The uselessness of Estate Agents

I have always felt that Estate Agents were useless when it comes to listening to their tenants following the shambles that was Winkworths in Chiswick High Road so why am I surprised by the incompetence of the current estate agent acting on behalf of my landlord?

Some months ago I told them about the disgusting stench in one of the kitchen cupboards. They said it was probably a dead mouse or something and that the smell would go away and, although they made a note on their computer, they didn't see fit to inform my landlord who is usually very good at dealing with maintenance problems. The second visit I paid them on this subject wasn't even recorded! They eventually informed the Landlord on 11th August and he came round a couple of days later to look at the cupboard (well, sniff it as it turned out) and send his builder round for a closer inspection.

Later that week, Bob the builder (no word of a lie folks!) turns up and has a look in the cupboard (that I'd had to ask my mum to come and help me empty!). He took off the kickboard at the bottom and managed to get the backboard out (it's an old, cheap fitted kitchen). Other than several years worth of grime under the cupboard, there didn't appear to be any damp and the wall felt dry to the touch. Therefore, no explanation for the smell was determined and it was left at that with me making a mental note to clean under the cupboards when my energy levels permitted and promising that I would inform the estate agents should the smell get worse. That weekend I cleaned under the cupboards and around/under the cooker. I left the kickboards off all the cupboards hoping that the air circulation would help in getting rid of the smell. Bob then came back a couple of days later to take a look at the other maintenance issues and sort those out.

Yesterday, because the smell had been getting worse, I ended up laying on the floor in the kitchen and looking under the cupboard to see if there was any change. I noticed white marks which I assumed meant that something had seeped through the wall and dried. I sent pictures to the estate agent on an email. I had no reply from them and, having emptied the cupboard again and taken the backboard off myself, I found further evidence of damp, photographed it and emailed the agents again, asking that they take action within 24 hours or I would call Environmental Health. Needless to say, I had to phone them this morning about it and they hadn't read the emails then. I eventually got a read receipt at 4.25pm! Good job I'd already contacted the council at that point!!! It's now 9.30pm and I've had no phone call or email despite them promising me this morning that they would ring me back IN THE SAME DAY!!!

I really should have expected this. I'm sure that if they'd spoken to the landlord, he'd have been on the phone to me as soon as he heard. He doesn't tend to hang around on these things, so I know that they've done bugger all about it. Even though I have made it perfectly clear that there are health complications and that my son and me are already suffering some effects that may be linked to the damp problem, they STILL don't act! And yet, legally, I'm not allowed to withhold rent! PAH!

They'll have fun trying to get hold of me tomorrow cuz I have to get to Canterbury at some point to try and get new glasses since my son broke the only pair I have this evening. They're currently held together with a bit of sellotape and the lense is sort of propped up in the resultant loose socket! If it wasn't for gravity, I don't suppose it would stay there!

All in all, not my day! Let's hope tomorrow is a bit better!