WALL FIXING: The heater must ALWAYS be mounted against, and fixed to a wall as it will not stand up by itself. A detachable

bracket is provided for screwing to the wall, the heater is then placed in position and fixed to the bracket by a screw at each end.

The heater must never be unscrewed or moved from the wall bracket whilst it is loaded with bricks.

THE HEATER IS VERY HEAVY

AND WILL BE DANGEROUS IF ITS WALL FIXING BECOMES INSECURE.

Solid Brick and Concrete Walls

No. 10 Rawlplug plastic inserts.

Drill hole of 8mm dia to a depth

of 15mm greater than depth of the

insert.

Panelled Wall, Paramount Board, Chipboard, Plasterboard, etc.

Check that the panel itself is adequately fixed to battens etc. Use Rawlplug

M5 intersets; drill accurate 10mm dia holes in single skin plasterboard.

One fixing should be in studwork.

Timber Frame

Seek specialist advice, some

authorities suggest RAWLNUT

What about my security deposit?
Landlords can deduct their reasonable costs from the security deposit if tenants fail to take reasonable care of the property. However, they should not be able to profit from the term. If damage is minor and easily rectified, the landlord should not be able to withhold the entire amount of the security deposit. The deposit cannot be withheld for normal wear and tear.

Landlords Windfall Profit is Illegal – to keep the deposit entirely due to superficial wear and tear normally expected. Monthly let cost includes expected wear and tear.

Shelter – 0207 505 4699

Estate Agents Omb – 01722 333306

Shelter Eastern Counties – 0344 515 1860

Which protection scheme did Boyden’s use

Deposit protection service – 0844 472 7000

Tenancy deposit scheme – 0845 226 7837

Tenancy deposit solutions (my deposit) – 0844 980 0290

——- Action can be taken for non compliance should be in the scheme within 14 days —–

Housing acting 2004 – section 213

Theft, arrears, damage only

The Landlord’s Responsibilities

The landlord is required to keep the property in good repair throughout the tenancy, so that it remains up to the standard it was at the start of the agreement. If the property was not in good repair at the beginning of the tenancy the landlord may be required to repair these aspects. However, ‘to keep in repair’ does not refer to the landlord having to make significant improvements to the property, to suit the tenant.

Interior

The landlord is responsible to maintain installations for the supply of:

• Water
• Gas (servicing once a year by a registered CORGI gas fitter)
• Electricity
• Sanitation
• Space heating and heating water

This would include cisterns, radiators, boilers, heating ducts, water tanks, baths, sinks and all the pipes for gas and water as well as electrical sockets and wiring throughout the property.

Read more: http://www.tenancyagreementservice.co.uk/repairing-obligations.htm#ixzz1HE5QmM1E

Interior

The landlord is responsible to maintain installations for the supply of:

• Water
• Gas (servicing once a year by a registered CORGI gas fitter)
• Electricity
• Sanitation
• Space heating and heating water

This would include cisterns, radiators, boilers, heating ducts, water tanks, baths, sinks and all the pipes for gas and water as well as electrical sockets and wiring throughout the property.

Read more: http://www.tenancyagreementservice.co.uk/repairing-obligations.htm#ixzz1HE56vmNx

Electrical Appliances

All electrical equipment provided by a landlord must be safe and in good working order. The landlord is responsible for repairing any broken or faulty electrical items.  However, the tenancy agreement may state that the landlord is only responsible for certain electrical appliances, so it is important that the tenant is familiar with the terms of the agreement. The tenant is always responsible for repairing any electrical items which they own and have brought with them to the property.

Read more: http://www.tenancyagreementservice.co.uk/repairing-obligations.htm#ixzz1HE4micWs

Decorating

The tenant would not normally be required to re-decorate the property at the end of the tenancy unless stated in the agreement. If the property’s interior decoration had been damaged the tenant may be required to re-decorate the property, or the landlord may retain some of the deposit to cover re-decoration costs.

If a tenant did want to re-decorate the property they should always seek the landlord’s permission first and find out what changes they are entitled to make.

If the property is in need of decoration as a result of normal use and wear and tear then the landlord is responsible for re-decorating and should not retain any of the tenant’s deposit.

Read more: http://www.tenancyagreementservice.co.uk/repairing-obligations.htm#ixzz1HE4gEjQe

What can a tenant do if a landlord refuses to return their deposit?

If there is a dispute over whether or not the deposit should be returned then the Alternative Dispute Resolution Service (ADR) may be able to help resolve the problem. The Alternative Dispute Resolution Service is available to all landlords and tenants where the deposit for the tenancy has been protected by one of the three Tenancy Deposit Protection Schemes.

As long as the tenant and landlord agree to use the service any disputes over the deposit can be settled. Once the ADR makes a decision about the deposit this is binding and neither the tenant nor landlord can then take the dispute to the courts.

However, if the tenant or landlord refuses to use the ADR service then the dispute is resolved through the courts.

The courts or ADR service will be responsible for deciding whether the deposit should be returned to the tenant in part or in full.

Read more: http://www.tenancyagreementservice.co.uk/tenancy-agreements-faq.htm#ixzz1HE5wZhws

Essex and Suffolk Lettings

I see that this letting agency in Colchester is coming in for a lot of criticism online after a series of disgruntled clients have started to post their grievances online at this blog – Essex and Suffolk Lettings.http://www.chrisains.com/news/29346128/essex-and-suffolk-lettings-think-twice.php

Now I have had my own dealings with letting agencies and they have never been pleasant at the best of times, my own experience is one of condescending staff who are very quick to get on the attack and especially to talk over you when you are trying to make a point.

I think so far I have now had direct and indirect experience of 3 letting agencies in Colchester over a number of years and currently I would be reluctant to recommend them, currently my experience with The Letting Shop has been good and I will wait to see how I get on with them over the next year or so as one of my children now has a let through them.

Reading through the blog posts and comments about Essex and Suffolk Lettings it quickly becomes apparent that people are very disenchanted with them, statements about the level of service and worryingly statements about improper notification on access which is a dutiful requirement of any letting agency.

There are some very damming entries on the blog and I have since had a conversation with some of those who have made entries to find out more about their experience with Essex and Suffolk lettings and to see why they are so committed to making their complaints public.

Safety is one of the major complaints being voiced to me and also the quality of the maintenance carried out by the agency on behalf of Essex and Suffolk Lettings. In addition to this it seems that this letting agency does not respond to letters written to them regarding serious maintenance issues which will obviously create a sense of ill feeling and frustration for the tenant.

The underlying tone that comes through is the opinion that people should carefully consider whether to use Essex and Suffolk Lettings when they are a prospective tenant, clearly customer service is a real issue for these people and it is something that should be factored into the decision making process when looking for a property to let in Colchester.

There is more reading here at the blog – Essex and Suffolk Lettings Complaints