I moved out of a property in July 2010. I was living there for 12 months, under a 12 month tenancy agreement.
I had numerous problems with the property. The property wasn't in a habitable state when we moved in - meaning we painted rooms for the Landlord (he provided us with paint), cleaned, fixed things, etc, etc.
We had no hot running water throughout the house. Save for one hot water heater in the kitchen (electric - which you had to switch on before you used). Therefore, the only hot water we had in the bathroom was if you used the shower.
We had damp in the bedrooms, windows that were not insulated and the temperature in the house was below freezing in the winter. We also had a mains electricity box (with the main lead going into the road) in our kitchen, without a cover on it.
Two of the bedrooms in the property were in conservatories (is this even legal???) which meant that they were damp and drafty.
The heating system didn't work, so we were unable to use this in the winter.
We had a tenant who brought people back for parties all the time and we addressed this with him, however, he did not stop. Therefore, we spoke to the Landlord about this and they failed to do anything.
We had an additional bathroom downstairs, to which the water had been cut off. This smelt of damp and rot. This smell would come upstairs and spread around the house.
The kitchen cupboards fell off after about a week and the Landlord failed to fix them, the furniture provided (in a supposedly fully furnished property!!) was all broken and, again, we had to provide our own/fix them!
When we moved in the carpets were filthy, and the belogings of the previous tenants were still lying around the property. We were simply told to 'overlook the mess' and he would remove that in due course. (This being on 04.07.2009, when we were contracted to move in on 01.07.2009).
I addressed all issues with the Landlord and his wife repeatedly by telephone. I even had an appointment with them at their property at which I addressed various problems that we had. They were never dealt with.
When we got mice, this again was not dealt with, even though we reported this to him repeately.
We had leaks in the ceiling and found dried Cannabis off plants that previous tenants had been growing on top of one of the wardrobes, which the Landlord had not removed...
We asked for locks on our bedroom doors and he simply put the same lock on each door, meaning that the other tenants at the property could enter my room using their key (these were just star locks).
There was an open vent in the kitchen, meaning that fruit flies absolutely infested the kitchen when we moved in. We dealt with this ourselves, because he failed to do anything about it.
I could go on forever with this, but we basically lived in squalor in this place. As a result of which, we were ill most of the time.
I didn't pay rent for two months. They are now chasing me for this - threatening me with Solicitors.
I need to know where I stand. Do I have to pay the rent arrears on the property? Or can I refuse to pay them, by virtue of the situation that we had to live in.
I know I have gone about this the wrong way, as most discussions have been verbal and I am now not living in the property, but if someone could give me a bit of advice, that would be helpful.
Also, since moving out they have contacted my Dad (not sure how they got his details, since I didn't have to provide a Guarantor!!) and discussed matters with him, causing problems between me and him. Is this a breach of confidentiality or are they allowed to do this?
Any advice would be much appreciated.
Thanks
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