This house is not a shack?

[reddragdiva]

arkady's first-hand report on the flat:

The waterlogged Flat of Lemonness continues to be soggy and is likely to remain so for some time. Liz and I went back to the flat this morning to meet an electrician. The heater in the bathroom was illegal, the fuseboard is still waterlogged, the vinyl flooring in kitchen and bathroom is lifting because it's backed by chipboard which is expanding, the cupboards in the kitchen - whilst intact presently - are likely to burst apart as the chipboard inside swells up. At least three electric sockets that I counted in the kitchen had uninsulated, exposed wires. There's a subtly pervasive smell of sodden dirty carpets that will doubtless get worse. The letting agent was truly horrified when he came round to see things for himself. Matters are currently in the hands of the loss adjusters; the flat will require drying out with dehumidifiers, industrial fans and driers over a period of time - and the electrician says the fuseboard needs total replacing before the power can go back on, which means either waiting until power is restored or bringing in generators.

The hall carpet and likely the living room carpet will have to be replaced. The walls and ceilings are waterstained. New flooring needs to be laid in the kitchen and bathroom. I would hate to see the bill for all the work needed to make it rehabitable again....

We're waiting to hear from the loss adjusters with regards to what is going to happen about rehousing David and Liz in the meantime. They will be inspecting the flat tomorrow, so Liz and I will be going back to meet them and find out what they have to say. In the meantime, David's rearranged stuff a little in the bedroom to make it more comfortable for himself and Liz, and Liz and I brought back some more stuff from the flat. We're also making plans to bring the boy rats over to my place where they can stay whilst all the work is taking place.

It's painfully obvious the flat will not be brought back to livable condition in the near future. On the other hand, our remaining instant credit headroom (before next pay) is about £700. Does anyone have solid information on how hard we need to push to break the lease?

I have joked about it being made of acoustically-transparent cardboard ...