Updating post from Reddit.
Hi all. Just wanted some advice from other landlords as a tenant. So I moved into a property 3 months ago now (renting). It's a 2 bed at a slightly higher price point for the area but the selling point for us was that it had new floors, carpets and a set of patio doors which lead into the garden. The patio doors are in the dining room and then there's also a back door into the same garden from the kitchen but the kitchen and dining rooms are separated rooms. The patio doors are non functional, dont lock and are currently wedged shut with a wood beam. At the viewing, the wooden beams werent there so we had no reason to believe they didnt work. Upon moving in we tried them, they're sliding doors but the sliding mechanism is broken so they don't open at all and also don't lock hence the beam. We reported this to the estate agents straight away who sent out a maintenance man who said they needed replacing. They then got someone out to do a quote for new ones and the estate agents got back to us saying the landlord said its too expensive to replace them so instead theyre considering sealing them up. As tenants where do we stand with this? I appreciate it may be a big job but surely it should be replaced like for like? Also if its sealed it means theres no openable window in the dining room so it cant be aired out. The neighbour also told us the previous tenants complained about the broken doors so this has obviously been an ongoing issue. Im not attacking the landlord or anything just after genuine advice. Thanks!
Where do you stand with it? Nowhere. The landlord doesn't want to pay for it.
Your only real recourse is to potentially look into building/fire regulations and see if it constitutes a fire risk.
Which it does, every room needs a means of escape
Unless the dining room is only exited through the kitchen, this isnt true. If it is a stand alone one door only exiting into the kitchen, then the LL can provide a glass hammer for use in an emergency to exit what are now significant size windows.
As someone who works in architecture, I can assure you, every room requires a means of escape.
This isnt a new build. Plenty of UK properties have inner rooms, unopenable windows, basement flats etc, and there are various regs around how each situation is dealt with.
It’s irrelevant if it’s a new build or not. Under current building regulations, there must be a means of escape from every room.
But I’m not going to sit here and argue with someone who thinks they know better when they really do not
The form of escape can be into a hallway and out of the front or back door. What each habitable room does need is a form of ventilation ie an opening window. See my answer about this to the original post.
If you have alternative means of escape then as a minimum push for them be be secured properly.
Whilst it might look like a reasonable repair request, this item does not fall within the landlord’s repairing responsibilities under the Landlord & Tenant Act. That said, it would be reasonable for you to have assumed at the time of viewing that the doors were operational. If they were not then under Consumer Protection regulations you could have recourse against agent or landlord. This is because the patio doors were an attractive feature that was an element of your decision to rent the property.
In terms of security. Section B12 of the Housing Health & Safety Rating System deals with hazards from intruders. The landlord is obliged to provide a reasonable level of security. His offer to seal up would satisfy this requirement.
Where you might have leverage is if egress through the patio doors would represent an escape route in the event of fire, ie if a blaze started in the kitchen there is no other way to escape the property. However this may not apply if e.g. egress was possible through the flat entrance door without passing through the kitchen, and the kitchen door is a 30 minute fire door with intumescent strips and an overhead door closer.
Good luck. Ours has a sliding patio door that IS the only door to the back of the house. It actively needs lifting to slide open shut, doesn't lock if its raining (🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄 its Scotland. It rains 99.99999999% of the time) and now had this issue 6 years.
The roller wheels (a pair on each side, like inline skates) may have dropped on their mechanisms. There may be a threaded bar that winds each pair up and down, access via each side. Only one side is protected when the door is locked, which is why you may have extra patio door deadlocks fitted because the accessible side can still be wound down and the door lifted off the rail, providing access to the property.
These things are very VERY tricky to repair. I have a tilting balcony door that was broken by tenants - they moved out and the door was hanging/falling out of it's frame during check out. It took me three different contractors and ~ £1,5k to get the door back into shape. It required replacement of the entire closure mechanism, disassembly of the door, and 5+ visits. In the end, the contractor who finally fixed it strongly advised me to disable the tilt to avoid risking the door getting broken again. I suspect sliding doors are even more tricky and I emphasise with your landlord for not wanting to run the risk of paying thousands to fix it only to have it broken soon again.
This a very useful reply thanks! As I said I'm not attacking the landlord I sympathise that it might well be a very expensive repair. It's obviously just disappointing as tenants. Would've been happier if the estate agents had mentioned they were non functioning at the viewing which would've saved the disappointment
The problem here is less the expense and more the fact that it might get broken very soon after and people won't take responsibility for it (you may, but your landlord probably had bad experience in the past and is assuming the worst). In my case, the tenants blamed the estate agent (saying "we didn't break it! The estate agent who did the check out did it!") and estate agent said "nonsense, we didn't even touch it". I was only able to get £350 from the deposit and pay for the rest of the repair myself. The whole ordeal also took months and multiple visits.
If I were you and this was important to me, I'd try to get a quote for the repair myself and then speak honestly with the landlord. Tell them it's important to you and you already have someone to do the work so they don't need to organise it. It doesn't help that there is an estate agent in the middle though... some of them charge 20% on top of any repair they "organise", which probably makes your landlord even more reluctant to touch it.
Unfortunately you can’t really do much. The landlord is technically sorting it out, but not the way you like, would have thought. 😅
You're on a hiding to nothing asking for them to be replaced.
However, I wouldn't be satisfied having them wedged shut, that's a security risk. If they don't lock then I'd be insisting that they be sealed properly.
Didn't you meet with the landlord/agent and sign the inventory? They've misrepresented the property.
There was no inventory done for the property which is also an issue. Had there been and it stated they were functioning I'd have more of a leg to stand on. It was just a group viewing, we were accepted, paid a deposit signed the paperwork and moved in 2 weeks later.
You could talk about "Loss of Amenity" with the view for court action. This could justify a partial rent refund or reduction, calculated based on the diminished value of the property compared to the agreed rent.
You could also talk about "Misrepresentation" If the patio doors were presented as functional during the viewing.
If you want to you should document everything (emails, photos of the beam, viewing memories) and formally request the landlord fix or compensate, referencing your rights. If refused, mediation or legal advice (e.g., Citizens Advice) could clarify next steps.
However, this brings forward a conflict between you and your landlord. With your unltimate action going to court to get small refunds, its probably not worth ruining the relationship wth your landlord/agent over it.
Try getting a company that specialises in window repairs to come and give you a quote.
If you can find a company that can repair the window relatively inexpensively, show the written quote to the landlord. The person who advised the landlord a new window door was required may not have specialised in repairs
Some window companies will just say a complete new window with doors is required. Others may repair it. Different window companies operate differently. One may specialise in repairs while many may not and just say a new window door is required. Get several quotes. They will all say different things and quote different amounts.
This. Be proactive it could indeed be a relatively minor repair.
Yeah I think fire regs are the only course of action. If by sealing up he means a window will cost more than new doors. Basic patio doors can be had for circa £500-600 installed for average size
I'm not entirely sure what they mean by sealing up tbh. Originally they said they might replace it with a window but the guy who came to do the quote said that would be way more expensive than just replacing the patio doors. I'm presuming they mean keeping the doors in and just sealing around the edges?
Such a short sighted view. I despair sometimes
Among a litany of issues in an old propery I rented the bedroom only patio doors (with a small window above approx 7' from rhe ground) and due to them being wood over the years with zero maintenance they started to rot and warp, I brought this to the landlords attention when he brought the property and nudged every six months or so as it would be my only means of escape should there be a fire in any other part of the flat. After five years the beading that held the window above the doors had rotted away and the glass was held in by 2 pin nails which ment it was prime for being broken into.
When the landlord wanted to increase my rent by £250 I asked about the maintenance issues that were yet to be addressed and he scoffed so I called my local council who issued him with a works order to either replace the doors or seal it and place a window large enough for a person to escape in the event of a fire.
When it comes to big stuff like this you will receive a lot of push back from agencies/landlords unless you can have a 3rd party with a bit of clout behind them.
The dining room must have a window that opens to allow for ventilation. Are the patio doors the only form of window in the dining room? If so, then they need to be able to be opened for ventilation purposes. If so, landlord must fix asap, or report to the local council housing standards officer.