"Damp" Basement is "Common Sense"

[grrlowell]

I've had a leak in the basement since moving in to the property and have been given every excuse under the sun for why the landlord/agency won't do anything about it. I've managed to get round all these excuses and they just come back with more. The current one I'm struggling with though;

They're now saying that, being a basement, it's "common sense" that it will be damp. We're not talking a bit of mildew though, it's dripping from the ceiling and there are puddles down there. I've asked them to quote to me from landlord law where it is stated that a house needs to be kept free from damp unless it's a basement, in which case it's just common sense that it be damp.

Can anyone advise on this or provide some bit of law that I can show them to call them out?

[des8]

Citizens Advice have a good summary on how to deal with damp problems that a landlord won't sort
https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/ho...%20in%20repair.

possibly islandgirl will have more advice

[islandgirl]

I think the first step is the council. Get them out to look at the problem. They can force the LL to act. Are you renting on an AST?