weeks later...
hi taz,

do you have house insurance yourself? Maybe you can try and claim off that, don't think housing will pay for that sort of damage.

 

good luck

 

babyashxoxox

 

Lose no claims for £70 ????? No thanks

 

It has worked out that they were responsible for the charge as I had a crime number given they can claim off their insurance

 

This is a housing associations we are talking about now not just a landlord

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  • 2 weeks later...

I work for a local authoritys out of hours service, and for things like broken windows, doors etc where someone else had done it, we don't charge if the tenant contacts the police and gets a crime or log number. Its only when the tenant themselves has caused the damage, refuses to contact the police, or for instance has lost their keys that they get charged. Was your ex living there at the time? If so they may have decided its tenant inflicted damage hence the charge.

[sIGPIC][/sIGPIC]

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  • 2 weeks later...

Hi all,

 

Firstly thanks for reading

 

First off since I moved into the housing association property in 2004 there has been constant problems

 

Firstly big black damp problem next to my patio door, was told it was condensation and "to stop breathing to much" what a joke kicked up such a fuss that they eventually came and checked it out, it turned out to be a not properly fitted outside tap that had been leaking the whole time.

 

Condensation runs down my windows even though the vents are open and the house does have good airings, my daughter and my sons bedrooms (4 years and 2 years) the windows are black with the stuff, try my best to clean it off but it just comes back the next night.

 

There is an extractor fan in my dining room which has leaked and now caused damp but nothing has been done, oh tell a lie they put a vent on the outside of the house to dry it out which hasn't worked

 

Now the biggest problem, two professional builders have told me I have rising damp on my living room wall, housing association are not having none of it, I have a guy out there now checking the ties which I know would have nothing to do with it as that would have started as soon as the house was built.

 

Do I have any rights as I know living in a property like this can affect my long term health and my familys ?

 

Any info gratefully appreciated

Sarah x

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Hi there. Similar issues were addressed here: http://www.consumeractiongroup.co.uk/forum/landlords-tenants/77210-ha-refuses-carry-repairs.html#post676140

 

Also, get an independent opinion from a professional firm and invite Environmental Health Officer. Stop cleaning/removing the damp dirt/fungi so you can show the true picture. Take photos, get a doctor to write you a note.

In a word; evidence.

Good luck.

[sIGPIC][/sIGPIC]

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I live in a privately rented flat & have been having similar issues regarding damp. There is mould on the ceiling in the kitchen & bathroom, the windows have condensation almost every morning & my crockery in the kitchen cupboards goes mouldy if not used for a couple of weeks.

 

I reported this problem to the letting agent & landlords directly & was told that I don't open the windows often enough & that the problem was entirely condensation.

 

I got an independent company to complete a report which showed that there was rising damp in the bedroom & a serious condensation problem. The letting agents got their own jobsworth round to carry out an assessment who said the problem was that of condensation only & reccommended that a fan be fitted in the kitchen.

 

The fan has been fitted & it actually blows freezing cold air into the kitchen all the time. I don't understand the point to this, it doesn't work & I might as well just have a broken window in all honesty.

 

I've been fighting a losing battle for about 9 months & my partners health has undoubtedly suffered as a result. We are moving out at the end of the month. It has been a really frustrating time & we haven't been listened to by the letting agents or the landlord all the way through. The landlords are now a little worried about future tenants & quite honestly when the prospective tenants come to view the place before we move out I will be telling them exactly why we are going.

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  • 2 months later...

My housing association won't let us get our own buildings insurance so I can only get contents.

 

My partner tripped over my son and cracked the 1st pane on the double glazing smallish kitchen window.

 

If we were able to have our own buildings insurance then I could claim quite easily for this due to accidental damage but as we can't they will charge me for the repair which in their terms is double what a normal guy would charge.

 

I haven't any money to pay for this to be fixed at the moment as I am struggling with debt and on VERY low income.

 

Where do I stand on this on this issue, I am already trying to pay off a charge of £70 to have my front door fixed (2 screws put back in *shakes head* my ex kicked it through after an argument over the children, the police filed charges and I have a crime number but they still charged me for fixing it

 

I am desperate, I have not told them about the window and they have a guy coming round soon checking the houses

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It would be highly unusual for a short term tenant to take on responsibilty for building insurance.

 

You should inform the HA about the broken pane; it should be covered by their insurance, as indeed should the damage to the door - ask about that too, though it may be too late now to make a claim.

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We have assured tenancys so we can live in these houses until the day we die if we like as long as we keep up to date with rent etc

 

That may be the case, but you are not committed to it for life. Legally it is considered short term.

 

But the point is that when the accident happened, you did not have the insurance. Tell the HA and get them to claim.

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  • 7 months later...

Hi, Thanks for reading

 

I am currently living in a housing association house, I have had damp on my wall for the past 3 years, I have complained and complained, a fortnight ago I got environmental health in who assesed it and stated that the walls were infact saturated.

The inside wall was majorly above average with water and so was the outside, the cavity insulation is soaking inside the wall.

 

My children have suffered health problems since we moved here, we have bad condensation also.

 

I was wondering is there anybody that can give me a bit of information to build up a case to get us moved. I suffer with severe depression and need to be near family for support also

 

Many Thanks In Advance

xx

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This is typical throughout the country; overcrowded, unsuitable, un-habitable properties belonging to local authorities or housing associations.

It's very difficult to deal with this due to severe shortage of properties. But deal with you must- but not by yourself.

There may be much at stake- if you are a secure tenant, then it's worth holding onto this house and push for repairs. If you have a standard assured shorthold, then moving, with local authority's help with regards to deposit, to a private sector might be an option.

Please call Shelter: Advice and support for a specialist help and advice. You must speak to experienced adviser, as your children and your health is at stake.

If you have already sought advice locally- call Shelter nevertheless, to establish whether your local advice source was sufficient.

[sIGPIC][/sIGPIC]

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Guest grizzleguts

Take your children & yourself to your doctor, explain the situation, and ask to get the children tested for the effects of the damp Like Asthma & for Mould spores in the lungs, which could cause problems later in life.

See if your Doctor could write a letter for you (he/she will do if any syptoms are present), as a letter from the Doctor usually gets Local Authorities and/or Housing associations acting quickly with complaints.

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  • 1 month later...

Re: Complaint

 

Dear Sir/Madam,

I am writing this letter of complaint in regard to the way I have been treated, after three years of waiting for something to be done about my damp I had to contact environmental health who stated that work needed to be done as the cavity was saturated, upon taking bricks out they found there to be lumps of concrete in the cavity so water could not seep through, I do not believe this to be the case as my damp patches are higher then the concrete found, the workmen have also noticed that the wall needs to be re-pointed, Mr Davies has stated this will not be happening as I get the feeling he could not be bothered with the hassle, I find this absolutely disgusting behaviour, there is black mould on my daughters bedroom wall causing breathing problems, she has asthma, where the wall outside should be re-pointed, I have had advice from two professional builders stating that the work being done is useless if the pointing is not done.

Another concern I have is with the banding system, I suffer with severe mental health issues. My children suffer with breathing issues due to the damp, I handed in a letter as asked for by Newydd from my doctor stating that I suffer with mental health issues, panic attacks and anxiety and it would be in my best interest to be moved closer to my family, but was still classed as a bronze band and the medical points were not added because I want to live in the same street, I think this is terrible to penalise somebody for the fact they need to be near their family, I would dispute the decision not to award me medical points as my doctor states quite clearly the move would improve my health to not award me medical points on the grounds of moving into the same vicinity I personally think is against the landlord and tenant act 1985.

I have highest faith that you will look into my concerns and see that I have been put under the deepest stress due to all this, for 3 years Newydd has breached its duty of care which could have resulted in actions for nuisance and negligence, plus it would have also added Defective Premises Act 1972 and Environmental Protection Act 1990, this would not look good for Newydd. Regarding my concerns about the banding I hope you can see that this move is a necessity for the health of myself and my children and look into getting me moved to number 3 Shakespeare Rise as an emergency which would be a like for like property, Newydd are not losing out in anyway but I would be gaining so much as I would be closer to my family and get all the support I need but I would also be out of a damp property, or up my banding status to something more appropriate due to the circumstances, other wise I will be forced to look into contacting certain individuals that could help me further.

I would like a reply in writing within 3 days due to concern about losing the opportunity of this property, if I am not satisfied with the response I will then take it further and make an official complaint.

Yours Faithfully

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Guest Old_andrew2018

hi

 

Is ti not possible for your local authority to take action, and the basis of the condition of the property.

 

I am sure that their will be somone along with advice of how you should proceed.

 

Regards

 

Andy

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Hi,

Sorry but I am unable to comment on the banding situation as I have had little experience in that sector.

 

Regarding the damp in the property however, the HA who own the property are under an obligation to investigate all complaints requiring repair and must respond to the complaint and make good the property within a reasonable time. The complaints and repair procedures should be available from your HA office and will give you their timescale for repairs to be carried out once a complaint has been put in writing.

 

As stated above, if there seems to be no action being taken the best course would be to go through the local authority and complain to them about the lack of care from the HA. No matter who the landlord is, be it private or Housing Association, they have a duty of care towards the tenant and must rectify any faults in the property causing problems within a reasonable timescale.

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