Letting agent issue! (too late - look at the pictures)

Halfmad said:
Are you a structural engineer? Because that's a rather strange suggestion. The ceiling is sagging, that doesn't indicate a structural fault unless the walls are moving too. It's more likely that the ceiling hasn't been attached properly, it's coming away from the joists or there's water building up above it which isn't getting into the plaster and making it look wet.

Structural engineer to even look at that will be £300+ and they'll want paid by you, not the letting agency.
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No, I said that because if the ceiling is sagging it could be a problem with something else, the Walls, as you suggested could also have a part to play.

When something similar happened to me I was told to call a structural engineer (or was it a surveyor?) anyway, something to that extentand they advised in thenext coarse of action. This was all charged to a letting agency.
 
LOAM said:
Absolutely this, if you withhold rent you are in breach of contract they can evict you and take court action to recover the debt. It the worst thing you could do.

Out of interest how is the chest of draws a fire hazard infront of the radiator?

Oh and that ceiling will be on the floor before the years out. Looks like the boards or laths have come away from the joists, is the Rad in the room above? If so are you sure its not leaking ?
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No, the radiator is at the rear of my house, the ceiling issue is at the front of my house.


There are cracks in the front bedroom wall also (internal wall between 2 rooms), and a large crack in the wall above the front window in another front bedroom (where the wall looks down onto the window shelf (if that makes any sense). The estate agent said previously that the crack are just because the house is quite old. But as the ceiling is getting worse, then its not a good situation.
 
I had to move my towels away from my bath as the hot water was a fire hazard. ;)

I'd maybe think about sending the wife and kids away somewhere for a few days and pull that ceiling down so they have to do something about it (obviously say it fell on it's own, you have the proof it was on the cards). You don't want that falling on their heads.
 
Wicksta said:
I had to move my towels away from my bath as the hot water was a fire hazard. ;)

I'd maybe think about sending the wife and kids away somewhere for a few days and pull that ceiling down so they have to do something about it (obviously say it fell on it's own, you have the proof it was on the cards). You don't want that falling on their heads.
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well if he is going to go that far i suggest throwing some of the dust and rubble on yourself and claim it fell on you....sue them and maybe they wont treat the next tenants with the same disregard.
 
Wicksta said:
pull that ceiling down so they have to do something about it (obviously say it fell on it's own, you have the proof it was on the cards). You don't want that falling on their heads.
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Amnesia said:
well if he is going to go that far i suggest throwing some of the dust and rubble on yourself and claim it fell on you....sue them and maybe they wont treat the next tenants with the same disregard.
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If your going to do that, whatever you do, don't talk about it on the internet first... wait... :(
 
AcidHell2 said:
You have no rights to withhold rent.
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Lee-Parker v Izzet [1971] says otherwise. Cost of repairs can be deducted from rent, but there is a very particular process to follow and it must have reached the stage where the landlord is in breach of their repairing obligations. Of course, you may well be given notice asap afterwards.

Simply stopping rent will see you out asap once 2 months arrears have accrued, if the LL/LA knows what they are doing.

Best plan is probably to bug the merry hell out of them at which point they may do the repairs just to shut you up.

On the offchance the agent is actually half-decent (unlikely, but possible) it could be the landlord ignoring them or refusing to spend money. The agent can't spend the landlord's money without permission.
 
grumpysculler said:
Lee-Parker v Izzet [1971] says otherwise. Cost of repairs can be deducted from rent, but there is a very particular process to follow and it must have reached the stage where the landlord is in breach of their repairing obligations. Of course, you may well be given notice asap afterwards.

Simply stopping rent will see you out asap once 2 months arrears have accrued, if the LL/LA knows what they are doing.

Best plan is probably to bug the merry hell out of them at which point they may do the repairs just to shut you up.

On the offchance the agent is actually half-decent (unlikely, but possible) it could be the landlord ignoring them or refusing to spend money. The agent can't spend the landlord's money without permission.
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Do you even read what you quoted? That isn't withholding rent.
 
still laughin at radiation damage :D sorry, not a laughin matter, but i've seen enough properties and agents to say that this is life, can tell them about it, but wont be fixed or sorted every time
 
 
Wicksta said:
I had to move my towels away from my bath as the hot water was a fire hazard. ;)

I'd maybe think about sending the wife and kids away somewhere for a few days and pull that ceiling down so they have to do something about it (obviously say it fell on it's own, you have the proof it was on the cards). You don't want that falling on their heads.
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Still an old **** PC under it too and jobs a goodun :D.
 
Amnesia said:
you may aswell go into detail a bit more.
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I rented a flat a fair few years ago. Went away on holiday came back to find a leak from a soil pipe in the building had nicely occured right in my flat. The day we arrived back was a bank holiday, rang the letting company, left a message. Rang the landlord and left a message and then organised a plumber myself. Queue 3 or 4 long drawn out weeks whilst they all try and lay blame at the others door (the flats were brand new so covered by a warranty) whilst I'm still living there with a pretty nasty smell, wrecked carpets etc. so I withheld the rent and wrote a very polite letter explaining why I was doing so. It dragged on and I withheld another months rent. I then got a visit from the landlord and his wife - huge argument ensues and next day I was served with an eviction notice for breach of contract. Luckily I'd handed my notice in in the meantime they kept the bond (1 months rent) and I never heard anything more of it but I could very asily have been pursued for the remainder of the money.

You ARE in breach of contract if you withhold the rent and I learnt a lesson that there are right and wrong ways to deal with things and flying of the handle is rarely the right one! As annoying as it may be you've got to tow the line and play the game. Nowadays I find being nicer usually gets you further!
 
.Andy said:
I rented a flat a fair few years ago. Went away on holiday came back to find a leak from a soil pipe in the building had nicely occured right in my flat. The day we arrived back was a bank holiday, rang the letting company, left a message. Rang the landlord and left a message and then organised a plumber myself. Queue 3 or 4 long drawn out weeks whilst they all try and lay blame at the others door (the flats were brand new so covered by a warranty) whilst I'm still living there with a pretty nasty smell, wrecked carpets etc. so I withheld the rent and wrote a very polite letter explaining why I was doing so. It dragged on and I withheld another months rent. I then got a visit from the landlord and his wife - huge argument ensues and next day I was served with an eviction notice for breach of contract. Luckily I'd handed my notice in in the meantime they kept the bond (1 months rent) and I never heard anything more of it but I could very asily have been pursued for the remainder of the money.

You ARE in breach of contract if you withhold the rent and I learnt a lesson that there are right and wrong ways to deal with things and flying of the handle is rarely the right one! As annoying as it may be you've got to tow the line and play the game. Nowadays I find being nicer usually gets you further!
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they weren't fixing the leaked soil pipe so did you really want to live with the stinky smell ?
you withheld 2 months rent and they took 1 months deposit....so you stayed there 1 month rent free.
i would hardly call that a lesson learned.
btw if u wanted to pee them off then you should have stayed there another month rent free.....


btw judges response more than likely would have been 'good luck with getting your money' had they pursued you for arrears.
 
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Amnesia said:
they weren't fixing the leaked soil pipe so did you really want to live with the stinky smell ?
you withheld 2 months rent and they took 1 months deposit....so you stayed there 1 month rent free.
i would hardly call that a lesson learned.
btw if u wanted to pee them off then you should have stayed there another month rent free.....
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And more than likely be taken to court.
 
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