UK Landlord Forum / Life

Hi All

I have just joined the forum, so apologies for the total ramble, but currently getting exceptionally frustrated.

Back ground - we have been in our 4 bed detached rental home since August 2019.  There is myself, my hubby and one child, plus 2 cats.   Not once has my landlord come round to conduct an actual inspection despite living round the corner.  It doesn't bother me as we are OCD household on cleaning and tidying, anyone who walked in would have no idea we had cats unless one curled round your leg.

I am not having any more children and we wanted our son to have something which he was ultimately accountable for.  His an only child under 10 and has limited social interaction with other children due to the current covid situation. Which is why we want a dog.  I love the house we are in and its been finished to high spec, but all the soft furnishings etc our ours.  There is no carpet in the house other than on the stairs,  So I did the right thing and has wrote to my landlord asking permission for another pet as our tenancy agreement only permits the two cats.   The dog in question is 2 years old (so not a puppy) and is totally deaf.  Its been in a family environment and used to being in a domestic house.  It would be crate trained, not allowed to roam the house freely if we aren't there and would either come to work with me or I would work from home.    The garden by the way is fake grass so no pee stains to deal with.
Anyway, i wrote all this down, explained the history of the animal, why we wanted one etc.  I said I would happily sign a Pet Clause and would pay for any damage it caused.  This four legged creature would cause less wear and tear on the house than another child.

Anyway, my landlord came back with a flat our no saying the house wasn't suitable.   Ummm, 4 bed detached house, with a large enclosed garden, minimal carpets, unfurnished over 1900 sqf in space and he hasn't supplied any furnishings.  I agreed to cover additional costs.   So my question is, what can I do about this?

This then leads on to my next ramble of stuff that he hasn't done since we moved in.  I am a fairly relaxed individual despite having OCD on cleaning, but the lack of flexibility and empathy on the dog request has royally cheesed me off.   The list of stuff as it currently stands

- Constant Cluster Fly infestations - one of window frames is wooden and the bloody cluster flies love it.  Each time we have infestation I contact him and he does nothing until I can't deal with it anymore and get rid of the buzzies myself.   Surely he should sort this?  I usually wait 10 days before nagging for a response then get hacked off before sorting it myself.
- Ensuite Shower - our ensuite shower has been broken since the day we moved in.   You can't change the temperature it just runs really really hot.   He has been asked numerous times to look at it, but I get nothing back
- Integrated Smeg Microwave - Ok so this stopped working in June of last year.   He said he was dealing with it with John Lewis but stuff was being delayed due to Covid etc.  Last year he came round with tile wax (he is obsessed with his stone floors and oak floors) and asked me to apply of layer of wax to the stone in the bathrooms.  Yep no worries, at which point I asked about the microwave.  To which I got "Don't hold your breath on that being fixed, I am not spending £600 on it.  Anyway who uses one, I certainly don't and if you are that bothered about it I will buy you one for £20 from Tesco".  I  was taken back and shocked as I previously told it was under warranty.  So my question is, who is liable to fix the thing?  I could have let it go, but he has hacked me off about the dog request.
- Gas Safety Certificate - I haven't seen an up to date one of these and he hasn't asked me for access for one to be carried out.  What should I do?
- Heating not working correctly - the whole of the downstairs is underfloor heating, but the middle floor is radiators.  They aren't heating up and the digital thermostat switches off or goes blank on its own, yes I have changed its batteries.  When I asked him about it, he laughed at me and said have you turned on the TRV valves and bled the radiators.  This happened at the same time as the conversation with the microwave.  I was too scarred/humiliated to say I didn't know what he was talking about.  Anyway I googled it once he left turned on all the valves and bled the radiators.  Its' still not heating.
- Every time I contact him (which is minimal) I have to chase for responses which are vague and fluffy at the best of times. When I say chase, I wait at least 7 days before  nudging him to acknowledge my communication.  I have tried phoning but he never picks up or returns calls.  I am also concerned that by highlighting the issues above, most of which he knows about other than the latest on the heating is that he will be think I am being a pain in the arse due him refusing permission for the dog and will serve me with notice. 

Any help on this total ramble will be really appreciated.

Firstly,I am both a landlord and volunteer dog rescuer/rehomer.I have often carried out home checks before a dog can be adopted. From what you say,if you came to me as either a prospective tenant or a family wanting a dog,I would snatch your hand off.Your landlord sounds like a stupid arsehole frankly.That said,he is perfectly within his rights to refuse a further pet.He is certainly not within his rights to withhold a gas certiificate,and fail to deal with essential repairs like the shower.One option for you would be to grass him up to the council,and then be prepared to find somewhere else to live, as he will probably get the work done,then serve notice on you.Alternatively,you could point out the trouble he could get into if he does not have a gas certificate,and suggest that he arranges this and other repairs asap,after giving full consent for that dear little doggie.Good luck!

Never be scared of notice. The whole idea of renting is that you're the customer. You're in control. You get to spend your money where you want. Unless there's something very appealing about your current property (really low rent?) then why not expend your energies in looking for somewhere better? The Tenant / Landlord relationship here sounds like so many - rather adversarial in nature. There's no point flogging a dead horse. I'd consider taking the initiative.

This is a big issue with renting as a family.  You rent a property and want to make it your home.  But the problem is, it isn't your home.

I wouldn't rent from such a landlord, especially long term. I know it is an upheaval and not your original plans but I'd move out.

In the long term having a landlord who won't do basic repairs and refuses reasonable requests is going to take its toll.

Find yourself a house with a landlord who appreciates a long term tenant.