Dear Sheila,
I am writing to you to inform you of a few issues and occurrences that have led Sarah and myself, with the support of other housemates, to withhold rent for the house this month.
I understand that you called Sarah again yesterday asking for the money you feel is due to you and I thought I should at least pay you the courtesy of responding to you
directly rather than using Sarah as some sort of management estate agent or go-between.
The issues I raise are those in relation to me personally but I am sure that the other housemates would agree with the majority of them. The following list represent the reasons why I feel the amount of rent paid previously has been unreasonable and I wish you to consider a more reasonable amount for this and last month, if any.
1. About a week after moving in, I discovered a major damp problem in my room. The wall above my bed is crumbling down on a daily basis and I have to hoover up the wall, from the floor, regularly. This is obviously something which I could not have predicted when shown the room just once before moving in.
2. Further to this, as you are aware, the boiler has broken down several times over the last few months and remains broken even as I write. This has caused the damp problem to become even worse. With a fully working heater the wall was able to dry at least a small amount on drier days but without the heating it did not. On rainy days which we have experienced several of during this time, the damp was especially bad. Even with a small blower heater provided in my room, which had previously suggested as a solution to the broken boiler, this was not going to be sufficient to do the job.
I am asthmatic and during this period of extreme coldness and additional dampness I have found it to be much worse. In addition, I have recently been subject to several important and pressurised exams and interviews which required a good nights sleep. I have had to arrange to stay with friends on these evenings, as the coldness was not conducive to a good night’s rest.
3. Before moving in I was informed that double glazing was going to be installed. This was never the case. This would have helped keep the room warmer and drier. I do recommend that you get it installed as soon as possible. The only thing that stopped me complaining almost immediately was the hope I clung to that maybe it would happen.
4. In addition to the heating problem is also the inconvenience of having to set an alarm early in the morning so I can go downstairs to switch on the hot water.
Getting up earlier than I would chose and would normally need to, to force oneself to go downstairs in a freezing cold house, in order to ensure a semi hot shower is an option, is utterly ridiculous.
5. I regularly used to use the second bathroom due to the house having several people leave simultaneously for work and thus needing the main bathroom. Even when the ceiling was still up, one would often find themselves victim to dripping water through the ceiling from the shower above. When I enquired about this and the fact that the ceiling looked as if it might cave in, I was informed that it had fallen in twice before and yet only temporary repairs had been made and the root of the problem never found or treated. Sure enough, the ceiling collapsed and the bathroom was not what one could describe as usable as it had cement and plaster all over the floor and toilet. This means I am consistently late to work and now go to the gym in the morning just so I can take a shower. Others in the house do not have such amenities available to them.
Please also note that:
a) We have tried to arrange meetings with you but you have failed to give much notice and we are all very busy. The one meeting we did actually diarise you could not attend despite initially saying you would be there.
b) After two weeks with no communication as to when the boiler was to be fixed we offered to get the boiler fixed ourselves and take the money out of the rent. This was an option you declined.
I would also like to place emphasis on what the law says landlords are
responsible for:
• repairs to the structure and exterior of the property, heating and hot water installations, basins, sinks, baths and other sanitary installations
• the safety of gas and electrical appliances
• the fire safety of furniture and furnishings provided under the tenancy ensuring that the property is fit for habitation repairing and keeping in working order the room and water heating equipment
• the common areas in multi-occupancy dwellings
As tenants our responsibility is of course to pay the rent on time and to the amount agreed each month. However, this side of the contract is upheld providing that the landlord upholds their side. We did actually pay the full amount of rent in advance for October which should have been enough to cover a new boiler. From the start of October, which is when the boiler initially broke, we gave you two weeks to fix it and in the very least, inform us as to when it would be fixed. You did not fix the boiler or provide us with a date during this time. Two weeks further to this which we deem a incredibly reasonable amount of time to fix the boiler, it is still not fixed nor has any date been provided. This has left us with no option but to refuse to pay any further rent until it is fixed. Sadly, this is the only thing that has appeared to get your attention. For the reasons I have described above and for this I think that paying 50% of the rent is more than fair. And this should not be received until the boiler is fixed.
I eagerly await your response.
Yours sincerely,
Emma Benson