Legal advice needed
Hiya all, we need to sue the living shit out of our landlord, any advice would be greatly appreciated.
So, we moved in waaay back in august/september, and took up full time occupancy a week before october. Some five months prior to that, when we signed the contract (which unfortunately we seem to have misplaced), the landlord informed us that one of the things he planned to do over the summer was get a new gas safety certificate, since the one he claimed he had, would run out before we moved in. When we moved in, he said he had yet to do that, and would be getting onto it shortly. A man came, and left before finishing the job, he returned a month or two later, again failed to do the safety check. Two weeks ago we threatened that if the landlord didn't get it done by this monday just gone, we would do so and take the cost out of future rent payments. Last week he called me up to explain that a british gas man would be round on thursday (today).
The man from british gas did come, and did a full inspection. He found one of the main seals had worn away and been replaced with a filler-like substance, the entire boiler was covered in rust, the main burner had a crack, and the entire thing was twenty-eight years old. Needless to say, it failed the safety check on multiple counts, and now has a cute little red warning label hanging from the radiator.
We're now without gas, without heating (there is an immersion heater, but they cost a fortune in electricity), and without hot water, and there's forecasts of snow showers and blizzards to come in the coming days. We are all united in our common desire to take the landlord to court at the earliest opportunity, and press for the absolute maximum penalties possible. We're also looking into the possibility of getting him to pay for a hotel for the three of us until the new boiler (which will probably cost him £3,000+ is installed).
I'm about to call citizens advice, and then some of the more reputable no-win no-fee law firms. I'd love to get advice from anyone on here as well however (pokes shiny_and_new).
Wish us luck.
So, we moved in waaay back in august/september, and took up full time occupancy a week before october. Some five months prior to that, when we signed the contract (which unfortunately we seem to have misplaced), the landlord informed us that one of the things he planned to do over the summer was get a new gas safety certificate, since the one he claimed he had, would run out before we moved in. When we moved in, he said he had yet to do that, and would be getting onto it shortly. A man came, and left before finishing the job, he returned a month or two later, again failed to do the safety check. Two weeks ago we threatened that if the landlord didn't get it done by this monday just gone, we would do so and take the cost out of future rent payments. Last week he called me up to explain that a british gas man would be round on thursday (today).
The man from british gas did come, and did a full inspection. He found one of the main seals had worn away and been replaced with a filler-like substance, the entire boiler was covered in rust, the main burner had a crack, and the entire thing was twenty-eight years old. Needless to say, it failed the safety check on multiple counts, and now has a cute little red warning label hanging from the radiator.
We're now without gas, without heating (there is an immersion heater, but they cost a fortune in electricity), and without hot water, and there's forecasts of snow showers and blizzards to come in the coming days. We are all united in our common desire to take the landlord to court at the earliest opportunity, and press for the absolute maximum penalties possible. We're also looking into the possibility of getting him to pay for a hotel for the three of us until the new boiler (which will probably cost him £3,000+ is installed).
I'm about to call citizens advice, and then some of the more reputable no-win no-fee law firms. I'd love to get advice from anyone on here as well however (pokes shiny_and_new).
Wish us luck.