Compensation for inconvenience of dealling with major repairs

roger87

Registered User
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1
Myself and 3 friends recently moved into a rented property and unfortunately instantly discovered some major issues with it.
The plumbing in the kitchen is in a really bad way (floor flooding from normal use of appliances/sink, sink not draining etc).
Two of the four hobs of the cooker don't work.
The cistern of the upstairs toilet is broken and as a result won't flush and is constantly making noise from the refilling mechanism.
The electric shower in the on suite bathroom is extremely temperamental and rarely has hot water.
The seal on the fridge door is broken to the extent that the temperature never really gets cold enough.
There are more issues but these are the most major.

Now, we contacted our LL about the issues, but unfortunately, due to the Christmas period, LL was on holidays and told us they would be sorted out when LL got back (which would have been 10 days from the time LL was informed)
In the mean time, the plumbing situation got so bad that we had to ring an emergency plumber.
The first plumber did an initial inspection, made some minor changes and left telling us it was fixed.
Issue kept happening, rang a different plumber, this time we were told there were serious issues and but that he didn't have time to fix it.
The third plumber spent ~2 hours fixing the issue, only for it to issue to start happening again.
Now the LL is back soon, and we've decided basically to not use the kitchen until the LL's return (~4 days) as we are unsure as to the extent of the potential cost properly fixing the issue would incur.

Now my question is, when we do talk to the LL, are we entitled to ask for ~1 month's rent compensation as the inconvenience of calling out plumbers, waiting for plumbers to arrive, not being able to use kitchen/appliances, general inconvenience of other issues stated above, we believe warrants the compensation of such an amount.
 
A landlord is required by law to maintain his property and everything he supplies within in a proper working order. This has clearly not been done and he has let the property in a state which virtually renders the property inhabitable. It certainly deprives you, the tenants, of your full enjoyment of the property and its facilities for which you are paying.

Put all your issues in writing, the emergency plumbers you have called (was this with the landlord's consent for your own initiative out of desperation?), the work done and any other comments they have made. You should further add that any damage caused by using any of the defective appliances etc. are at the landlord's expense and that you, the tenants, will not be held responsible. Give the landlord a reasonable time (in this case, I would suggest 7 days as you have already been some time with out the facilities) to effect repairs.

Having stated you case in writing, you could then look for some compensation for the loss of the use and enjoyment of said facilities. This would probably be by way of a reduction in your rent during the period of inconvenience. It is not good enough that the landlord let the property in such a poor condition.

Any conversations you have with the landlord (either face to face or over the phone should be confirmed in writing and forwarded to the landlord as soon as possible after the communication. Keep a dated copy of all letters in case you have to make a claim against the landlord at a later date. The art of winning a PRTB adjudication is evidence - evidence that you have requested certain repairs to be effected and the time frame within which the repairs should be completed.

If the landlord fails to remedy the repairs within the stated time frame (baring having to wait for qualified repair technicians or for spare parts) the he may well be in breach of his obligations and if you wished, you would be able to serve him with a 28 day Notice of Termination and move out to a suitable property.​

Unfortunately, in Ireland, many businesses close down for about 10 days over the Christmas and New Year and it is one of the worst times of the year to move into a property. Immediately before long weekends are also bad times.
 
These issues are all easy to fix...your three 'plumbers' sound like they were having you on quite frankly.

Caustic soda (follow instructions exactly) will fix most blocked drains.

If you have a dishwasher, get a bottle of the cleaner and run it on a long hot wash.

Check the filter on the washing machine & clean it out.

The fridge seal can be replaced.

Not sure what sort of cooker you have, if its the old fashioned ring type hob, again these are easily replaced.

Loo is a simple job to fix, the ball cock mechanism needs to be replaced by the sounds of it.

If you have hard water, electric showers can get badly furred up with limescale and need to be cleaned. Otherwise its not a hard job to replace it, but will be the most expensive.

I'm detailing all the above so that you have an idea of whats needed.

First and foremost you want these things checked and fixed. Start with that.

As a landord I'm not impressed that the house was let without these things being sorted. In my case, I dont want any hassle so I make sure everything is serviced and working.

However if my brand new tenants were shouting the odds about legislation and compensation they wouldn't be around long.
 
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