Can I get a discount on the rent?

Move to a better house and better landlord. As professional landlords we would never treat you like this. We would have offered some compensation for sure or alternative accommodation. I have even sent a tenant on a paid holiday before whilst I sort out the problem.

You are paying 6 months upfront, you are in a good position to make a deal with another landlord. Just go.

Top tip: Just as landlords get references from tenants you can do the same. Ask questions, how many properties do they own? Are they held in a company? How long have they been doing it? etc.

Reply to the comment left by "Les Charneca" at "23/01/2015 - 11:22":

Is there any particular reason why a tenant should ask if the properties are held in a company ie. is that a good thing for a bad tenant for the tenant to hear?

Reply to the comment left by "Yvette Newbury " at "23/01/2015 - 18:00":

It is just that if it is in a limited company you can easily pull the accounts and see how long they have been trading, look at the balance sheet etc. For example my company was set up in 1998 and has a balance sheet value of over £1m and a great credit rating. If I was Karen's landlord I would be in a position to fix the problem quickly, find alternative accommodation etc. It does not mean that if you have it your own name you can't but from a research point of view it is easier to access Limited Companies.

Hi Karen, from what you describe it sounds to me that the landlord is trying to resolve the problem. It is often a process of elimination before the cause can be confirmed and a solution can be put into effect. You have not explained why it is so cold, is there no heating? In answer to your question and in the light of the circumstances explained, I don't think it would be unreasonable to talk to the landlord and explain that you are reluctant to sign up for another six month period and pay the same rent if the problem has not been resolved. However, he may call your bluff and so unless you are in an area with lots of available rentals, be careful. But don't let this stop you raising the issue in a diplomatic but firm way.

Karen,
Have you considered a dehumidifier? The amount of difference these things make is amazing.
Ask your landlord to provide you with one and for him to discount the rent by say £1 per day to offset the running costs. If you turn it on in the morning after you get up then you won't be disturbed by the fan at night. They also warm up the room.

They are not the perfect solution, but many older houses were not designed for modern lifestyles. Double glazing means no drafts to dry walls out, and central heating leads to warm air touching cold walls, exacerbating problems that would have gone unnoticed when many houses were first built.
I bought an EcoAir ECO DD322FW from Amazon at £160 and it works a treat.

is the room is heated and ventilated (yes, even in cold weather) ? If you are not using the heating and keeping the windows closed (possibly to save money) then the problem is down to you. if not, then it seems the landlord is trying to help.

Yes the room is heated but it holds no heat i can have the central heating on the rest of the flat is lovely and warm but open the bedroom door and its like opening the front door the only time the bedroom warms up a little is when the bedroom door is left open and i'm cooking i.e the oven is on. i use all the fans that are provided in the flat and windows are opened daily.I've put pots of salt in the bedroom within days there soaking wet. the whole bedroom is damp and cold the outside walls in the bedroom blister and i'm forever washing the mold away with bleach.It has been confirmed it is rising damp my question in the first place was would it be unreasonable to ask for a discount on the rent as basically i'v paid 6,000 for 6 months for a studio flat as i cannot sleep in the bedroom .Also i have never said my landlord wasn't trying to sort it out after all it is his property so in his best interest to do so if it wasn't me reporting it it would be the next tenant.I didn't come on here to slag the landlord off and say whos fault it is and i certainly don't leave windows closed to save money thanks for your comments

Karen,
Yes you can ASK for discount, and if the landlord wants to keep you as a tenant then he may well agree.
Your ultimate sanction against the landlord could be to move out, but most landlords want to work with their tenants as it costs us a lot of money to change tenants, so they ought to accommodate you to some extent.
Please ask him to provide the dehumidifier I suggested in an earlier post. It might provide a remedy to the damp problem and it would be easy to argue a discount based on the running costs of the dehumidifier. They can be very effective.

I think i will ask for a dehumidifier as i just want the problem sorted out as no matter how much discounted rent i may get it still leaves me in a cold damp bedroom when the the rest of the flat is so up to standard

As it dries the air in the room, the air will 'suck' the moisture out of the walls at a surprising rate. You may have to empty the reservoir a couple of times a day at first. It may take a couple of weeks before you really notice the walls becoming drier, but your bedding and furnishings will see an improvement very quickly.