MOD property - can't fit baby gate

[pixie_woo]

I was hoping for some advice on where I stand as an MOD tenant.
On 30th Jan 08 I raised a request to have amendments made to my banister to allow me to fit a baby gate to my stairway. I have since been visited by a surveryor who confirmed the work and a subcontractor to quote for the work however no work has actually been carried out.
I have phoned and phoned trying to find out why no work has taken place but I keep being passed from pillar to post and not getting any answers.

I have a very active 9 month old son and live in an open-plan house so I don't have the option of just shutting the stairs off. I'm not in the habit of leaving my son unsupervised but I do occasionally need a toilet break and thats when I really worry.

Can someone please advise me on what my legal rights as a tenant are? I would love to be able to quote something to the idiots that man the phones but I haven't got a clue.

Thanks

[Satan&Co]

This is easy - get a baby gate that doesn't need permanent fittings!

This one: http://cgi.ebay.ie/BABY-TODDLER-SAFETY-GATE-WI TH-OPEN-SHUT-MECHANISM_W0QQitemZ110243453142QQ ihZ001QQcategoryZ117029QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1 QQcmdZViewItem

See the black stoppers on either side? They press into the bannister/wall and don't need any screws etc, they simply sit there held in by pressure and don't leave marks when removed. Everything inside it is an open gate that you can open/close and lock as required. It costs about �15 new, or (in this case) �8.50 on ebay.

[pixie_woo]

We already have a gate of that design but the width of my banister doesn't allow anything to attach to it at all, there's just not enough surface area to safely secure a gate to.

[DONNNAKEBAB]

Hi hun. So long as you leave the bannister as it was when you first moved in then there is no legal reason for you not to fit said gate as it is in the interests of safety for a child. Simple as.

Dont wait for an accident to happen.

Do it now ! Then inform the MOD what you have HAD to do.

Katie. x

[Whickerman]

google extra wide baby gate. Some of these are hugely wide; the first link is a US company, and with the dollar at an all time low...

http://www.nextag.com/extra-wide-baby-gate/sea rch-html

http://www.babysecurity.co.uk/c/127729/1/baby- gates.html?gclid=CIOZ753c7JICFQGX1Aod3HYv4g

[Whickerman]

oops - sorry, thought you meant the stairs was too wide...

[pixie_woo]

Thanks for your answers.
I really don't mean to be rude but if I wanted advice on baby gates I would have posted in Family.

I don't know how to stress that no matter what style gate we buy I wont be able to fit it because the spindles (is that the right word?) are less than an inch wide and rather than having a larger post at the bottom, like normal staircases, all the spindles are the same width. If there was another solution either the surveyor or the contractor would have suggested it. I am not being deliberately awkward.

I need to know whether I can kick up a massive stink and what legal rights I have.

[buildersmate]

Assuming you are in England or Wales, then the married quaters housing ois maintained by Modern housing Solutions. This is partnership between 3 big building companies Carillion, Atkins and Enterprise plc. But you probably know this.
In the first instance the people to complain to are here - not the MOD.
http://www.modernhousingsolutions.com/
If you look in the FAQ, there's some stuff on what constitutes an emergency, urgent or a routine repair. Clearly you would want to get this work categorised as an emergency, if you can, so try that first. Then get onto the customer service desk and ask to speak to a supervisor to complain about the service level.

[bednobs]

you don't have any legal rights at all. The house does not belong to you, therefore you cannot alter anything in it without the permission of the owner, and you have to accept their pace of work. I would imagine that they dont see this type of work as urgent at all, consering there are some mod houses where people are living that are not particularly fit for habitation (or so the papers tell me). Also, its costly work that the taxpayer has to pay for (unless you are paying yourself?) so again, i cant see it being top of the list, even though it might seem so to you.

i know you dont want any other answers and i dont know much about kids, but wouldnt a cheaper option be to put him in a playpen for 5 minutes or put a peice of hardboard in the way ?

[Mamjet]

Why not keep an eye on the baby?

[daffy654]

I was also thinking along the lines of putting the baby in a chair or playpen for 5 minutes whilst you go toilet. I've managed in houses before with a baby and no stairgate,you just have to be vigilant.

[pixie_woo]

Be vigilant and keep an eye my child? So that's where I've been going wrong! All this time I've just left him at the top of the stairs with a box of matches, bottle of vodka and a razor blade to play with. You mean I actually need to watch him?

Daffy, I'm having a trophy reading "I coped without a stairgate" specially crafted for you. I'll arrange dispatch shortly.

Thank you so much for taking the time to pass on your wisdom.

[Ice.Maiden]

Hi pixie - I know what you mean about the gate, but I think Daffy was trying to help, rather than to suggest you weren't capable of keeping an eye on your baby. A playpen's an excellent idea for those moments when you don't want to take your child with you - e.g. if you need the loo - but we also had a problem with getting a stairgate to fit. In the end, we found some that simply expanded to fit the gap, and you tightened them up against the spindles until the gate was in a secure position. trouble is, hun, I can't remember where we got them from now, but you CAN get them. I don't think you have any legal rights in this matter, but if you get no joy from the company who're stalling - try phoning another one. Hope you get sorted.

[buildersmate]

So my bit didn't any merit a mention, Pixie?
At least I answered your question.

[daffy654]

I was trying to be helpful,thanks for pointing that out Ice.Maiden.Thanks for the sarcasm pixi woo,don't ask for help if you're not going to accept helpful answers.Some stairs just won't take stairgates,its a fact of life! What do you think people did before stairgates were invented?

[Mamjet]

Hi Pixie, if you're as annoying as you sound on this thread, perhaps that's a reason why nobody wants to speak to you on the phone.

Why not lay off the sauce for a while and pay more attention to the kid?

[pixie_woo]

Buildersmate, I really wasn't getting at you. I've already reported the fault to the appropriate people and made a formal complaint through the official channels.

Daffy, I'm sorry. My heckles are raised and I'm feeling really defensive. I've just got a complete sense of humour failure on this subject and I took your answer the wrong way. I should have read it through a couple of times but I didn't, I just rattled off a sarcastic reply.

Mamjet, I'm even more annoying than I sound.
Anyway, I'm off to the cornershop to spend my benefit money on cheap gin and fags

Toodles

[Mamjet]

I hope you're joking but somehow i doubt it.

[pixie_woo]

Oh mamjet you're so sweet. You really hoped I was joking? So you do care, I knew it. Bless your cotton socks xx