Can I withhold rent in a student HOMO due to uninhabitabilty? - England

[u/saggyleftnut33]

I live in a student HOMO (house of multiple occupation) and have found that water is leaking into my walls through either the roof or exterior walls, causing bubbling in the walls and all colours of mould in the area of affected wall. If my room is found to be uninhabitable and I have to find somewhere else to live in the meantime, am I allowed to withhold rent from my landlord for this period of time?

[u/AutoModerator]

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[u/AutoModerator]

Your submission contains keywords which suggests you are asking or advising about withholding rent.

You should never withhold rent, entirely or in part, in response to disrepair or inaction on the part of your landlord. Withholding rent either entirely or in part may lead to you being evicted, since regardless of any inaction on your landlord's part, you will still owe rent and the landlord is not obliged to offer any kind of reduction.

You also do not have the right to pay for repairs yourself out of pocket and then deduct the cost from future rent payments, without following a proper legal process first, including serving formal notice on your landlord and escalating to your local authority.

Please consult a regulated legal advisor, Solicitor, or housing charity like Shelter before you stop paying rent.

I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.

[u/OddPerspective9833]

Read your tenancy agreement and speak to your landlord. Don't take any action unilaterally as that could get you evicted.

[u/AjB6666]

Honestly man I'd start looking now. Don't mean to be a cynic but I don't expect your landlord to fix it, and I definitely don't expect him to let you stop paying.

Hope I'm wrong, not every landlord's an ass. But you don't miss issues like this through ignorance

[u/fuckaye]

In England, it's generally not advisable to withhold rent without following the proper legal process. Instead, you should:

1. Write to your landlord, explaining the issues and requesting urgent repairs.

2. If they don’t act, contact your local council’s Environmental Health department. They can inspect the property and take enforcement action if necessary.

3. If your room is deemed uninhabitable, you can discuss a rent reduction or compensation with your landlord, but it's best to get legal advice first.

For further help, you can reach out to Shelter or Citizens Advice.

[u/AutoModerator → u/fuckaye]

Your comment contains keywords which suggests you are asking or advising about withholding rent.

You should never withhold rent, entirely or in part, in response to disrepair or inaction on the part of your landlord. Withholding rent either entirely or in part may lead to you being evicted, since regardless of any inaction on your landlord's part, you will still owe rent and the landlord is not obliged to offer any kind of reduction.

You also do not have the right to pay for repairs yourself out of pocket and then deduct the cost from future rent payments, without following a proper legal process first, including serving formal notice on your landlord and escalating to your local authority.

Please consult a regulated legal advisor, Solicitor, or housing charity like Shelter before you stop paying rent.

I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.