TL;DR: Upstairs neighbour renovation discovered a structural damage that affects my privately rented flat. Week-long very disruptive repair pending whilst I have to teach from home with no where else to go or live. How do I negotiate/estimate the inconvenience compensation? Short of hiring a solicitor, what can I do to motivate my landlord to give me rent abatement and inconvenience compensation?
edit: clarified my questions and made the post shorter.
I live in a privately-rented flat in Scotland under the Private Residential Tenancy Agreement. The flat is managed by the letting agency and I've never come into contact with my landlord. However, I've been a model tenant.
The owners of flat directly above mine is doing a big renovation, during which they discovered a structural damage to their floor (my ceiling). Now there will be a big and disruptive repair work done to my flat that will render at least part of my flat unusable for one week.
My workplace is shut completely and I have to work from home. I don't have family that I can stay with in the meantime and all the chaos in the flat means that I will have to board my pet. Also we are still in the middle of a pandemic with daily rising cases and potential second wave. With workers in and out everyday, they will have to use my toilet and touch everything, so I'll have to disinfect everyday.
I read on Shelter Scotland that for disruptive repairs I can ask for rent abatement and/or inconvenience compensation if the repair is affecting your quality of life. But the landlord is NOT obliged to give rent abatement and/or compensation, and pay for other costs such as hiring movers or storage of furniture, cleaning after the repair, or necessary pet boarding.
My landlord hasn't been amenable to any minor repair/upgrades before, so I don't expect to get much compensation/rent abatement from her, if anything at all. What can I do if she refuses or only agrees to a paltry amount? How does one even calculate or justify the amount? Short of getting a solicitor, is there anything else that I can do to motivate my landlord?
Thanks!
