Forgive me, this is going to be long.
Okay, we viewed and took on this house in January. THe house was mid renovation when we moved in, workmen, dust sheets and paint fumes everywhere but we liked what we saw and signed. Husband moved in and lived alone here for the month of Feb but wasn't really here very much.
I arrived with the children at the beginning of March and start preparing it to be a family home. I opened a window and it fell out. I had to stand on the third floor holding onto a window that was bigger than I am so as not to drop it onto the neighbours. Luckily my husband was home. We reported it and they were very apologetic, the guy that did their reno was not good, should have done it but he's a church friend and they feel embarrassed. They arranged for all of the windows to be repaired as none of them had the upgraded rivets and a few were broken. I paid for every upstairs window to have replacement handles with keys just in case.
I then started work on the kitchen. Husband (R) had only used the top cupboards, with all of us here we needed the bottom ones too. I open them and they stink. I lifted the lining paper that had been left and they are rotten with damp with a few mouldy dead cockroaches. We reported it, both agents came in. We were told it was unacceptable and that the LL's agent had told them to change the kitchen. They went ack and we are told we are getting a new kitchen. Nice. They want to reuse the appliances so we suggested that we paid for the appliances ourselves. They agreed. The oven stopped working but I figured there was no point getting them to repair it when it was going to be junk.
So we start getting quotes. We hear nothing. In the interim the ac in our bedroom starts playing up, they suggest rather than servicing it constantly we get a new one and pay half. I wasn't sure about that. The LL comes round to collect the furniture we have been storing for him and I go up to our room. The ac is pouring water out, everywhere. He sees that. He calls people out and they say it's kaput and we need a new one. He's not happy. He quibbles, we move out of our bedroom for a month.
We're 7 weeks past the kitchen thing. I call the agent. They don't want to spend the money. They've already bought us new ac and window rivets. Ok, fix it all then. They don't want to fix t because that will be half of a new kitchen so a waste of money. So put a new one in then. But then they decide that they will take the money we offered for appliances and put that towards new cabinets, old appliances. We say no. Then they say ok, but you have to pay half of the entire cost. I say no, R says yes. I say ok but they need to add to the contract that if at the end of our contract they decline to renew to us or put the rent up to over what our company will pay they need to give us back 50% of our contribution. They say no. We explain it's entirely down to their actions, not if we leave because of our own choice or shipping out. They say no. WE say ok, you need to fix it all then and they come back with there is nothing wrong with it and the agent says she saw nothing untoward and we have made them damp. It's my fault that if you turn the oven on the entire house trips. And they have been very good to us so far. I disagree, I own property and I know what my responsibilities are.
Sorry. So long. What can I do here? Live the contract out and suck it up is an option. Pack and leave would be a better one. Any ideas anyone, please?
I am not sure if they will be willing to, but maybe the threatening letters will be already sufficient.