Posted by
jeff, 14:47, 10th March 2003:
Quick question.... lets say you're renting a house, a student house for arguements sake. Lets say that your water tank leaked just after you moved in forcing you to punch small holes in the ceiling to prevent it caving in. Lets say they 'fixed' the problem. Now lets say you return home this weekend to find the bathroom floor (directly below the water tank) covered in water. Lots of water. The wall appears very damp too and drips are coming from those holes you made the first time (thank god they were there or you wouldnt have a ceiling any more) and, oh, hang on, why's the living room carpet sodden? Oh yes, that ceiling appears to be dripping too.
Now lets say you notice a direct correlation between the increase in dripping and the heating being on. No heating then. Here's the good bit... you know, still speaking hypothetically here, lets say that they cant send anyone round until tuesday (probably) leaving you with a wet house, no heating, a ceiling thats potentially going to cave in and buckets strewn about the place.
From a contractual point of view with your landlords, does anyone have any idea where they would stand (apart from not directly under the drips of water, hahaha) ??
Do you think you could demand any money back out of your rent? Do you also think you could cope with the moral dilemma of trying to get money out of an aging landlord who's really lovely and unfortunately has prostate cancer?
I think he has to provide heating. You could always hide his medication and live rent free. I'm going to hell.
Posted by
chandler, 14:57, 10th March 2003:
i think maybe he will have to fix it. i dont think that maybe it is worth getting any rent back. after all he is trying to get it sorted isnt he? and he is a poorly old man.
Leave his health and personality out of it.
Point A: Its a purely business agreement, i'd demand money back from mother theresa if i thought i was due it.
Point B: Landlords make plenty of green folding, thats why they become landlords, he's got the cash.
Point C: I think i would refuse to pay rent until the house was liveable again, and don't just start paying when the builder's have been round, wait till its all redecorated.
Point D: think about how he takes the money before you commit to anything drastic, if you pay by cash or cheque, no problems, if you have a standing order or have authorised him to take money from your account, think about cancelling the order or the card he takes payments from if he starts stalling you.
Posted by
beargod, 15:04, 10th March 2003:
Go to your Unis Accomadation place and they will try and help you, by teeling you what is legal and not.
So this means it's probably not a good idea to ask you if I can stay at yours on tuesday night?
Posted by
jeff, 15:09, 10th March 2003:
cheers kids, going to try not to get stressed about it, after all, its a damn site better than the smell of raw sewage i had to put up with in halls, every night, for months... i only got £100 compensation, bastards. As for getting the money back, I think its time to call daddy, I back down far too easily, he can argue his way out of anything!
On health and safety reasons alone the landlord has to sort it out, if anythings been damaged the landlord will have to compensate you.
Not wanting to be alarmist or anything, but if your walls are wet, and your ceilings wet, then it doens't take a genius to realise that all those ever so nicely placed electrical wires in your potentially descrepit walls, and lighting etc in your ceiling could be ready to hit the last stage of the snap-crackle-pop cycle which can't be good right? Theres no reason the landlord can't shell out the extra money and get someone to come out in an emergency. If you want to be firm just ask them would they accept that wait if they were living in a house, and have a list of names for call out people so they don't even have to look. If you want to get arsy explain how much cheaper calling someone out would be to a compensation claim if anything happens to your computer/life etc.
Failing that get some welly's splash in puddles and comedy the situation up! get the drips to play a tune, buy in some ducks and watch them float. Remember!!! your nan wouldn't have moaned about this in thewar!
Point A: Its a purely business agreement, i'd demand money back from mother theresa if i thought i was due it.
i hope mother theresa doesn't owe you money, being as she is (dead).
Damn her, holding back 50 rupee's on me she was.
Posted by
Grim..., 17:32, 10th March 2003:
Aw, I wanted Rosie to be the author of this topic =[
Posted by
chandler, 17:52, 10th March 2003:
me too. i was sure it was going to be.
ditto I was sure it was gonna be damp panties all the way :(
Posted by
jeffld, 18:16, 10th March 2003:
I would just do what you are obligated to do via the contract.
I'm in the United States, but I'm sure it is similar for you. In my contract, it said that I had to call the rental office and call a pager number to report the emergency. I did that immediately. I was not obligated to hire my own contractor. I don't exactly remember, but I think that i was not allowed to hire a contractor!
I had an apartment a couple of years ago with a similar situation. The apartment above mine had a broken pipe in the forced water heating system. My entire apartment except for a small part of the living room had 1 inch of water in it. Fortunately, I didn't have that much damage to my furniture. I also poked a hole in the ceiling fearing that it would collapse. Fortunately, the landlord was pleased with my action.
I did not even attempt to get any compensation from the landlord.
I didn't renew my lease the next time it came for renewal which ironically and luckily was only five weeks away. I felt that they should have offered something, of course they didn't, but I didn't ask either. I told them the reason that I was not renewing and still they did not offer me anything so I said goodbye.
Posted by
jeff, 18:17, 10th March 2003:
I could have damp panties, i can be dirty, you want me to be dirty? huh? huh?
Posted by
beargod, 18:40, 10th March 2003:
yes always be dirty
Posted by
chandler, 19:49, 10th March 2003:
yeah go on then.
Posted by
jeff, 19:51, 10th March 2003:
*picks grime from under fingernails with teeth*
Posted by
cal, 23:25, 10th March 2003:
very sexy :/
Posted by
reitsma, 03:48, 11th March 2003:
no cal, not sexy, dirty.
Posted by
beargod, 09:17, 11th March 2003:
always dirty
just dont be dirty in a common street prostitute/christina aguliera kind of way.
The technical term for such a thing is "dirrty" apparently. It's in a book or something.
what, as in a 'cum on feel the noize' kind of way?