what would you do? **LONG**

Fatty_no_more

Slimming for my children
basically start to finish.....
monday afternoon the light in the living room went and it went bang the whole house then lost all the lights
so i called the landlord and he came round, and "fixed it" iss an old fuse board where he had to thread an amp wire through ti
straight after i got really nasty electric shock off the oven and my arm just went to jelly, the landlord touched it but obviously he had shoes on so it didnt hurt huim
i kept getting elexc shocks off everything i touched and in the morning mike also got one frmo the tap and the oven.
so i called landlord and he got a spakry out the next day
when he got here me and mikey had to wait outside as it was "too dangerous to enter the property"
basically the earth wire had come out and he fixed that but then loads of sparks kept flying from the fuse box so again i was told to wait outside he found loads of electircal faults around the house and supposedly fixed them but in the middle of all of it the street had a power cut as a bloody cow walked into a barbed wire!
so he said he had fixed it as well as he could.
so later the elec came back on and within half an hour the fuse box blew again
so the sparky came back round and was trying to find the fault or ages and then he finally found it behind the fireplace, the sparky "temp" fixed it and said he wold need to rip the fireplace out
but i am still too scared to turn anything on in the house and sleep here. the sparky said i could have died or even woprse if i had beenholding mikey when i got the shocks he wouldnt be here
i dont want to live here anymore and thats basically where we are now.

I called the cab as i have had to go drs due to the panis in my arms cos of the shocks and they said we dont really have any rights.

I am petrified. x
 
:eek: You most certainly do have rights.

Your landlord HAS to provide you with a safe house. the estate agents you originally found the house through should have also checked this out. (i read your original thread)


You need to phone your landlord and say exactly what has happened, and send a letter stating everything clearly and keep a copy for yourself. is there anywhere you can stay- with family? in order to have the months notice to give for your lease to end and find somewhere else?


i'd also look into who you go to about it all in general.. he cant get away with it and i think you deserve somthing to be honest!
 
i cant break the contract can i?
I thought we had to ride it out?

It ends in october. :( I just want out. I have been staying with my sister but its just not practical as she has a one bed granny annex
xxx
 
also cab said i need to be careful how i go about things as he can basically just chuck me out really easily. I cant chance being homeless with a baby!
x
 
He can't throw you out easily unless you break the tenancy agreement. Despite what agreement you have signed you will have a standard shorthold tenancy agreement (according to housing law - My dad used to work in housing, so I keep quizzing him). So your landlord will HAVE to give you a minimum of either one or two months notice (I think it's one). So he can't turn round and tell you to go next week.

He does have a duty of care to ensure that the property is safe and habitable to live in. If the situation isn't fixed, you could withhold payment of the rent for the period that you are unable to live in the property. I don't know what the legal implications of this are, but I know people who have done this and the threat of not being paid seems to have got the landlords into action.

Unfortunately as the estate agents only acted to advertise the property for the landlord, and it's now been passed back, the estate agent have no part in the tenancy agreement.

I would maybe call the council housing department, trading standards and the citizens advice again (and speak to somebody more useful than last time!), and just ask for advice and if they know who best to deal with. I'm sure many of the departments will say it's not their responsibility, but surely someone will be able to point you in the right direction!

As for breaking a tenancy agreement, you can only do this with your landlords permission. If not, you are liable to pay the full amount of the rent for the initial 6 month period.
 
Hi there

Can I just say -that If the house is unfit to live in-which it is..then don't with hold your rent (it will go against you if things get nasty) -BUT it is the landlords duty to pay for you to stay somewhere else whilst he sorts it
Do you go through a letting agent?

ohhh and send any letters by recorded delivery so you have proof of your complaints
oohhh and lol
Do you happen to go on the "money saving expert" website? there is a section on there all about renting.. post on there and you will get chapter and verse on what to do -they are great on there
 
I found this on www.adviceguide.org.uk

The landlord’s general responsibilities

By law, your landlord has a number of repairing responsibilities, including repairing and keeping in working order:-
  • the structure and exterior of the premises, including drains, gutters and external pipes
  • the water and gas pipes and electric wiring (including, for example, taps and sockets)
  • the basins, sinks, baths and toilets
  • fixed heaters (for example, gas fires) and water heaters (but not gas or electric cookers).
Your landlord has these duties by law, no matter what is written in the tenancy agreement. However, if you ask your landlord to do these repairs they may attempt to regain possession of the property or not renew the agreement when it expires. Before attempting to use this general right to repairs you should consult an experienced adviser.
The tenancy agreement may specify additional repairing obligations.

I'm still shocked the CAB said you don't have any rights and that your landlord can throw you out really easily - so wrong!!! I'd book an appointment to go and see them. They're supposed to advise on issues like that!
 
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