How do we go about taking our landlord to court?
The issues :
- He owes us money.
Large amount accumulated over years. This has been confirmed by the relevant tradesperson. So we stay anonymous, I don’t want to add more identifying details.
- Serious leaks.
We are getting daily giant puddles in our kitchen and dining room. It slowly comes out from under the oven and the kitchen cabinetry, and a wall in the dining room. We have told him about this twice. We have to do extra loads of washing to keep up with the demand for towels. And run our dehumidifier often.
- Healthy homes standard.
The bathroom has no extractor fan. We are advised to open the window instead. Freezing at this time of year and doesn’t even work well, the walls stay WET. We also have a heat pump but we’re told it doesn’t work. Our only option is a 1960s unflued gas heater.
We eventually realised the heater combined with the leaks was creating too much moisture in the home. We had mould grow rapidly. We have had to throw away clothes, furniture and books in our time here.
- Toilet has a leak also. Water constantly runs down from the top (inside the toilet). So we turn the tap off at the wall when not in use, or it’s noisy. Again we have told him about this.
OTHER RELEVANT INFO:
* He lives very close to us, so if possible we would love to remain civil.
* I have been collecting photographic evidence of everything.
* He has known he owes us money since November 2025.
* We have lived here 4 years without a rental inspection.
* We are at a point that we cannot deny this is affecting our mental health. Also creating more chores around the house and affecting our asthma.
* He mentioned he wants to raise the rent soon. Our rent is what is considered affordable, for the area. But we do not agree with an increase with this many ongoing issues.
Thank you for making it this far, really appreciate you guys.