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Hello,
In mid November last year, the oven caught fire in our rented property which resulted in the oven and hob being unusable. This happened while the oven was preheating and had been on for no longer than 15 minutes. During this time, I did not leave the room. When I noticed heavy smoke coming from the oven I turned it off both on the appliance and at the power supply (It's was an electric oven and the property has no gas supply). Despite this the oven ignited above the grill component and it looked to be electrical. When the landlord was notified of this, we were told we had to prove categorically that the fire was not our fault. In response to this, we arranged for an engineer of the manufacturer of the appliance to inspect the damage. When the top casing of the oven was removed, it was unable to be tested as the electric components had completely perished. despite this being put in writing the landlady and her spokesperson refused to believe that there was a fault with the oven and told us we had to pay for the excess on the insurance plus the replacement of the oven. The manufacturers of the oven offered us a replacement oven at the cost of delivery and fitting (£150). We felt this was the most reasonable way around getting the repairs completed. 6 months after the fire, with no repair works carried out at all, and so we were living without an oven and hob and in a fire and smoke damaged apartment. After 6 months the repainting was done in the living room and kitchen (they are open plan) but still no agreement had been reached on who was to pay for the replacement appliances. Now, almost 12 moths later, an agreement has been reached for us to supply the oven (as it was the cause of the fire.) and the landlord has agreed to pay for all other damage repairs. During the full 12 months we have been charged full rent and feel that the time scale it has taken and the state of the property and the way it has been dealt with is highly unacceptable. I feel my partner and I have been taken advantage of, as we have complied with every reasonable request from the landlord and letting agency including interim property inspections despite the property being in an unreasonable state for us to inhabit. We have been left feeling unsure of our rights as tenants and any thoughts or advise you can give us would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.
In mid November last year, the oven caught fire in our rented property which resulted in the oven and hob being unusable. This happened while the oven was preheating and had been on for no longer than 15 minutes. During this time, I did not leave the room. When I noticed heavy smoke coming from the oven I turned it off both on the appliance and at the power supply (It's was an electric oven and the property has no gas supply). Despite this the oven ignited above the grill component and it looked to be electrical. When the landlord was notified of this, we were told we had to prove categorically that the fire was not our fault. In response to this, we arranged for an engineer of the manufacturer of the appliance to inspect the damage. When the top casing of the oven was removed, it was unable to be tested as the electric components had completely perished. despite this being put in writing the landlady and her spokesperson refused to believe that there was a fault with the oven and told us we had to pay for the excess on the insurance plus the replacement of the oven. The manufacturers of the oven offered us a replacement oven at the cost of delivery and fitting (£150). We felt this was the most reasonable way around getting the repairs completed. 6 months after the fire, with no repair works carried out at all, and so we were living without an oven and hob and in a fire and smoke damaged apartment. After 6 months the repainting was done in the living room and kitchen (they are open plan) but still no agreement had been reached on who was to pay for the replacement appliances. Now, almost 12 moths later, an agreement has been reached for us to supply the oven (as it was the cause of the fire.) and the landlord has agreed to pay for all other damage repairs. During the full 12 months we have been charged full rent and feel that the time scale it has taken and the state of the property and the way it has been dealt with is highly unacceptable. I feel my partner and I have been taken advantage of, as we have complied with every reasonable request from the landlord and letting agency including interim property inspections despite the property being in an unreasonable state for us to inhabit. We have been left feeling unsure of our rights as tenants and any thoughts or advise you can give us would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.
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