Bats in the belfry, windows are jammed - London flat renting, deposits & landlords

Typhus

This is a notifiable disease - your GP should be reporting this to Public Health England

https://www.lfgss.com/comments/13119172/

can't he then sue me

Maybe. But you would have the money, and he would have to come after you for it. And you could countersue for the money that he owes you, as you would still have a claim.

Yeah, that's an interesting one-from reading up on it I think there's a misconception that Typhus is really rarely contracted unless travelling abroad, but I found a paper from 2003 that did a survey of 1000 pets in the UK and found that 6-12% of them had fleas carrying the Typhus rickettsia bacteria, so it's obviously far more common and under reported than you'd like to think.

I'm hoping that the docs don't think I'm an arrogant cunt for just going ahead and self-medicating but frankly I'd been there 5 times and was feeling incredibly patronised by them just passing it off as stress.

I guess pre-diagnosis I was just keen to get the fuck out of there and move on-legal battles are very stressful and I don't have any cash to fight them.

Now I'm thinking of the poor cunts in that flat that will probably contract Typhus and possibly spend months getting fobbed off by doctors as their mental and physical health deteriorate.

Will go to docs 1st and foremost and discuss with them-hopefully they've still got my blood samples somewhere in a fridge and can do something to confirm it and notify the council themselves to avoid any legal snags on my end.

legal battles are very stressful and I don't have any cash to fight them.

Litigation is always stressful and is often pervasive, so I totally understand.

You can use walk in centres and are clearly bright enough to do a lot of the ground work yourself. But that's still hassle.

Equally if you stay philosophical and manage your diary properly you can also string out any action for a long time and force litigation fatigue on him. That whole time he will be incurring costs.

I think first port of call is as you've said get the blood samples.

Next I'd contact the council in confidence/anonymously and explain the general situation, especially the typhus bit, and ask what they would suggest.

At that point you'll have more info to based a proper decision on.

My guess from how you've described the LL is that if an you make a tip off, he'll have his lawyer write a really nasty letter to you, threatening you. The lawyer will probably do this on tick as he represents him generally but will be unwilling to do any proper litigation for free.

He sounds like someone who doesn't like paying out, so again very much a guess here but I doubt he'd take it very far. That's assuming there is a way to tie you to a tip off.

If the doctor contacts the Council on a public interest basis and it leads back to him what would the legal angle on that be?

Technically it wouldn't be me who has contacted the council, I've confidentially approached a medical professional who is subsequently duty-bound to report their findings to the relevant authorities, so I'm hoping that will present a neat disclaimer and also be done without breaching my personal right to anonymity anyway...

Either way my conscience won't let me just sit on it so I guess I'll just have to ride it out.

The hidden joys of the private housing market!

what would the legal angle on that be?

Firstly IANAL.

Second I'd make a general comment that with any legal issue there are two parts - the actual legal position and the tactical position. From my limited life experience the first isn't worth a great deal.

Looking at the overall picture I think you've potentially got a complicated legal situation. Without going through the actual agreement it's hard to add much value.

But for example, what is the main purpose of the agreement and is it actually legally enforceable? Is the gagging clause actually enforceable in general? What does it cover? How far can it stretch? If you breach it does that re-open your claim? Etc.

I can't see how from a legal POV information given to a Dr when you're being treated, which they then disclose as part of their duty of care can be a breach by you.

And that's assuming you get caught. And that he issues a claim.

Best of luck. You are doing the right thing.

Thankyou-I deeply appreciate the words of wisdom.

Does anyone commute from streatham? I've been looking for a 2 bedroom flat with a budget of £1450/mo ideally in Balham or Tooting Bec but apparently you cant even get much for your money there anymore.

Theres a lot in streatham but my housemate would need to commute to covent garden, not by bike, which looks less than ideal

£1450 mo? FML

So glad not to be a Londoner atm.

Vice but out a thing about the average price for a 2bed flat being £1400 a month, fuck knows how far out theyre searching to get that average.

Basically nothing exists inside Zone 3 for that price in North London, out south it gets better/closer

Sorry to be the person that doesn't answer your actual question but have you considered looking in West Norwood? £1400 should give you plenty of options for 2 beds, your friend could go WN -> Balham (two stops) -> tube for work commute or feasibly just get the 68 (or X68 in peak times) to work.

Will take a look there as well!

Two words (maybe 3); Catford and Hither Green.

http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-to-rent/property-44051847.html
http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-to-rent/property-55598404.html
http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-to-rent/property-60713294.html
http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-to-rent/property-61725854.html

Train connection is amazing, riding to central is nice too. You have the big road (OKR) fast option or backways (brockley/surrey canal path/burgess park).

Great craft beer around, NOTHING has east London hipster tax, sourdoughs and flat whites are there. Lovely access to Kent lanes.

With #buyers£ like you around that tax is not far off ;)

You see what I am trying to do here ..

Lure some friends to the vast and soulless suburban wasteland that is Bromley?

(I'm aware that neither Catford nor Hither Green are in Bromley.)

Bromley

Thats @ChainBreaker territory. I am strictly 'North Hither Green'.

There is a Franco Manca in Bromley now too!

I'm in North Brockley. Great place.

'South Deptford'

What do you need to treat typhus? A meagre 5 day course of antibiotics that are also used as an anti-malarial so thankfully very easy to get hold of online.

Treatment that easy? Bloody hell. Pretty sure typhus what killed my late old mans sister at the end of WWII.

Never realised her death was very likely to lack of antibiotics.

I'm South Catford.... What you talking about

There's 3 types of Typhus of varied severity: epidemic which is transferred by blood through body lice, endemic which is transferred through flea excrement and scrub typhus which is again through lice but in more tropical climes.

Sounds like your aunt would have succumbed to epidemic typhus which is still treatable with antibiotics but is much more serious-probably requiring hospitalisation and intravenous drips etc.

Anyway, I went to the docs here, pointed them to the peer reviewed journal article stating that up to 12% of UK pets have fleas that carry the typhus rickettsia bacteria, told them I spent the best part of 5 months getting savaged by cat fleas, and was informed that 'it's not something you get in Scotland'.

Ok then, I'll just go fuck myself with your peer review credentials then will I?

Internet self-diagnosis and illicit drug treatment FTW.

South Catford

Strong, also 'North Sundridge Park' and 'East Beckenham'

Best is West Downham. Pure Sex.