Advice on rented accommodation

Hi folks, bear with me for a moment here...I need some advice re. rental situation myself and the missus have gotten ourselves into.

In a nutshell....

We moved into new house last weekend, and on moving some bits and pieces in (Saturday night) we spied the place was absolutely crawling dirty....filthy cupboards, oven, mould in the fridge/freezer, everything really

So we contacted the letting agent who to his credit called back that night, and arranged for landlord to get in and clean the place properly on Sunday/Monday. In the meantime, we had to contact our previous landlord and she kindly agreed to let us stay in the old house for an extra night or two.

We came down on Monday night, and the place looked clean, there was still a small bit to do, but overall we were happier, and as we had loads to do, we told landlord that we'd do the rest (he maintained there was only an hour or so left).

Now, since then, it seems everywhere we look is absolutely crawling again.....damp smell coming from behind cupboards, dirt everywhere, we even found old hair clippings from god only knows when in one of the bedside lockers....seriously disgusting stuff.

We're fed up and basically want out.....as we signed a 12 month lease before moving in, are we screwed, or does anybody know if we can get out of it?

I know there's a clause where we can look to sub-let the place, and if landlord refuses then we can give 28 days notice, but knowing our luck the guy would probably agree to it.

Anybody been in a similar situation? Any advice much appreciated.

Jo King

Did you ever consider looking at your accommodation before you move in? It is not a good idea pay a deposit or sign a lease until you are satisfied. Better luck next time.

Shazanne

Make sure you take loads of photographs! They are very useful in the event of things getting nasty. But you do not have to tolerate that in a newly rented place - amazes me how the previous tenants had no pride in themselves and left it like that:mad:

Distorted

Would it not be easier just to clean it thorughly? Unpleasant and hassle I know but easier than getting sued or sueing.

convert

When you say that it's now 'crawling again' do you mean that after the landlord had been in the house, the placed looked clean but on closer inspection he didn't do a good job? Or do you mean that the place was clean, but dark (damp) patches have now appeared on the wall again?

If it's the former, I suggest you just bite the bullet and give the place a thorough clean from top to bottom. Yes, it's time consuming, but it will mean you have a clean house in which you will feel comfortable again. However, I would advise taking some pictures before you clean (with the date on them, if possible), and then take pictures after you clean it. That way, if there's any problem at the end of your lease regarding the condition of the property, then you have proof that it wasn't perfect when you moved in.

Try opening a few windows and using some odour removing sprays to help get rid of the smell. Using the heating will help, too, as the place may just be damp from being unlived in.

Yes, it would be expected that the previous tenants would have left the place in a better condition, but we all know from reading threads here that it doesn't always happen. Obviously the landlord or his agent should have done a better job, or even hired in a cleaner to do it, but from your post it seems like he did try to improve the situation, even if he didn't do a very good job. Often what is 'clean' to one person is just about passable to another (I know that from experience from sharing with people who would 'clean' the kitchen, when really all they did was a quick wipe down).