Rights

[teddysbears]

My son live in and his wife and 1 year old child live in a 3 bedroom, bathroom, kitchen, & living room,has an electric fire, no double glazing the bathroom & kitchen are very damp , because on air vents.It is private rent ,the landlord say's he will not put central heating in because he can't get a grant. Can any one tell me my son's rights please.

[factor-fiction]

How much notice does he have to give to terminate the rental agreement?

[bednobs]

there is no automatic right to central heating, and i would expect the rent to be slightly lower to reflect the fact it dosen't have it (i don't mean the rent should be lowered, just that it should probably be a bit lower in the first place)
As regards to the kitchen and bathroom being damp, are your son and his family doing all they can to prevent/decrease the damp? (for example having the windows open when having a bath/shower, not drying washing indoors)
If they are not happy living there, then their option is to hand in notice and move out. Or perhaps buy themselves more heaters.

[teddysbears]

thank you, I think it will most unfair when they moved in landlord said garden must be kept tidy, they have spent over £500 on the garden, never asked for anything until now , and that is answer they got , They even said they would expect a rent increase , but he still will not help them. He did it in another house he owns but only because people in it got a grant because they get a pension. Thanks any way for your help.

[factor-fiction]

It may be time to look to move

[bednobs]

why should the landlord put in central heating though? it will cost a lot of money, and will not give him any return at the moment. Presumably your son had the chance to see the place before they agreed to move in, so knew there was no central heating. Of course, a different landlord might well see the long term benefit of CH, but this one dosen't.
The garden issue is completely different - of course it should be kept tidy. You cant say "i've kept the garden tidy, so give me CH"
i suppose i see it as akin to saying "a jacuzzi would really benefit us, so please install one"

[teddysbears]

yes I think it might be. pity garden is all enclosed ideal for children,it could be a nice house with some heating. with other houses must be about £8000 a month he is getting. .

[bednobs]

i suppose it's easy to think of him as a fat cat, just sitting back and taking the money (and he could well be!)
however, he still has to buy these houses and probably pay a mortgage on them. It might be his only form of income - he could be living on the breadline, anything.
Has your son looked into whether he can get a grant?

[tamborine]

£500 could've bought electric radiators for the house. Check Freecycle for same.

[teddysbears]

he got all his houses free .

[pink-kittens]

Get in touch with your local council
If the house is that damp etc they can enforce repairs

[Nosha123]

Firstly I would tell your son to stop spending money like that on someone elses garden!!!

What did he buy for that? Or has maintaining it thats cost that much!!!! Sounds a lot if you ask me!
He has no legal right to central heating... or double glazing... but dampness can be addressed if it is affecting their health. Mould etc...

[bednobs]

how do you get free houses then? And how did you get to find out?

[mrs_overall]

They rented the house knowing it didn't have central heating.
They were asked to keep the garden tidy - mowing a lawn and weeding costs nothing. It was their decision to spend £500.
What the landlord does with his money or how much he earns is his business.
As other people have said, the damp is an issue that can be addressed.
If they are not happy then I suggest they move

[teddysbears]

he was left them by his parent and wife's parent, i know because he is my mum's cousin .