A DARLINGTON couple are urging their letting agents to make repairs on their home, after making several complaints.

The pair moved into a property on Yarm Road in December and found it in a state of disrepair.

Issues include a problematic front door which can take them up to 20 minutes to unlock, dangerous wiring, loose window panes and a lack of seal on their letter box causing draughts throughout the house.

Having raised the problems with the Your Move lettings agency, they were told repairs could not be carried out until consent was received from their landlord, now living in Australia.

The tenants say they were then left waiting as Your Move struggled to get a response from the landlord.

One tenant, who did not want to be named, said: “There were a number of issues with the house but Your Move said they’d sort them before we moved in.

“We’ve still got some of those problems and keep being told they’re trying to get in touch with the landlord and can’t do anything without his consent.

“We’re paying £600 a month and we’ve been complaining since we moved in.

“It’s really getting us down and we can’t withhold rent because they say they’ll send bailiffs in.”

Bally Pane, head of operations at Your Move Lettings, said some maintenance issues had been quickly resolved.

He added: “Authorisation of issues raised this month has unfortunately been hindered by the recent relocation of the landlord abroad.

“We have, however, now gained, authorisation from his UK representative allowing for some issues to be immediately addressed and for our Lettings Support Centre to continue to work with them to resolve any outstanding issues as a matter of urgency."