Letting Agent Problems - Where do we stand

IrishAlice

Hi Everyone,

My friends and I moved into a house in February signing a 1 year lease and are having some issues at the moment.

The previous tenants brought all their own things so the letting agent said that they would furnish the house once they moved out.
When we moved in there was no delph, cutlery, iron, ironing board or any of the essentials needed and the furniture in the second sitting room had not been provided as agreed.

We have been contacting the letting agent every week since moving in and managed to get some of the things we needed but there is still more to be done (we provided everything for the kitchen ourselves).

On top of the missing furniture there are two light fittings broken, loose wires from where there were wall sconces hanging in the living room, what appears to be a leak coming from the upstairs bathroom into the hall below and a broken step on the stairs.

The whole house seems to be in a general state of disrepair and looks as if it hasn't been painted in years.

We have told all of this to the letting agent who informed us after moving in that they only look after the property as "a favour to a friend" and reassured us on numerous occasions that they would sort out all of our issues. So far nothing has been done and the guy we are dealing with hasn't been replying to messages.

I have looked on the Threshold website and looked up Tenants rights but I am not sure where we stand with the particular problems that we are having.

Some of the items might seem quite small but we are paying a substantial amount for the house and one of the main reasons we moved was for the extra space i.e. second living room which was highlighted as a selling point by the letting agent along with assurances that all the furniture would be provided.

Any advice anyone can provide would be appreciated!!

pawnacide

Did the agent include an inventory of the items that were there in the lease you signed ? If he did then that's what you signed up to. If all you have is a verbal contract with the agent for the missing items then that can be difficult to prove but in most cases a threat to call the PTRB works wonders with agents and landlords.

IrishAlice

No there was no inventory in the lease.

The agents we are dealing with are a reputable company and are known quite well in the area so we didn't think that we would need more than a verbal agreement.

It's incredibly frustrating because every time we speak to our contact he says that he's going to arrange the things we've requested and then nothing is done and we're back to square one.

pawnacide

Send him a text, since he's not answering calls, and tell him that while you understand the financial pressures on Landlords these days his unwillingness to take your calls and lack of action is leaving you with no choice but to explore your options with Threshold and the PTRB. You'll probably have a response by lunchtime.

wexie

Like Pawnacide said go to the PRTB, or at least tell the agent you're going to.

I'd send them a letter (email) very clearly outlining your concerns and setting an ultimatum for when you want a reply outlining what actions they are suggesting to take.

If they don't then you will have a record of the communications and something to take to PRTB.

djimi

The delph and cutlery are not required to be provided, and indeed most places will not provide them. The other furtniture should be there if the place was let as furnished.

Make a list of all of the problems you have with the place, put them in writing (very important) and send them to the agent, requesting a reply in a reasonable time frame (a week say) outlining how they intend to remedy the situation. Get everything in writing. If the issues are not fixed in a reasonable time then the agent/landlord is deemed to be not holding up their end of the lease, and you are free to start proceedings to have the lease nullified to allow you to leave.

IrishAlice

Thanks for all of the great advice. I'll send an email to them outlining our concerns and the works that are required to be completed.

Can anyone advise where we stand with regards to requesting that they paint the house?

When we originally viewed the place it looked perfect but when the previous tenants left they took all the paintings, light fittings etc and left unsightly marks on the walls.

BostonB

As a rule of thumb never buy or rent something that isn't as you want it. If someone can't be bothered to get something sorted to sell or rent it. They are going to be even less bother bothered if someone buys/rents it as is.

the_syco

IrishAlice wrote: »

a broken step on the stairs.

Broken, as in a hole in it, it tilts, or what? Would the landlord be liable should someone fall due to the known fault?

IrishAlice

There is a big crack down one side of the step (it's the corner step on the turn of the stairs so is quite large).
The step dips whenever you stand on it and the plaster on the ceiling of the toilet under the stairs is broken off from the damage.
It's partially obscured by carpet so very difficult to see the full extent of the damage.

Spoke to the letting agent again today and they have agreed to come see the house and the problems with it. I doubt much will be done but I live in hope!

IrishAlice

Got an email back from Threshold responding to my query and just received a generic response outlining the information I already knew from reading their website.
When I replied and outlined our specific issues they replied telling me to refer to the original email I received. Some help they are!

IrishAlice

BostonB wrote: »

As a rule of thumb never buy or rent something that isn't as you want it. If someone can't be bothered to get something sorted to sell or rent it. They are going to be even less bother bothered if someone buys/rents it as is.

Unfortunately it's not always possible to see the problems when you go to view a house. We viewed twice and made sure to check on all of the important points but with a house of this size it's just impossible to be sure that everything is in good condition.