One thing , if you dont abide by the section 21 you can make the LL jump thru hoops and string it out for a year.
However You wont be getting a reference then and if there is a court award for unpaid rent it may affect your credit rating etc and in turn ability to get a new rental.
I think you need to speak to your landlord in a calm quiet way and just focus on the key issue, get the facts and see if you can come to an agreement
I have had lots of damp issues and even as an engineer there is no guarantee a certain procedure will work. There are lots of causes and lots of solutions
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Water/moisture is the enemy of a house… A house needs ventilation to “breathe”. e g Sealing a place up airtight will cause problems as much as a missing roof slate or tile.
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Hopefully this inspection from the housing authority will provide some insight as to the extent of the issue and the repairs required. Then both sides can evaluate with more information, about whether or not these repairs can be undertaken with tenants in-situ. If the damp issue is worse than you thought, then you probably won’t want to continue living there anyway on health grounds, particularly if you already have health issues. And as someone mentioned, rents are increasing so moving out sooner might be cheaper than doing so later.
Also if LL does want to sell, they need to repair the damp issue beforehand anyway as that has a significant impact on the selling price. Although it’s possible they just want to sell the property regardless. Let us know how the HA inspection goes.
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The letting agent actually called today quite apologetic - it’s a large company so the local branch hadn’t told the terminations department about the repairs issue. The letting agent has informed the landlord of the law and that the notice is on hold.
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That is great news, hopefully that takes away some of the worry / urgency about having to move out. I can’t say I’m surprised at the letting agent (this is one of the reasons we no longer use any!) but glad the problem is finally being looked into.
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Update- The inspector came. In her opinion there were multiple problems with the roof, I think more than our contractor noticed. The inspector will let the landlord know about these issues, even though it’s not something the council can enforce.
She did find mould that’s due to a structural issue - most likely roof or gutter - and not due to our actions. It’s not yet severe enough to be something the council can enforce but she will inform and give suggestions.
She found a lot of safety hazards that we didn’t realize were issues which she’ll be telling the landlord to fix and are things the council can enforce
Im not excusing the landlord but wouldnt it be easier and less stressful to find a new home to move to? Ask the landlord to pay for your moving expenses and they may agree.
edit: sorry, just read above re disability. However, if you are lucky enough to find something suitable then maybe you can negotiate for them to pay for your moving costs
I’ll keep that in mind, thanks. Not optimistic they’d be willing to, though.
Update - the council got on the letting agent who sent someone out to take a look and give a quote. Turns out there is no insulation in the roof which is the cause of the condensation and also explains how brutal it was during the heat waves.
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