Is anyone clued up on tenancy agreements and is this legal?

[Vickyleigh]

I'm in a tiny tiny flat with one problem after the other. There is to much to go into but we have mice, mould, damp, a massive hole in the kitchen ceiling the list goes on and on and on..........
I went to the council and complained but they basically said it's my fault because I accepted the flat in the first place but I wasn't to know how bad it was.
I wrote to the local mp and he wrote to the council and the estate agents. The council said there is no way will they re house me and the estate agents have said they don't know why I am complaining about the hole because they fixed it straight away and sorted me out with suitable accomodtion while the work was being carried out on the kitchen ceiling but the hole is still there, no work at all has been carried out and they certainly didn't put me in any sort of accomodation while this imaginary work was being done.
The mould and damp is making Summers chest bad but they just wont move us at all!!!!!!!
last night I dug out my tenancy agreement and read that it is a 6 month let starting from march 07 so it should have been renewed in September but it hasn't, I haven't signed anything and no one has mentioned anything to me. I should have signed another 6 month agreement 3 months ago!! Does this mean rightfully I shouldn't be living there? As I haven't signed anything can they evict me when they want as I don't have a new or valid tenancy agreement?

 

[glitzyglamgirl]

Have a look through your agreement again as it may a rolling tenancy, which means after the initial 6 months it just carries on until either you or they give the specified notice.

As for the estate agents lying about the work being carried out, thats seriously wrong, contact them again and demand they do what they have said they have or you will take the letter they sent you and evidence that its false to a solicitor.

grrr agencies like that make me sooooo mad!!!! How can they say its your fault??

Is it council or private? If its council, they should have given you a grant to get things repaired when you moved in. If its private, then they are seriously dodgy and id start looking elsewhere!

 

[Snuggle]

I'm afraid I dont know a thing about letting/renting but think its a disgrace that you have to live like that with a very young baby in flat

 

[Vickyleigh]

The council found the flat for me when I was pregnant through the rent deposit scheme. It's actually a landlord that owns it but he goes through an estate agent.
It was only ever temporary while I was pregnant and would get moved on to a bigger flat once the baby was born but now the council are saying they put me there because I was homeless so they wont move me for that reason but I was never homeless, I didn't once ever mention I was homeless so i don't know where they got that from.

 

[glitzyglamgirl]

To use the rent deposit scheme you need to be classed as homeless, or threatened with being homeless, so whatever your circumstances were before they may have decided it was a threat of homelessness? This would then show on their records as being homeless. Unfortunately, you are now classed by them as having somewhere to live so not in any danger of being homeless, and the points system they use for council housing may not be working in your favour - though with the problems you mentioned it bloody well should! Call them everyday, hound them, become a nuisance to them, make sure they understand how bad for babies health it is by perhaps going to the doctors and getting him to write them a letter. Hope you find a solution soon hun

 

[Vickyleigh]

Environmental health are coming round for the 4th time tomorrow and they will see for themselves that the estate agent has lied about the repairs to the kitchen ceiling so hopefully they will give a really bad report this time.

 

[glitzyglamgirl]

Environmental health are coming round for the 4th time tomorrow and they will see for themselves that the estate agent has lied about the repairs to the kitchen ceiling so hopefully they will give a really bad report this time.

Thats good, really good! Hope it goes well keep us updated!

 

[Jen & Her Men]

I would call Shelter. They are an organisation who specialise in this sort of thing and they gave me loads of legal advice and help when we had problems with my brothers landlord.

Its free advice and really helpful.

Hope you get it sorted chick

 

[greendayrock]

i would go to your local citizens advice bureau they usually have housing specialist there and they will fight your case for u. I went there about a week ago cause the council where mucking us about and the lady rang the council for us and they soon crumbled, we got what we wanted. i would try them.

 

[foxred]

If it was a 6 month tenancy and neither you or your landlord have given notice then the tenancy 'rolls over' or continues by tacit relocation until terminated by either party. The terms of the existing lease will stand with the possible exception of an annual rent review clause


Good luck