STRAIGHT TO THE POINT
I’VE been renting a flat privately for nine months and my shower has been in a state of disrepair for the entire tenancy.
I’ve contacted my landlord repeatedly and, each time, he has promised to repair it by various dates, but failed to do so. Should I start withholding rent? E. H., London. Do NoT withhold your rent or the landlord could take steps to evict you. report the landlord to your council. It may be able to contact him on your behalf and request that he carries out the necessary repairs.
Legal action should be your last resort, due to the costs involved, but a court can force your landlord to carry out repairs and pay you compensation for the inconvenience.
Charity Shelter has useful information on its website: shelter.org.uk/housing_advice/ private_renting WHEN I switched my equity release plan to get a lower rate, my existing provider, Aviva, told me I owed £223,090. This was less than I expected.
When I queried the amount, Aviva said it was because the interest rate on the gilts (government bonds) to which my loan was linked had gone down. But when I came to repay the debt, it jumped to £245,838. C.B., Henley-on-Thames, Oxon. AVIVA has apologised for providing you with the incorrect figure the first time you called and says it had made a mistake with its calculation. It adds that it takes these matters seriously. It has spoken to the team in charge and offered you a £500 payment for the distress and inconvenience caused. VIRGIN called to tell me it could reduce my monthly bill. It wasn’t until after I took up the offer that I realised it had switched me from a 30-day rolling contract to a 12-month one. I did not agree to this on the phone or in writing. Is that allowed? F. H., email. THE firm is adamant you did agree to a new 12-month contract. Virgin says all customers are informed about the terms of their new deal when they sign up and adds that it also emailed you the contract. If you are still unhappy, you can refer your complaint to the Communications & Internet Services Adjudication Scheme (cisas.org.uk).
Write to 70 Fleet Street, London EC4Y 1Eu, cisas@cedr.com, or call 020 7520 3814.