Sheffield resident describes renting as 'rolling the dice' due to persistent trouble with landlords
“There’s no standard, no consistency”
A private renter in Sheffield has backed a councillor’s campaign for greater scrutiny of landlords after feeling repeatedly left in the dark when his home flooded.
Winko Myint reached out to The Star after feeling like he has been left in limbo due to the ongoing issues in a property he moved into less than a year ago.
The 24-year-old said that a poorly applied showerhead led to leaking in the walls, which has caused flooding across his home.
“It caused an internal wall leak in the property which caused the floorboards in the living room to swell up,” he added.
“I think it’s happened before as well because when I moved into the property in December the floorboards were lose - I think that was water damage.”
Pictures show how floorboards have been taped down as water seeps through the seems.
Despite the ongoing issue, Winko - who lives in the city centre - says that his landlord was slow to respond and did not offer any clarity over what works would be done or when, with a temporary fix now in place.
He went on to say: “There was a lot of uncertainty from myself over who was going to pay for the repairs and they weren’t being very clear about it.
“I have been told they need to do some long-term repairs but I don’t know what that is or if I’ll have to move house.”
Having rented in Sheffield for years now, Winko says the conditions of properties varies wildly.
He voiced his support for Crookes and Crosspool councillor Minesh Parekh’s landlord licencing proposals, which would see the council issue licences to anyone wishing to rent out their properties and ensure that each house was up to standard.
“I think it would bring a bit more consistency with the quality of housing in Sheffield,” Winko explained.
“I have now been in around five or six properties and the quality of things really varies.
“In one place I had rubbish and rats on the doorstep - then I moved to a house that was a lot better.
“There was no standard, no consistency.”
He is currently looking to move once again after the current flooding issue, but added: “I’m a bit apprehensive because every time I look around I feel like I’m rolling dice and might end up with something really bad.”