It’s reasonable to expect your property is ready for you to move into on your agreed move in date and that it is in a presentable condition.

You may want to clean your property before you move in, but you should not be cleaning up the previous tenants mess and rubbish.

What can I do if there are problems?

Sometimes you may find things that are broken, damaged or disrepair that was not evident when you viewed the property. Sometimes small things (such as loose door handles, dead lightbulbs) may be easier and quicker to fix, but larger issues should be fixed by the Landlord.

If there are any problems, you should let your landlord know straight away, and make sure you put it in writing with evidence such as photos and give them reasonable timescales on when you expect the work to be done by (24 hours for urgent and 5-7 working days for other issues).

Take photos with the date on too and keep them as evidence as these can help in disagreements.

If the landlord does not fix the problems we have some advice on what you can do next in our disrepair section.

What can I do if I cannot move in?

Firstly, it's important to know that very few things will make a property considered to be in such disrepair that you legally cannot live there.

Thinks that might be considered would be:

• Serious problems with the structure of the property, i.e. potential collapse, total destruction.
• Serious fire safety issues such as blocked escape routes.
• Gas or electrical issues resulting in long term lack of power, or immediate risk of injury.
• Being completely unable to secure the property.
• Previous tenants have not left.

It's important to think very carefully and seek advice before making a decision not to move in (especially if you are paying for somewhere else) as you may not get all your money back.

If the property is not able to be lived in the Landlord cannot charge rent.  They do not have to provide an alternative, but you should always ask them to do so. The alternative does not have to be exactly the same size, location, or standard, but it should be reasonable (i.e. enough rooms, not more than 40 minutes travel from the original location and/or the place of work or study). 

You should ask the landlord what steps they will take to deal with the problems, and to cover costs you have.  If the property cannot be made suitable in a reasonable time (which may depend on what alternatives they can arrange) you could ask to be released from the contract. 

Can I get compensation?

You may be entitled to some compensation depending on the nature of the problems and the length of time taken to sort them out - the first step is to talk to the landlord.  Compensation is based on specific loss, for example if you cannot use your room and need to sleep in the living room while work is done this could equate to compensation of 50% of your rent.

Have a chat with us if you find problems persist or the landlord doesn’t respond to your requests for money back.