Changes in house, we want to get out

flas

ok so me and my girlfriend moved into this apartment 7 weeks ago, we had a big bay window, really bright sitting room and the apartment was in good condition! or so we thought! ok so within 2 weeks of moving in, the landlord goes and takes the whole window out, took all our light out of the house and did a botch job or putting in a new tiny window that is not fitted properly, it was just half a normal window( the bit that normally opens) turned sideways and hanging on hinges in a space he cut out up near the roof, he blocked of with a wall all the space where our old window was and the new window is not flush or cant really close but when you push it it only opens about 10cms!

there are gaps all around the window, so much so that when its windy debris gets blown in the gaps! its a joke, and he never mentioned plans to do this when we were signing the lease.

in the last few weeks every time we run the hot water a horrible smell comes out of the fosset, that is kind of going now though but still, its horrible.

then wednesday this week, while lying in bed felt drips coming from the ceiling, woke up and there was a mini river flowing down the wall from the ceiling flooding our floor! i got towels and put them down and dried the floor but the water didint stop. so i rang the landlord and he goes oh yeah there is a leak,im fixing it. well for the next 3 days, basically until today the water is still pouring down, has destroyed our blankets, had to dry the mattress with the girlfriends hair dryer and sleep in the kitchen with the mattress on the ground because the bedroom was so flooded.

then last night water started pouring down through the light fixture, again rang the landlord and kept trying to explain to him what the hell was happening and he was like oh i have it fixed, well he came out friday morning at 7, said he fixed it. friday around lunch time in the bathroom you could hear the water pouring down inside the walls, and then it started coming down through the ceiling in there to!! the house is leaking everywhere! and all he keeps saying is that he has already fixed it!!

the apartment is completely different now from when we signed the lease 7 weeks ago and i just want to know what would you people reckon are our chances of getting our deposits back, because we need to get out of this death trap, its that we will not have the money for another deposit but the structural damage in this place is gone beyond a joke at this stage. im staying in my parents tonight as is my girlfriend and we are terrifyed that when we go back to the apartment the roof will have fallen in or something!





the landlord also said there is cable television in the apartment, he actually said where it was located but has since turned around and said oh nom there is none now. he has basically lied about most things on the lease.

Sagat06

If you can prove he lied you should have no problem getting out of the lease

Xiney

the leak = your get out of jail free card.

Take pictures of the water (damage, flooding etc)

The apartment has to be in an habitable condition. Contact Threshold for the correct way to go about it but you are entitled to leave since the place isn't liveable.

flas

thanks very much for the replies, i am going to take pictures of the water damage in the bathroom and the bedroom. i wouldnt mind but the mattress is even ours becuase there was no mattress provided and that is soaked whole way through aswell!

thanks for the advice!

Treehouse72

Xiney wrote: »

The apartment has to be in an habitable condition.

Bingo. This trumps everything else. If you have wind coming in the window, you can't run hot water and there's moisture dropping from the ceiling the place is unfit for habitation.

Moreover, I would say that the window change constitutes enough of a difference to the place you agreed to rent that you may have a case for voiding the contract on that basis too.

Either way, you are in a strong position and Threshold or the PRTB should advise you how to proceed correctly with exiting the lease, which is important to do. I'd get hunting for a new place if I were you!

jmayo

flas wrote: »

...
there are gaps all around the window, so much so that when its windy debris gets blown in the gaps! its a joke, and he never mentioned plans to do this when we were signing the lease.

Ok he has altered the structure of the property and altered the insulation/heating standards of the property.

flas wrote: »

...
then wednesday this week, while lying in bed felt drips coming from the ceiling, woke up and there was a mini river flowing down the wall from the ceiling flooding our floor! i got towels and put them down and dried the floor but the water didint stop. so i rang the landlord and he goes oh yeah there is a leak,im fixing it. well for the next 3 days, basically until today the water is still pouring down, has destroyed our blankets, had to dry the mattress with the girlfriends hair dryer and sleep in the kitchen with the mattress on the ground because the bedroom was so flooded.

then last night water started pouring down through the light fixture, again rang the landlord and kept trying to explain to him what the hell was happening and he was like oh i have it fixed, well he came out friday morning at 7, said he fixed it. friday around lunch time in the bathroom you could hear the water pouring down inside the walls, and then it started coming down through the ceiling in there to!! the house is leaking everywhere! and all he keeps saying is that he has already fixed it!!

Ok this is a safety hazard and is unacceptable making the property uninhabitable.
Water plus electrics is a no no.

flas wrote: »

thanks very much for the replies, i am going to take pictures of the water damage in the bathroom and the bedroom. i wouldnt mind but the mattress is even ours becuase there was no mattress provided and that is soaked whole way through aswell!

thanks for the advice!

All as I just discovered matresses can be pretty expensive.
Bill him for a new one as your is now water damaged.
Also bill him for damnage to any other personal items.

It is because of people like this landlord that sadly people feel compelled to buy.