Legal Question in Landlord & Tenant Law in United Kingdom

Hello,

We are four first time student tenants in London and have had huge problems with our landlord and agency. The start of our 12 month contract was yesterday, yet the house was not fit to live in. We had made requests such as having the bathroom sealant redone and better locks fitted to the front and back doors but these have not been done. The back door can easily be opened by removing the skirting and getting underneath it. Our agency will not give us contact details for our landlord and tried to convince us we had no legal grounds to complain. We have paid a damage deposit, an agency fee and one month's rent, but we are saying that i) we should not be paying rent as the property cannot be lived in (every appliance, oven and hob in the kitchen does not work, amongst other things) and that ii) the landlord has not fulfilled his side of the contract. Also he insists on retaining the keys for each of our individual rooms and will not give us a copy.

What rights do we have about getting our money back (about �1,500 each so far) and terminating our contract?

Apologies about the length of this question, but we really are at a loss as to what to do.

Best wishes

1 Answer from Attorneys

Related Questions & Answers

More Landlord & Tenants questions and answers in United Kingdom

Looking for something else?