Landlords, any advice?

[neilma]

Having never rented anywhere before, I am looking for some advice.

Daughter is in her second year of uni and had just, with some friends, rented a place for the 5 of them.

When I took her down a few weeks ago there were some issues with the keys and various things with the property that would have been easy to fix which she documented but the most impactful as she had a car is the rear access gate not being secured properly so it was able to swing into the back accessway etc (and infact it hit her car the other night and she reversed out)

Anyway to cut a long story short, the estate agent tell us that they are only responsible for the keys and taking the monthly payments as the landlord has chosen to be responsible for maintenance and any other issues.

She has chased him a few times and he is not responsive so just wondered what recourse we have? The estate agents (who we pay) point to the landlord and the landlord never replies. Ordinarily I would suggest holding payments but I guess her contract is with the agent so I fear that's dodgy ground?

(The issues arent massive (misaligned uPVC bedroom window with large gap, garden waste piled up, rear gate that is useless as a gate, couple of electrical niggles etc), most of which I can sort myself next time I am down but feel he is taking the Michael so want him to be held responsible ....)

Thoughts?

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[DONGinsler]

Check laws in regard to this staement

If there is a problem with your rental unit that makes it uninhabitable and your landlord won't fix it in a timely fashion—or at all—you can make the repair yourself and subtract the cost from your rent. This process is known as “repair and deduct.”

The benefits of fixing a problem yourself are obvious: it reduces the amount of time you have to spend in a less-than-ideal living situation. The downside is that it’s more work for you—and if you don’t follow state laws closely, there’s a chance your landlord may try to evict you for not paying your rent in full.

If you can fix the problems. Just do it. I know that the landlord should do it, but he obviously doesn't care. Probably has a line up of uni students willing to take over her room.

Save it for a major problem if it arises

Not a landlord

[Rev-O]

I'm a landlord and I use an agent. I don't understand the arrangement here. What is the owner paying the agents for? Just to be a buffer, a shield to hide behind? Maybe that's some sort of landlord/agent deal (at a hugely reduced fee, I'd hope) but it's not how I believe agents work. The agent represents the owner (the clue is the name); the owner will have to sign off on any expenditure or agree to any works being done etc (or not, as the case may be) but everything goes through the agent.

I have never heard of a situation whereby "the estate agent tell us that they are only responsible for the keys and taking the monthly payments as the landlord has chosen to be responsible for maintenance and any other issues."

Who is carrying out the statutory checks (e.g. gas safety)? Is the agent a reputable outfit, registered with a professional body (e.g. ARLA)?

[Brighty]

I'm a landlord and I use an agent. I don't understand the arrangement here. What is the owner paying the agents for? Just to be a buffer, a shield to hide behind? Maybe that's some sort of landlord/agent deal (at a hugely reduced fee, I'd hope) but it's not how I believe agents work. The agent represents the owner (the clue is the name); the owner will have to sign off on any expenditure or agree to any works being done etc (or not, as the case may be) but everything goes through the agent.

I have never heard of a situation whereby "the estate agent tell us that they are only responsible for the keys and taking the monthly payments as the landlord has chosen to be responsible for maintenance and any other issues."

Who is carrying out the statutory checks (e.g. gas safety)? Is the agent a reputable outfit, registered with a professional body (e.g. ARLA)?

Perfectly normal set up for agents. The 2 i use both offer 3 levels of service, a tenant find and set up service for a one off charge, a rent collection service for a low monthly percentage where everything else you deal direct with the tenant and a 'fully managed' service where you're totally hands off

[Montello]

Sadly seems like this guy is one of those landlords ...

Follow these steps: https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/ho...your-landlord/

BTW unless you are an appropriately qualified electrician I wouldn't attempt to fix things ... I do my own electrics at home but I wouldn't even wire a plug in a BTL; I get all that done by an electrician.

[neilma]

Thanks all for the advice and links.

As you mention it's probably easier for me to sort the issues for her (not the electrics) and put it down to experience and save any escalations for any bigger issues....

Cheers....
Neil

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[awright101]

My son had similar issues. He had paid 12 months up front so the landlord was not interested. The toilet leaked and he organised a plumber so sort it. The carpet however in the lounge was soaked and smelly. He messaged the landlord who did not reply. He ended up getting a quote for a replacement carpet, gave the landlords details for the bill and then messaged the landlord with the bill saying the carpet was being replaced and they will bill him directly. They turned up that afternoon to sort it.

[Scepticalist]

As above. Get a quote and give the landlord notice that if he doesn't fix it, you will authorise the work and either deduct it from the rent or send him the bill.