Sorry this is sort of long.
We're privately renting a one-bedroom flat and there are some repairs that need doing. Most of them are minor, cosmetic things but one of them is quite major and an entire wall in the bedroom needs to be ripped out and replaced/rebuilt.
The contractor has said that we need to empty the bedroom so all of the stuff from in there is going to have to go in the front room. Having measured it all up, this will leave us with zero floor space and we will literally have to climb over stuff to get in and out of the kitchen, bathroom, and toilet (not to mention getting to and from the hallway to reach the front door). Even the carpet has to come up.
I thought well it'll be okay, it's only two days, three at most. The contractor then told me that this part of the work is going to take 7-10 working days to complete (they don't do weekends) and we then need to wait a further 2-3 days for the new plaster to dry out before the wall can be redecorated and we can move everything back into the bedroom. So we're talking around two weeks total.
He then said that because there will be a lot of dust from the demolition of the internal wall (including fibreglass dust from the insulation and the cavity wall stuff) no one will be allowed in the flat without a face mask due to health and safety. He also said that there may be a risk of asbestos due to the age of the building. He then told me that all of the furniture will be covered in plastic sheeting to protect it (even though it's in a different room) and the place will need to be deep cleaned following the work. His final bombshell was that for safety reasons, we can't live/sleep in the property until the work is completed.
I've checked my tenancy agreement and there is nothing in it that covers this. I called the landlord and told them what their contractor has told me. They said I could sleep in the property, the contractor then called and told them we couldn't. The landlord is saying this is not their problem and their only obligation is to complete the necessary repairs. They've said they're not obliged to provide us with alternative accomodation during the repairs and that we should go stay with family or friends (which isn't feasible).
Google brought up tonnes of conflicting and confusing information. Does anyone have any experience or knowledge of a similar situation? What happened? Is our landlord obliged to put us up, especially considering that they knew this work needed doing before we even moved in but didn't tell us until after we had taken on the tenancy?
I live in England if that helps - I know laws are different in Scotland and Wales.
The tenancy agreement doesn't say anything about this eventuality. It just says that the landlord is responsible for maintaining and repairing the structure, gas/electricity/water supply and fittings, doors and windows, and any repairs caused by wear and tear. It says we are responsible for repairing any damage we cause and for maintaining/repairing the furniture and electrical goods we own.
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