We moved in to our condo two months ago on a twelve month contract. We were not told about the diplomatic clause - despite being expat students - so it's not included in our contract.
On moving in they said they would correct some of the issues we spotted immediately (broken shower holder, loose towel rail, nothing serious). The LL confirmed they would get these sorted and also told us they would get a cleaner in to do a professional clean in a few days time.
Nothing happened...
We dutifully reported more issues we found with the flat within our 30-day period (broken ceiling fan, broken toilet) as per the contract which states the landlord must repair or replace anything faulty at his own cost.
And we sent over a full set of photographs depicting the current state of the apartment on delivery (lots of marks, dents, etc) to cover us for when we move out.
The landlord came over to check these claims and sat around the table with their agent and told us they would get them sorted but again nothing happened.
It's now been two months and the LL sent an email via their agent accusing us of the damage and stating they had no intention of getting the issues fixed. We are clean, tidy and quiet tenants with excellent references and are not responsible for the damages within the property that have occurred since moving in.
My question is that due to the fact that they are in breach of contract can we terminate the tenancy agreement and reclaim our deposit? We just want to live somewhere peacefully and be treated with respect.
Is there anyone we can contact to help us fight this? A lawyer for example? I know we can go via the small claims court but I would really like someone professional to help us as we're new here.
Thank you
