A series of tweets gathered under the hashtag #LDNlandlord today (Thursday 15 May) offered an insight (if one were needed) into the state of the London private rental market. For the housing lawyer, it was also a opportunity to play claim/offence bingo.
So, under disrepair…
#ldnlandlord refused to fix roof leak which caused serious, illness-causing mould problem, then charged us £250 for end-of-lease cleaning…
— Jo (@jostimpson) May 15, 2014
#ldnlandlord … upon requesting receipt for said £250 cleaning, they admitted the cleaning never happened and new tenants already moved in.
— Jo (@jostimpson) May 15, 2014
Pipes in our wall flooded downstairs, Agent blamed us for overfilling bath, put sealant round SINK PEDESTAL to fix it, nice one #LDNlandlord
— MsAnthropia (@MsAnthropia) May 15, 2014
@Londonist our ceilings leaked during a storm & our #ldnlandlord told us to expect that during heavy rain. Apparently it’s perfectly normal
— Sim Rollison (@iamSim) May 15, 2014
@Londonist severe damp and mould with rotting/rotted windows – “Just paint over it & shut the curtains!” #ldnlandlord
— Emma Pentland (@emmapentland) May 15, 2014
Our ceiling collapsed after leaking for over a year. Landlord still refused to fix faulty plumbing. Yes, it happened again… #ldnlandlord
— Hannah Roberson (@hroberson61) May 15, 2014
#ldnlandlord Pal’s had no hot water/heating for 3months, landlord lives in S.Africa. They’ve stopped paying rent to get his attn. Still no!
— Laura Green (@LauraMagsGreen) May 15, 2014
@Londonist told that problems with damp were caused by us cooking without lids on saucepans #ldnlandlord
— Jimmy Grimm (@RoyaleMacDuff) May 15, 2014
@jenerator @Londonist Try 6 weeks over Dec-Jan including a flooded bedroom x2 as a result of DIY attempt to fix the boiler #ldnlandlord
— Kat Lloyd (@katlloyd8) May 15, 2014
@Londonist Storms blew window out of the casement leaving a hole in the wall. Still not been fixed, but rent going up anyway #ldnlandlord
— John Brazier (@brazier_john) May 15, 2014
Or perhaps deposit problems?
@Londonist One #ldnlandlord of mine withheld our deposit as he inspected the flat 3 weeks after we left and found dust…
— Allie (@alliesolskjaer) May 15, 2014
@Londonist Same landlord then offered to mow lawn at tenancy end, tramped grass thru house then charged us for it from depost #ldnlandlord
— M G Spencer (@wisemikes) May 15, 2014
@Londonist Landlady outraged when asked to insure our deposit, claiming we should trust her bc “she’s a born-again Christian!!” #ldnlandlord
— Caro G (@C_A_R_O_caro) May 15, 2014
@Londonist Our #ldnlandlord accused of us trapping a dog in a room so we’d have to pay for new carpets. We didn’t have a dog.
— Becky Mumby-Croft (@B_Mumbles) May 15, 2014
#ldnlandlord Paid rent on time, yet received letters advising unpaid mortgage, repossession due. Lost deposit & digs in 2 weeks flat.
— Liz Mitchell (@saxylizbeth) May 15, 2014
.@Londonist Letting agents released our deposit w/o our agreement to landlady, who spent it. #ldnlandlord
— Siobhan (@wigglymittens) May 15, 2014
Breach of quiet enjoyment?
@Londonist Landlord said I wasn’t allowed guests of any kind, but his daughter would use the house when she liked #random #Ldnlandlord
— Matt [travelgeek] (@travelgeekuk) May 15, 2014
@Londonist Our landlord would turn up unannounced & let himself in. A houseguest once woke to a strange man standing over him! #Ldnlandlord
— btgolder (@btgolder) May 15, 2014
My #ldnlandlord wldn’t accept DD, insisted on checks. She came by monthly to collect from cupboard in flat. No notice, until I demanded 24h!
— Nick Kocharhook (@k9) May 15, 2014
Agent would let themselves in unannounced constantly, twice while I was in the shower, once while vomiting with food poisoning #LDNlandlord
— MsAnthropia (@MsAnthropia) May 15, 2014
We’ve now seen two separate tenants whose landlords or family expect to use the flat whenever they’re in town. #ldnlandlord
— Londonist (@Londonist) May 15, 2014
@Londonist was also prone to showing up unexpectedly and ‘hanging out’. not helpful when working at home. #ldnlandlord
— Catriona Boyle (@catrionahelen) May 15, 2014
Derogation from grant? Or even unlawful eviction?
#ldnlandlord sold the flat we were living in, and didn’t tell us until a week before the new buyers were moving in.
— Abbie R Phillips (@AbbieRPhillips) May 15, 2014
@viviciela aaaand one time they turned up unannounced with ppl to view the flat BEFORE telling us it was being sold! #LDNlandlord
— MsAnthropia (@MsAnthropia) May 15, 2014
As a small sample, from a midday on twitter, that is worrying, if unsurprising… Everyone should have a housing lawyer with them at all times.