UK Landlord Forum / Life

Hello, I've been living with a broken French window in the living room for two months. I can't open it because I had to block it at the top, and since it doesn't close properly, cold air is entering the flat.

It's been like this for two months, and both the landlord and the agency haven't been very responsive. They've now said they will replace the window in 8 weeks. Is there anything I can do to claim compensation or speed up the process?

I have to admit you lost me at " damages" .That word, like " compensation"  is like a red rag to a bull. You say the landlord and agent have not been very responsive, but believe me two months is nothing when it comes to getting tradesmen to respond. For all you know they have contacted window people who have not responded. What " damages"  have you suffered?  If you owned the flat how quickly do you think you could have got this done?

I had a broken window mechanism in one of my flats a year or so ago. After numerous let- downs I told the tenant ( who was very understanding)  that if he could find someone to repair or replace the window I would cover the cost, whatever it was. He had no more luck than I did. It ended up being around 5 months before it got sorted out. The couple next to me had all their windows replaced by a national company, and it took 18 months before all the work was done. That was an expensive project,so you can appreciate that when it comes to little jobs  most contractors are not interested. The weather is at least getting a tad warmer.   

Have the agency sent anybody out to look at it at all? Are they waiting for parts or is it that they're replacing all the windows in eight weeks' time and they don't want to spend money on a temporary repair in the meantime?

The word you're looking for is compensation, not damages (which isn't a red rag to this particular bull).

If you have experienced a loss beyond normal inconvenience, there could be a claim - like the cost of additional heating. I'm not sure that the time scale is too unreasonable, personally, but I might feel different if the "two months" were just someone not doing anything at all.

Thank you for your help. I understand, maybe they should have replaced the window before renting the flat since it's rotting and causing mould. Now it's so broken I can't open it, so I can't properly air out the apartment, and cold air is coming in. It's been two months already, and now I have to wait another two months for the window to be replaced. As you said, there's not much I can do, but I appreciate the explanation.