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Post by rexroth on Jun 28, 2008 7:06:53 GMT -5
I am furious and need to calm down and think before I take action so here is the situation:
I live in the UK in what is called 'social housing' this means that my landlords are supposed to be particularly responsible for among other things the maintenance of the property. I have a secure tenancy which means that I would have to behave particularly badly to be evicted. Finally there is a formal complaints procedure which I have used and a final appeal to the Housing Ombudsman. The conclusion of the landlords is that there are faults in their maintenance system and they are prepared to compensate me. They are also prepared to review how the maintenance system works.
I sent an account of the compensation I thought was reasonable three weeks ago and received an acknowledgement. I sent another letter a week ago updating matters and saying that I would wait until 1 August before referring the matter on to the Ombudsman and I have had no reply. They have not sent me insurance forms that I need to apply for compensation for an accident where I was hurt in my flat. Finally the maintenance system is not improving at all. I want to send my complaint to the Ombudsman today. But...
I am responsible for painting the inside of my flat and I have not finished this.
I should have asked for permission before altering the position of the electric socket.
The place is still a bit full of stuff. This is mainly because of redecoration.
It seems to me that I need to have the bookcases back against the wall when the fact that the socket has been moved will not be obvious. The other matters I'm not sure about.
Advice please.
Rexroth
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Post by moggyfan on Jun 28, 2008 9:04:52 GMT -5
I'm sorry you are feeling so upset, rexroth. :-(
From what you wrote here, it seems that you sent the landlords (or perhaps their representatives) a letter saying you expected action by August 1 before you pursue an appeal. That is still more than a month away; were you expecting a response sooner?
Although I don't quite understand the timeline here, it seems in a way a good thing that you have time now to complete the painting and position the bookcase to hide the electrical socket before anyone comes to your apartment. (I would think it's no crime to have a bit too much "stuff" as long as it's reasonably neat.)
You also said there were ongoing maintenance problems . Is that a separate issue from being compensated for your accident, or was it a maintenance problem that led to your accident?
In any event, I hope you are able to calm down and think out exactly what it is you need to do to get the results you seek. Good luck.
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Post by ramatama on Jun 29, 2008 9:11:20 GMT -5
They are also prepared to review how the maintenance system works. ........ Finally the maintenance system is not improving at all. I want to send my complaint to the Ombudsman today. But... Advice please. Hi Rexroth, I have quoted the above, because i don't understand what you mean by maintenance system. Do you mean theirs? your system? In either case what is meant by this? Can you call them yet again and ask them to mail you the forms you need. You could fib a bit and say you need to fill them out now while you have the time, before you plan to go on holiday etc? or the like... The issue about the moved electrical plug shouldn't disconcert you too much unless it is very obvious, hardly anyone notices such changes. Is your injury keeping you from painting? Can you ask around if there is a young person about who could help out a few hours? |
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Post by rexroth on Jun 29, 2008 10:30:10 GMT -5
Thanks folks for helpful comments. I didn't make myself clear which was because I was so upset and I feel much calmer now and am glad I did not phone, email or write to my landlords. I need to wait until the time 1 August that I had already given them before I take the matter further and that will give me time to get my place in order for them to inspect. Now as soon as I read your advice moggyfan, I thought that's so obvious, and I couldn't see it because I was so angry. Thank you.
The landlord is a Housing Association which is an organisation in the UK that provides low cost housing for those in housing need and I might remember that I am grateful to be housed. The maintenance system is largely for repairs and is theirs. It is complex and often (usually) breaks down. The Housing Association is unwilling to recognise this and only did so when I sent emails to make repair requests and sent them the records. If I phoned in they often said they had no record of the repair request. I won't go into all that follows afterwards but often the repair works are not done properly.
Eighteen months or so ago a very heavy heater fell over onto my foot and I was injured. I have a legal claim against my landlords over this. I need the forms from their insurance company. They did send me a set which I lost. I have apologised to them for this and am promised new forms which have not yet arrived. The heater should have been secured to the wall so that it was safe. (and arguably I should not have tried to move it).
The Housing Association is regulated by a Government body and if it does not do repairs within a specified time then I am entitled to compensation. Apart from this I am in any case entitled to compensation under the law. This right can be enforced by the Housing Ombudsman, a service which is free and it is to this service that I intend to apply on 1 August unless I have a offer from my landlords. I can and shall also ask this service to require the landlords to provide an effective maintenance system for repairs.
With regard to moving the electric socket (I did write plug) then my landlords must let me do this under the terms of my tenancy agreement but I should ask first. The reason I did not do so is that my landlords have in the past been very difficult and it is one thing to do work without asking and another when they have specifically told me not to do it. I wonder if this is manipulative behaviour on my part? In fact I would be very surprised if they even notice. They scarcely if ever visit to inspect. The work was done by a qualified electrician and he provided a safety certificate so I fulful the legal requirements. I think I was just being a bit paranoid.
Last week I had a small fire in my kitchen and this upset me as the smoke detector did not work. I had asked them about this before and they assurred me that all was well. Nearly twenty years ago the flat where I was living had a bad fire and I was homeless afterwards. So I am a bit oversensitive to fire.
I do know what to do as I used to be an advice worker but doing things for myself is more difficult. My problems are emotional rather than anything else.
When I am not painting or trying to repair things then everything can go into cupboards and the place is reasonably clean and clear. Thanks to all the support on this forum.
Hope this make better sense and thanks for your advice and support.
Regards Rexroth
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Post by moggyfan on Jun 29, 2008 12:52:07 GMT -5
Hi rexroth! I'm glad to hear you sounding more like your usual calm self today :-) I know what it's like to get so upset over something that I lose perspective and miss the "obvious." I'm glad you waited till you calmed down & thought it through before firing off an angry letter. It really is frustrating to deal with bureaucracies of any kind, especially when it seems that it is a fairly simple and straightforward issue that should have been handled quickly. Sorry about your foot. I hope it is better by now! And I was also glad to read you'd had an electrician move the socket--I had visions of you with pliers and a roll of duct tape,  . Good luck with finishing your painting and organizing. As soon as summer school is over in a few weeks, I'm going to tackle painting my hallway and dining room. I rent an apartment, but because of rent control, my rent is definitely below market rates so I like to "stay under the radar" and do stuff like this myself so that the landlord never even has to think about me! :-) |
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