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branwen
@Markyboy
My daughter and friends (students) were due to move into a house in Bristol, with the tenancy starting 1st July. During June the agents were chasing the first payment earlier than the schedule in the agreement, clearly worried about students not coming back due to Covid-19. When they moved in they found the following issues:
-Damp in various places, with peeling wallpaper, raised paint and black mould
-The place in dire need of decoration
-It hadn't been cleaned - they found used tissues, ear buds and a chlamydia test amongst other things -Broken toilet seat, windows, missing door handles, damaged sockets, and much, much more.
It transpired the previous tenants moved out the day before, so no time was allowed for repairs and cleaning, nor to allow the risk of coronavirus infection to be reduced. I would argue that the house was not habitable in the current circumstances, and my daughter came home. Others had no option but to stay. The inventory was provided a week after the tenancy started.
They raised it with the agents, who reacted slowly, but contractors did turn up, but unannounced and with keys, in breach of contract and the law. One let himself in without ringing the bell and walked into a bedroom where one of the tenants was sleeping. Since then more contractors have been coming, without notice and not wearing face coverings or gloves, and not santising after they leave.
A back and forth with the agents hasn't really led anywhere until today, when they confirmed that the decorating can now only be done in September, it will take three weeks and the tenants will have to move out. If they don't want to move out, the decorating won't be done. They've had a over a month to arrange this but have clearly delayed it until term starts in the knowledge that the tenants won't be able to move out. The repairs will continue ad hoc, but no information has been provided on how the contractors will observe measures to minimise coronavirus infection. They are still awaiting a damp report. The landlord has offered a £50 rebate to each tenant as a "gesture of good will", which is not negotiable.
Apart from the breach of the tenancy agreement (and law) with contractors turning up unannounced and letting themselves in, I would argue that the landlord/agent are failing in their obligation to provide a habitable property - not only only the grounds of the general state of the property including the damp, but that they have ignored, and continue to ignore, all advice and guidelines on ensuring the property is Covid-secure.
Does anyone on here have legal/housing experience, or work in the field, and be able to advise on next steps? The obvious ones are to go to the university accommodation office and the Bristol branches of Shelter and CAB. I appreciate that student accommodation comes with issues and these are not young people at risk of homelessness, but it is still unacceptable and I would like a better resolution for my daughter and her friends.