Issues with Letting Agency

[Nemesis4909]

Hi guys,

I'm in a rental property being handled through a letting agency and I'm having no end of problems with them. A few months ago they did an inspection without informing us and outlined concerns about the state of the property so were going to re-inspect. Those concerns were addressed and they contacted us 4 months later to do another inspection because it wasn't good enough. Really strange but seemed to be resolved at that point.

The latest is that they did another inspection last month and have told us that the bathroom is an unacceptable condition because the ceiling is "covered" in Mold. It is and this was reported when they did their first inspection, we were told they would deal with it and repaint but that has never happened. By the way this was in September last year. Their latest email told us we have to make sure the Mold is removed by Monday or they'll have to "take action" and they're going to charge us for the redecoration apparently.

I replied to the email saying I wished to raise a complaint at the quality of their communications as I don't feel like we are being treated very well with them. The Mold has been present in the bathroom for nearly a year and they've done nothing but suddenly it's our fault.

My questions are as follows. When they say "take action" what do you suppose they mean by that? Naturally I'm not impressed by the vague threat. Also, am I out of line in thinking that they are being overly critical and pushy with their constant inspections and vague communications. We were told after the last inspection that everything was fine. It's at the point where they are really stressing me out and considering I suffer from various issues around anxiety and stress seeing emails from them just makes me feel worse. I'm guessing I'm within my rights to complain?

Thanks all, this forum is always really useful.

[R0b]

The latest is that they did another inspection last month and have told us that the bathroom is an unacceptable condition because the ceiling is "covered" in Mold. It is and this was reported when they did their first inspection, we were told they would deal with it and repaint but that has never happened.

I hope that you have evidence of your concerns in writing and their response or if not, why not? Were you given an inventory at the time of beginning your tenancy and if so did you report this issue within a certain period of time as your tenancy agreement usually requires you to do? Again, if not then why not? Also, if this happened back in September last year, why did you not chase it up or make a complaint?

[Nemesis4909]

When I sent them the complaint yesterday I attached the emails about the repainting and reminded them that they've done nothing since then. To be honest, not sure why I didn't chase it up or make a complaint before now but the way they're treating me and my flatmate has given me the motivation to complain about them now. They haven't replied to the email I sent them yesterday as yet though I am slightly concerned they'll use it as an excuse to kick us out. I don't want that happening.

[Setmefree3]

In accordance with the Housing Act 1988, your landlord or letting agent must notify you in writing at least 24 hours before they wish to enter your home.(unless you agreed to a clause in your agreement stating different).Standard tenancy agreements will state that the landlord should ask, in writing, to visit only at “reasonable times of the day”, allowing you the opportunity to be present during the visit, give time to tidy your home, and arrange a witness to be present if relations with your landlord are poor.

have you got suitable ventilation in your bathroom (extractor fan,Windows).

[Nemesis4909]

There's an extractor fan but it doesn't seem to be up to the task given that Mold exists on the ceiling and has done since we moved in. We've taken steps to remove it now with relevant spray and such but it doesn't alter the fact that there was chat about repainting last September and it still hasn't really been done.

The inspections that they seem to love doing are really stressing us out at this point as the report from the last one (in April) identified no issues but now suddenly we're receiving an email about the bathroom being in a state.

As I've said my worry is that they're going to consider me expressing displeasure at the quality and content of their communications grounds to serve us notice and make us leave. I'm not sure I could deal with that right now, I've had to move twice before because they were selling the place in different flats and really don't want this happening anytime soon.

[Setmefree3]

We had mold on the bathroom ceiling of our last property and were forever mixing bleach and water to rid of it. In the end the landlord fitted a trickle fan and that stopped it. The fact that you have reported it and given the timeframe without any action to remedy the problem, I would say the problem now lies with the landlord. I could be wrong, but I believe it is your responsibility to remove the mold, and it’s the landlords responsibility to find out what’s causing it.

If you cannot come to an agreement with your landlord and believe you have tried everything then read the article in the following link, that will tell you who you can turn to. https://england.shelter.org.uk/housi...rented_housing

[R0b]

I think you need to put in a formal complaint against the letting agency. You should set out the issues and also their failings i.e. attending the property without giving reasonable notice (as above check your contract it would usually say at least 24hr notice) as well as their failure to come out and treat the mold as they said they would and it has almost 12 months.

The letting agency should belong to an ombudsman service so if they don't resolve it your satisfaction then highlight to them that you will take your complaint further to the Ombudsman. To find out which Ombudsman they belong to you should check their website or if you can't find anything, then ask them for details of the Ombudsman.