Landlord issues

[Goldy740]

i was wondering whether anyone else has had issues with their landlord, more specifically with them not fixing broken equipment. in this case we have a dishwasher that broke 4 months ago. I have been told that they are getting parts but have heard nothing in last month despite my calls/messages. is there anything i can do?

thanks

[sundaymorningstaple]

Depending on the age of the unit, it's possible that they are having problem obtaining parts. I've had the problem in the past when trying to fix a clothes drier. They change models so often and Singapore is not noted for the amount of parts/supplies they keep here for a model that has been discontinued two years after it's introduction. They depend on selling new ones rather than fixing up the old ones. And if they come out to service it, it will normally cost around $70 for the service call. That normally will cause the price to jump over the $150 mark which mean the LL would be responsible for the repairs. Good luck.

[BBCWatcher]

Check your lease. Assuming there's no impediment -- for example, if the onus is on you to obtain repair service and then obtain reimbursement above S$150 -- and assuming the dishwasher is listed as an amenity, send the landlord a written letter via registered postal mail. Refer to the part of the lease that names the amenity (the dishwasher) and any clause that supports withholding part of your rent (some leases do). Describe the problem (broken dishwasher), its duration (starting from date Y), and indicate that you will be withholding S$X from your rental payment to reflect the loss of use/enjoyment of the dishwasher unless/until the dishwasher is properly repaired. X should be a reasonable figure in the circumstances -- don't get greedy.

[JR8]

First question - did a service engineer come and visit and diagnose the fault?
- If not, then they don't know what's wrong and so can't order any parts. In this case you have a LL who probably simply doesn't give a damn.
- If however an engineer called, the fault was diagnosed, and part/s are needed, even in SG I can't see that waiting more than 2 weeks is acceptable. Is it a mainstream brand of product, or something highly obscure?

It's tricky, as the functional dishwasher was taken together with the flat and so you have the right to a.. well, functional dishwasher. If the LL doesn't care you have options.
- Not care either, give up.
- Get it repaired yourself, after clearly telling the LL that that is what you intend to do in the absence of any action from himself. Then you would provide the receipt to the LL and deduct the cost from the rent. The downside to this is it's 99% likely this will start world war 3 and you can probably kiss your tenancy deposit good-bye.

I have a similarly disinterested LL (not in SG this time). Water leaks from the shower-tray plug-hole, under the shower-tray, then through some tiny gap between the joint of the shower-tray and the bathroom floor. The result is each time the shower is used the bathroom floor floods. Floor-mats there get sodden. It's a major slip-hazard, esp. as I have a leg in plaster right now. The floor remains wet to some extent pretty much 24/7. If there were no floor-mats down and/or someone took a long shower there is a risk the water would continue draining from the bathroom into the main hallway and damage the hardwood flooring there. Some minor shrinkage of the floorboards there suggests this has happened before. It might also be leaking into the unit below, I don't know.
I reported another issue to the LLs agent a couple of months ago, and the response was 'Don't bother us re: repairs we aren't interested', or thereabouts. So.... I've now bought a mighty fine tube of silicone sealant. And I'm going to seal the whole join/seam between the shower-tray and the floor. No more wet floor-towels, no more trip hazard. And if water backs-up under the shower tray and starts leaking into the unit below 'Nothing to do with me, I haven't done anything... [shrug/'ever heard the expression you reap what you sow?']'.