Sounds good Daniel! Especially for a fiver, ill definately buy some of this stuff, thanks! Theres been nothing in writing yet. What was the cause of the mould? Did you dispute the charges? Perhaps I should give them something in writing but I dont wanna rock the boat any more than necessary. If I clean it with the stuff above it should be ok. I dont think this is the first time theres been mould in there. The LL didnt seem at all surprised when I mentioned it. The place was pretty dirty when we moved in, the LL said there wasnt time between the old tennant leaving and me arriving. It had a light spring cleaning and needed cleaning again when I moved in. cheers

It would seem that the LLs only costs are electricity and gas. The water setup might be the same as CTax? Ive already read the PDF on mould mate, it seems like a bit of a "grey area" i spose it boils down to whether the mold comes from damp due to poor condition/spec of outside walls or from activities inside. Id have to get a damp inspector to look at this but I dont think theres a DPC with the property being old. I think using very little heating, as Ive been instructed by the LL, would increase the relative humidity. As the temperature drops the air can hold less moisture causing it to condensate, in turn creating ideal conditions for mould to thrive. Saying that the humidity isnt very high at around 50% @ 14.5*C so I reckon the damp is due to the outside walls. Thanks

Not sure what the score is with the CTax, the LL just said that the rent includes all the bills. You would think that theres only one Ctax bill to pay with it technically being one property? thanks

Thanks for taking the time to answer my questions youve been very helpful. Ive tried to remain unbiased when posting so that the answers I got would be right. It sounds like I am definately in the right legally here :grin: Thanks again this gives me a lot more confidence! Thanks for your support, I previously felt like maybe I was being unreasonable about the key issue. Now I know that Im not the only person who would object in this situation. The property is connected to the LLs by a porch type area in between them. Does this change things?

The property Im renting is getting very mouldy in the bathroom and on a couple of the outside walls in the corners just above the skirting boards. Ive talked to my LL but the answer is "open a window" and "its an old building". Opening windows while showering is not good as the LLs family often walk past or play near the bathroom, it feels like an invasion of privacy a little. There is an extractor in the bathroom but it doesnt seem to shift enough. I mop up any water with a towel after showering. The shower is not enclosed, it has a door that covers half the bath so it seems to let a lot of moisture into the air. We do dry clothes indoors but the humidity only reaches 50%ish (47% atmo), in the bathroom I expect its higher. I am discouraged from using the heating as the LL pays the bills. Ive suggested I pay seperately but the LL doesnt want to do this. Temps atmo are below 15*C even after the heating has been on for more than 1 hour. The LL says I should only use the heating for about 1hr every day. Is this too cold? I had to change the locks as the keys were stolen with some other stuff a while ago, I informed the LL before I changed them. The LL has recently requested a copy of the keys (which he is willing to pay for). Under normal circumstances Id have no problem with this. Previous LLs have always had a copy, however, Im fairly sure that the LL and family want to have a good nose around while Im away without informing me. I realise I have to supply them the keys anyway. If I can prove that the LL has been through my stuff what can I do from a legal standpoint? Im thinking about moving now and Im a bit concerened the LL will try to keep the deposit because of the mould and a few general wear and tear items which need repair such as silicon sealant, taps etc. Ive decorated the bathroom and the LL refused to contribute anything. Where do I stand as far as decorating goes? The tenancy was started 6yrs ago in writing as a 12 month contract and renewed every yr for the first 3 years. Now no mention of contract has been made and I just keep payin the rent. Ive never been late, damaged anything or caused any disturbance. The rent is £645 monthly and includes CTax, electricity, gas and water and has never increased which seems very reasonable. There was no inventory taken that I am aware of, I definately didnt sign one. There have been no improvements/upkeep on the building in the 6 yrs Ive been here. The deposit was £645 and was taken before deposit schemes came in, it is held by the landlord. Thanks!

Sounds good thanks everyone for your replies you all deserve medals for what you guys do on here!!

So I wont really know what Ive signed (if anything) until they take me to court?

The copy they supply me must be signed by myself to be legal right?

So they cant take me court for the debt without a signed copy of the agreement? No CCJ = no baillifs right?

Im going to use the CAG template for all the DCAs today so they will have 3 weeks to reply. The DCA that Ive already used it on havent been in touch since early Jan when they acknowledged my request under the CCA. If they dont supply me with any agreements should I still make an offertory payment to them when the CAB does my financial statement? Does anyone have experience as to how the CAB have handled things for them? Are they very proactive or are they reluctant to get involved in any sort of battle with DCAs?

I went to see my local CAB in November about my debts and they gave me the following template to send out to my creditors: -------------------- Initial Holding Letter Re: Account Number: I am currently experiencing financial difficulties. I have visited the Citizens Advice Bureau and taken advice about my debts. I would be grateful if you would provide me with the following details. Nature of the Agreement Balance Owed Terms of Repayment Arrears If interest is accruing and at what rate Account Reference if different from above Copy of the Agreement (this is important) Once all my creditors have replied to my letters I will contact you again with my proposals. I would ask you that no further action is taken in this matter and that you stop any further interest accruing on my account. Yours faithfully ------------------- They CAB said that when I had all the information requested in the template letter they could deal with my creditors and not before. I sent out the letter to all concerned and none of them have yet supplied me with a Copy of the Agreement they have just passed the debts on to DCAs. I have since used the template letter on CAG requesting the agreement under the CCA and sent it to one of the DCAs who have written back saying that they have now put my account on hold until they have the agreement. It obviously does hold a great deal of weight as there were no threats in their reply. I spoke to the CAB this morning to let them know that Im still waiting for copies of various credit agreements and they now say that the copy of the original agreement (part 7 in their template) is not important when it quite clearly states in their template above "7. Copy of the Agreement (this is important)". The CAB now say that all I need from the creditors is a statement quoting the amount owed and interest accruing. I take it they are unwittingly wrong I cant remember the terms I agreed to with the various loans and credit cards or if I even signed any agreements (in some cases I think not) most of the accounts are under 5 years old i think but would know exactly how old if I had the original agreements. Should I ignore the CAB to a certain extent? They have booked me in to see a "Money Adviser" in 3 weeks. They say ALL I will need to bring the "statements" from the creditors and wage slips. Cheers, Al

Hi, I have £27K+ in unsecured debts to 7 different accounts and also owe considerable sums to other more dubious lenders who demand payment . I am unable to make the minimum payments and am wondering what to do... I have no assets except my car that needs desperate attention. I need my car to get to work. At the moment I'm earning about £1200 a month after tax and even though this is a good wage I'm living on the poverty line and still unable to pay all these debts. I can barely afford to eat and my existence is miserable, I cant see a way out. Can anyone help please?

is that from my first letter to the bank or the date i file my claim with the county court?

Hi All, My claim has gone on for about 6 months now and some of the earlier charges now older than 6 years because of this, what can I do or do I have to forget about these ones? Thanks, AL

I'll send them a refusal and file the claim tommorow, have they actually gone to court to fight a claim yet?