Making a Complaint.

[China Doll]

Hi All,

I'm writing a letter of complaint to my Landlord. (Building work's gotten beyond a joke now). I've edited myself three times but I still think that I sound quite narky and rude.

I don't really want to have to look for another house so I'm going to pop a copy of the letter in my thread. Can you please have a look and just see what you think?

Thank you!!!

Cheers
China

[China Doll]

****,

I must say that I did think you were coming around to do the cleaning onTuesday.

The house is currently as clean and tidy as it is going to get while this work continues thanks to the efforts of **** last night and the night before. If the builders are going to be back again on Monday then it would make more sense to do it after that.

I would like to second **** point about the house. This work has gone on longer than expected causing great incontinence to all; even at this stage after all your assurances, I feel no sense that this work will be completed, the reason being everytime you say something will happen by a certain date and time it invariably doesn't (but something unexpected usually does). I actually dread coming home each evening at the moment and finding out what state the house is in since I left it in the morning.

You assured us that the builders would tape up the drawers in the kitchen when the units were in so that we could have a functioning kitchen. They did not. You assured me they would tape up my door. They have not. You assured us that the work for the kitchen would take place over three days. It did not. You assured us that you would keep us up to date over all developments. You have not. (The day before yesterday I answered the door to another workman wishing to measure the stumps. I don't mind doing this but I was actually in my PJ's when he came round. Frankly, if I'd have known that someone was coming, I would not have been in my PJ's). You can see now why I find your assurances somewhat lacking in substance.

Also, this email regarding the floor being completed on Monday. As far as I was aware the floor was being finished this week on Tuesday so to email us now on a Friday seems rather late. We should have been told on Tuesday why it couldn't be completed by either yourself or the builders.

[johnlambert]

Nice one China, you may wish to change incontinance to inconvinience though
would like to second **** point about the house. This work has gone on longer than expected causing great incontinence to all;

[grasscarp]

I think you mean it is an inconvenience. Incontinence is loss of bladder control! Apart from that it seems quite mild for all the trouble you are having. Send it.

[China Doll]

Ahem... whoops!!!

Well, my bladders been terribly effected by the whole thing now I think about it!

blushes

[radiogaga]

request a meeting with said landlord.
present your letter, and questions.
go get legal advice, know your rights as tennants.
sounds like he's chancing it. challenge him. dont let him get away with this any more than he has done.
good luck. radio.

[andrea81]

Just end it in a way that doesn't provoke an arsy reaction such as

"I hope you understand my frustration and hope to hear some better news on this situation....

kind regards"

not sure though, someone may come up with a better end!

[China Doll]

'I hope you can understand why I am feeling so frustrated and felt the need to vent these points'.

Kind Regards,

******

Something like that ^^^^ to end it with?

[6758]

had similar problem a few years back

dont know how legal this was - but situation was resolved when i told my landlord that rent wouldn't be paid until work was completed - the work was completed pretty quickly after that!

[jno]

I'd skip the bit about your PJs, it may distract him from what you're really talking about. (Seriously. Talking about undies or other personal matters always risks making communications sound frivolous, and you're clearly serious here; so keep it businesslike even if you know him personally.)

[China Doll]

Oh bum... I already sent it jno! I didn't think about that. I see your point.

I was just trying to show how his lack of communication actually has a cause and effect, i.e. people coming around in the evening when we're really not expecting them!

[annavc]

I had exactly this problem a few years ago when my landlord decided to convert the loft. We were told it would take 2 months - it took 4. The builders were giving their copy of the house keys to any old tradesman who happened to turn up without telling us. They had to knock down a chimney stack at one point and they assured us they would block up all the fireplaces - they didn't and we came home from work to find all our belongings in our bedrooms covered in a thick layer of grey masonary dust with huge piles of rubble in the all the fireplaces and spilling out on to the carpet. It was an absolute nightmare. After the chimney incident we wrote a similar letter to yours to the landlord and included photgraphs of the mess. We asked for a substantial reduction in rent for the period of the work and after some negotiation we got it. One of the most disgusting things was coming home one evening to find the builders had been using our bathroom - there was grit in the bottom of the bath, newspapers discarded on the floor and worst of all the toilet had not been flushed (and it wasn't just a wee!!!). It made us all dread coming home everyday not knowing what we'd find.

I know how horrible it is but my one piece of advice would be to take photos of the mess and of anything else which is not how it should be. You then have evidence to back up your claims!

Good luck.

[China Doll]

Thank you annavc. I think I will start taking photos. I don't like to cause a fuss or be seen as unreasonable but I just feel like the house has turned in to a building site!

[Twenty20]

As annavc says, you can negotiate a rent reduction for the problems youre having. You cant withhold rent though, not legally anyway.

If the property is uninhabitable during this then you are entitled to be found other accommodation (at the landlord's expense).

I wouldn't have mentioned the PJs either.

[BBWCHATT]

China - I think you are giving him too much to read - he will never do that.

I think just a brief note to say:

My attorney has advised me that if my house is uninhabitable during remodeling, I am entitled have other accommodations at my landlord's expense. I don't want to go to those lengths and I am sure you don't either.

Can you expedite the project please?


BBWCHATT
The old lady in Chattanooga, Tennessee, USA

[BBWCHATT]

to have

[China Doll]

Well the latest is that he's selling the house.

Apparently it's causing him too much stress.

[Twenty20]

Assuming you have an AST then he'll have to sell it with you as a sitting tenant. Failing that he could take steps to evict you but, assuming you are up to date with rent etc, this could take a long time legally.

Some Landlord's will make a financial offer to the tenant to leave if they're selling the property as they can get a higher price without a tenant in situ.

[China Doll]

Cheerys Twenty20. The contract for two of us is up at the end of October. The other two don't actually have a contract. I feel that we're in a very vulnerable position.

The current landlord has said that he has been to an agents and will be selling to another landlord, (he won't just sell to anyone apparently) and on the basis that we are kept as tennants under our current contracts. But as stated, we're in a dubious position with regards to the contracts.

Also, he's in the process of building another set of flats on the plot next to the house and he hasn't decided if he's selling that too. Either way I guess it still means more building work.

He is an utter numtey and now I'm terribly confused and don't know what to do for the best. I only moved in four months ago, I feel like I've been taken for a ride, I'm not enjoying my job so feasibly I could go back to London (althought that would mean living with my mother). Or I could slug it out down here a bit longer.

I really don't know what to do anymore. I've lost all sense of focus today.

(I'm not entirely sure anyone can help with that, I'm just having a vent I think!!)

[Twenty20]

If you mean the other two are your lodgers then, no, they don't have much protection. If you just mean they don't have a written contract with the landlord but pay him rent then, yes, they do have a contract albeit an oral one with him.

If you wanted to stay there it might be in your interest to ask now for a new 6 month contract with your landlord, this would give you security during the sale of the property and the new landlord would have to take you on with your new AST.

However, as far as the tenancy goes, you dont actually have to do anything unless you want to. Even at the end of October, unless you decided to move out, the tenancy would lapse into a periodic one with the same terms and conditions as your existing (except for notice periods). It's very difficult these days to evict tenants unless theyre at least 2 months behind with rent or breaching other major terms of their contract, even at the end of a fixed term tenancy.

[China Doll]

Cheers, that's reassuring.

Just have to make a decision myself one way or the other I guess. Yuck.