Dealing with landlord / Private housing ?

[melon]

The flooring is my flat has gotten considerably worse due , perhaps , to an overspill that has been dripping for almost 4 years since i moved here.

Ive complained about his to my landlord but because i cant get out ( partly because i cant even open the doors any more due to the dampnenss underneath ) but it seems this is worse than i thought because now even the flooring in one of my bedroom / storage room cupboards is wet to the point some equipment is damaged from mould.

Apparently according to my landlord whats worse about this is the fact the flat next door which never has any one in it - but sometimes does ( like some hideout ) has water continually leaking from one of its external pipes into my garden , and of course my garden has been built on cement base ( ( i have no idea how deep it is ) which means its not draining anywhere - or at least without some effort.

As im mulling over my options I was thinking of taking some photos of the mould on my damaged equipment / items just to have some evidence, but in the meantime i was wondering what else I should do - given my housing association and landlord are both reluctant to do anything.

Perhaps if i burst pipe ( although its bit naughty ) i could claim insurance and get my flooring done without all this hassle of not knowing whats causing this, or having any one willing to take responsibility / own up ?

Even the ceiling itself is starting to collapse bit , so I dont even know if has something to do with the flat upstairs , and of course cant get out to ask or even go upstairs to address given there is no elevator.

help...

melon

[TheAnimus]

I'd imagine that the freehold puts down rules on building insurance, as is my understanding this would be covered by that insurance, thou they might likely claim it back from the leaseholder due to their failure to maintain it.

[melon]

I'd imagine that the freehold puts down rules on building insurance, as is my understanding this would be covered by that insurance, thou they might likely claim it back from the leaseholder due to their failure to maintain it.

What if that leaseholder , as in my case, is disabled ?

m

[TheAnimus]

What if that leaseholder , as in my case, is disabled ?

m

A leasehold is an obligation! The lady above me has an obligation (which she failed in) not to leak on to me. Why would it matter that she is disabled (she isn't)?! She damages my property by her negligence to forfill her obligations set out in the lease.

When your in a leasehold you have certain commitments which HAVE to be met, for instance if you fail to pay your service charges you can loose your leasehold.

[melon]

A leasehold is an obligation! The lady above me has an obligation (which she failed in) not to leak on to me. Why would it matter that she is disabled (she isn't)?! She damages my property by her negligence to forfill her obligations set out in the lease.

When your in a leasehold you have certain commitments which HAVE to be met, for instance if you fail to pay your service charges you can loose your leasehold.

The problem is I dont know if its the folk upstairs.. nobody seems to know or want to say , housing maintenance claimed they fixed the overspill but what if their spinning yarns too, it wouldn't be the first time an electrician or plumber would smudge the truth .

melon

[cam1986]

To be honest, if it were me i would be looking for somewhere else to live.

[melon]

To be honest, if it were me i would be looking for somewhere else to live.

In a perfect world id agree, but im a bit restricted just now for options - esp when you factor in my mobility needs vs more urban / social problems that exist elsewhere.

If I had my way id leave the country, but until I find a way to fix my health and complete my all-terrain walker so Im not bound to pavements , theres not much point .

Maybe i can just get one of those EPS homes made out of foam on some cheap plot of land somewhere ?

If i had solar panels in some hot climate it could effectively cut 50% of my bills given the need for heating , electricity etc


m

[TheAnimus]

We all have our adversities and our demons, your lucky in that mobility in a requirment for resolving this.

Do you own or let your apartment?

Have you contacted the free holder? The freeholder WILL care because more damage is been caused....

[melon]

We all have our adversities and our demons, your lucky in that mobility in a requirment for resolving this.

I see your point but I dont really like it.

Do you own or let your apartment?

Have you contacted the free holder? The freeholder WILL care because more damage is been caused....

Not yet and Yes they know

m

[TheAnimus]

I see your point but I dont really like it.

If we could have designed our lifes, we still probably wouldn't like it. You've got the cards in your hand, and luckily they are all you need to win this particular game.

Not yet and Yes they know

Ok good, if you eleborate a little on these things it might make it easier, have you been documenting the damage in any way? (such as photographs?)

How big is the building you live in?

Have you been able to convey the damage this is doing to the property to your landlord, and that it is getting worse?

You should be able to find out from the freehold who the lesse is of the apartment leaking in to yours.

[melon]

If we could have designed our lifes, we still probably wouldn't like it. You've got the cards in your hand, and luckily they are all you need to win this particular game.

Id be interested to know what your basing that on , a conversation for another time perhaps ?

Ok good, if you eleborate a little on these things it might make it easier, have you been documenting the damage in any way? (such as photographs?)

Yes , just the items though for now i dont have a lot of light to work with.

How big is the building you live in?

There are 4 flats on the ground floor and at least 2-3 others on the top .

Have you been able to convey the damage this is doing to the property to your landlord, and that it is getting worse?

You should be able to find out from the freehold who the lesse is of the apartment leaking in to yours.

Well freehold are the ones who said the maintenance crew fixed the overspill down the side of the building , so if thats the case why are things worse ?

And if it wasnt that , why didnt they find out what was causing this first time round , instead of getting it wrong ?

Im not sure whether they asked the flat above or not , but what else could be causing my ceiling to cave in ?

melon

[scaryjim]

If the water is damaging the property then the landlord should be doing something about it. If he/she isn't, stress to them that it is causing damage to their property and yours, and remind them that they have an obligation to you to keep the structure of the property in good repair.

If they still do nothing, report them to your local council's private housing office (you should be able to get the number off their website) who will assess the damage then contact your landlord. I believe under new legislation that came in a couple of years ago landlords can now be prosecuted for failing to maintain properties, and certainly Manchester City Council took it very seriously when we reported the numpty who rented this place out to us.

Does your landlord own all the flats in the building? If not there will be a freeholder who owns the building (your landlord being a leaseholder) and they may also be interested to know that the property is not being properly maintained as this will have an impact on other leaseholders in the building. If your loandlord does own all the flats, then sadly it sounds like he doesn't much care (although his buildings insurance company may be interested ).

Either way, be prepared for a lot of pestering and badgering if you actually want to get something done: my experience with landlords is that the vast majority want to do as little as possible whilst taking as much money off you as they can...

[TheAnimus]

Jim's put in some good points, his last been especially valid!

Id be interested to know what your basing that on , a conversation for another time perhaps ?

Just add beer

Yes , just the items though for now i dont have a lot of light to work with.

Hey thats not a problem, its not your job to document it, its just it makes for a wounderfully visual letter, "from this x, to this y". Don't think the landlord, the freeholders won't care that this hasn't been fixed, they will loose money, they will damn well care! Never mistake incompetence for malice!

There are 4 flats on the ground floor and at least 2-3 others on the top

Ok so its a small block, that normally makes this eaiser!

Well freehold are the ones who said the maintenance crew fixed the overspill down the side of the building , so if thats the case why are things worse ?

And if it wasnt that , why didnt they find out what was causing this first time round , instead of getting it wrong ?

Because sometimes there are many problems which all need fixing in turn, you might have to be the bearer of bad news. Regretably its a **** situation, but inaction will make it worse, even if your not popular for bringing it to their attention!

Im not sure whether they asked the flat above or not , but what else could be causing my ceiling to cave in ?

If you can take a pic of the ceiling caving in, say its getting worse, tell you landlord.

If no response, get the concil envolved they are normally really prompt on these things!

But before going to that option just try and make sure its not a failure of communication with your landlord n the freehold.

[melon]

Jim's put in some good points, his last been especially valid!Just add beer
Hey thats not a problem, its not your job to document it, its just it makes for a wounderfully visual letter, "from this x, to this y". Don't think the landlord, the freeholders won't care that this hasn't been fixed, they will loose money, they will damn well care! Never mistake incompetence for malice!
Ok so its a small block, that normally makes this eaiser!Because sometimes there are many problems which all need fixing in turn, you might have to be the bearer of bad news. Regretably its a **** situation, but inaction will make it worse, even if your not popular for bringing it to their attention!
If you can take a pic of the ceiling caving in, say its getting worse, tell you landlord.

If no response, get the concil envolved they are normally really prompt on these things!

But before going to that option just try and make sure its not a failure of communication with your landlord n the freehold.

Im not sure how much the Freeholders do care, thats the problem, Im only saying that because of a conversation I had with someone who did live upstairs from last year- ironically just before I became housebound.

This person told me the whole building was basically almost a write -off and though i never stupidly asked why ( partly because i was having no immediate problems ) but this person said something to the effect that it would cost them ( freeholders ) too much to fix anything, and as their the ones in charge of maintenance that inspect it then how can you expect them then to really care about it ?

I told the landlord about this, and said this is pretty much at stage 3 now in terms of seriousness , as im pretty sure all the ground flats are suffering through this, in fact i don't even know if there is anyone living down here other than me anymore , other than perhaps one other who is on the other side thus perhaps unaffected.

melon

[melon]

If the water is damaging the property then the landlord should be doing something about it. If he/she isn't, stress to them that it is causing damage to their property and yours, and remind them that they have an obligation to you to keep the structure of the property in good repair.

If they still do nothing, report them to your local council's private housing office (you should be able to get the number off their website) who will assess the damage then contact your landlord. I believe under new legislation that came in a couple of years ago landlords can now be prosecuted for failing to maintain properties, and certainly Manchester City Council took it very seriously when we reported the numpty who rented this place out to us.

Does your landlord own all the flats in the building? If not there will be a freeholder who owns the building (your landlord being a leaseholder) and they may also be interested to know that the property is not being properly maintained as this will have an impact on other leaseholders in the building. If your loandlord does own all the flats, then sadly it sounds like he doesn't much care (although his buildings insurance company may be interested ).

Either way, be prepared for a lot of pestering and badgering if you actually want to get something done: my experience with landlords is that the vast majority want to do as little as possible whilst taking as much money off you as they can...

No, as far as I know he only owns mine, I know the person I spoke too owns their own flat but I dont know about the fat dwarf with dog or any one else - i suspect he might too as he was he before i moved in along with the woman I spoke too , the rest of folk just appear like their on some short lease for 6- 12 months, as ive seen one or two faces come and go, or as is the case now heard them.

melon

[GoNz0]

stop paying, usually gets there attention.