Problems with the condition of your rented property

Help, I have just moved into a rented property which was left dirty and with broken furniture, what can I do?

When you are a single parent, it can be stressful enough finding somewhere for you and your children to live.  This can be made even worse if when you move in, the house or flat has been left in a terrible state and it untidy, dirty or in a bad state of repair.  

If this happens to you, the first thing you should consider is what was agreed at the start of the tenancy.  If the landlord or the agency gave you an opportunity to view it first and told you that it would be cleaned, then you ought to go back to them and request that it is cleaned without delay. You could also ask them to reimburse you with some of the rent you have paid, as a form of compensation.

If the property was let to you as “furnished”, there should be something in your tenancy agreement that covers condition of the furniture at the outset of the let, together with the landlord’s responsibilities.  Your landlord could therefore be in breach of the term in your tenancy agreement covering this.

You may be able to seek some compensation via the small claims court if they refuse to come and clean the property or reimburse a portion of your rent, especially if he is in breach of a term of the tenancy or did promise to clean the property at the outset of the tenancy.

Finally, you could contact the Local Authority and see if they could send an “Environmental Health Officer” to come round and have a look at your property.  The condition of the property may potentially be viewed as a hazard.  The EHO would be able to take steps on your behalf to force the landlord to deal with any potential hazards.

Unfortunately many private rented tenants have such a low degree of protection against being evicted that this could be a risk if you take further action.  Some landlords (especially unscrupulous ones) will simply retaliate by evicting their tenants.   If this did happen, you would need some advice to ensure that the landlord has done this following the correct legal procedure.  You may also need some advice about finding somewhere else to live or what to do if you are at risk of homelessness.

It is recommended that you get some advice locally and you can either ask a confidential question online here to the resident Shelter Housing expert or visit the Shelter website, or ring the National Shelter Helpline on 0808 800 4444.