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Hi all
I’m new here so apologies if this is the wrong section etc.
I’m just looking for some advice about a gas leak in the flat building I’m renting, I discovered a strong gas smell in the hallway entrance which is below my bathroom and the smell seemed to have travelled to my kitchen and around the flat recently, I called the national gas number who then sent out someone to check it all over, they confirmed a small gas leak and capped the supply and told me to contact my landlord/agent to send someone out. I did this, the agent I spoke to didn’t seem convinced it was a leak and was more less acting like I was inconveniencing them but they’ll send out a plumber to “see what I’m on about” and that they’ll call me back before the day is over. No one called me back, so I called them next morning as the weekend was soon and I’d have no heating etc so the same agent answered and actually sounded peeved that I called them back and said “I did say someone was coming this morning” like hello no you did not!! No one said anything actually lol
The day I called them back they sent out a plumber who told me he was “fed up” of being called out to check this leak out as the previous few tenants have reported the same thing and he has to come out and report back the same findings which was that my flat isn’t the one with a leak, but he suspects it could be the property below which is a takeaway. He told me that everytime he comes here there is always a strong smell of gas in that hallway, and nothing gets done about it. He also says that he doesn’t believe that they (he wouldn’t say who “they” are) aren’t smelling the gas when they enter as it’s too strong not to, they just spray it and continue as normal. He felt comfortable uncapping my supply so he did that, checked my boiler etc and just said “I’m not saying there’s not a leak at all, but if it’s downstairs then you’ll just go boom” and then went away. I don’t think he was joking!!! Anyway he said he would come back Monday to check .
Later on in the day I had someone else come over to see if they can smell the gas still, they could and said it could be possible it’s under my floorboards and not so much relating to the takeaway, but they aren’t a professional so they told me to mention this on Monday when the plumber comes back.
My worry now is what if nothing gets done about this at all, because the plumber says my flat is not the one with the leak so of course the agents/landlords are just gonna go off what he says there. But the smell is still so strong and obviously it’s been an ongoing problem for him to say that he’s fed up of coming here about it.
Truthfully I’m very uncomfortable living there, I haven’t been sleeping there all weekend, I’ve been sleeping at a friends as I just feel unsafe. Each time I’ve gone there to check, it smells of strong gas. Whether it’s in the entrance, or in my flat. I don’t know what my options are, I’m in a fixed tenancy sadly so I don’t even think I can give my notice to leave, I’ve only been here 2 months so I can’t see them agreeing to let me leave. I’m miserable and so stressed because I really liked the place and was happy, but I don’t feel like anything is going to be done about this. And I can’t go on living like there’s not a strong gas smell in the room with me.
If they refuse to do anything about it, or if there’s nothing they really can do about it, am I allowed to leave my contract early as surely this affects my safety? It’s not like im leaving for fun or refusing to pay rent because that’s not the case at all, I wouldn’t withhold rent even if it was fixable and they refused.
Im not 100% how it all works so any advice is really appreciated.
Thank you all,
X
I’m new here so apologies if this is the wrong section etc.
I’m just looking for some advice about a gas leak in the flat building I’m renting, I discovered a strong gas smell in the hallway entrance which is below my bathroom and the smell seemed to have travelled to my kitchen and around the flat recently, I called the national gas number who then sent out someone to check it all over, they confirmed a small gas leak and capped the supply and told me to contact my landlord/agent to send someone out. I did this, the agent I spoke to didn’t seem convinced it was a leak and was more less acting like I was inconveniencing them but they’ll send out a plumber to “see what I’m on about” and that they’ll call me back before the day is over. No one called me back, so I called them next morning as the weekend was soon and I’d have no heating etc so the same agent answered and actually sounded peeved that I called them back and said “I did say someone was coming this morning” like hello no you did not!! No one said anything actually lol
The day I called them back they sent out a plumber who told me he was “fed up” of being called out to check this leak out as the previous few tenants have reported the same thing and he has to come out and report back the same findings which was that my flat isn’t the one with a leak, but he suspects it could be the property below which is a takeaway. He told me that everytime he comes here there is always a strong smell of gas in that hallway, and nothing gets done about it. He also says that he doesn’t believe that they (he wouldn’t say who “they” are) aren’t smelling the gas when they enter as it’s too strong not to, they just spray it and continue as normal. He felt comfortable uncapping my supply so he did that, checked my boiler etc and just said “I’m not saying there’s not a leak at all, but if it’s downstairs then you’ll just go boom” and then went away. I don’t think he was joking!!! Anyway he said he would come back Monday to check .
Later on in the day I had someone else come over to see if they can smell the gas still, they could and said it could be possible it’s under my floorboards and not so much relating to the takeaway, but they aren’t a professional so they told me to mention this on Monday when the plumber comes back.
My worry now is what if nothing gets done about this at all, because the plumber says my flat is not the one with the leak so of course the agents/landlords are just gonna go off what he says there. But the smell is still so strong and obviously it’s been an ongoing problem for him to say that he’s fed up of coming here about it.
Truthfully I’m very uncomfortable living there, I haven’t been sleeping there all weekend, I’ve been sleeping at a friends as I just feel unsafe. Each time I’ve gone there to check, it smells of strong gas. Whether it’s in the entrance, or in my flat. I don’t know what my options are, I’m in a fixed tenancy sadly so I don’t even think I can give my notice to leave, I’ve only been here 2 months so I can’t see them agreeing to let me leave. I’m miserable and so stressed because I really liked the place and was happy, but I don’t feel like anything is going to be done about this. And I can’t go on living like there’s not a strong gas smell in the room with me.
If they refuse to do anything about it, or if there’s nothing they really can do about it, am I allowed to leave my contract early as surely this affects my safety? It’s not like im leaving for fun or refusing to pay rent because that’s not the case at all, I wouldn’t withhold rent even if it was fixable and they refused.
Im not 100% how it all works so any advice is really appreciated.
Thank you all,
X
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