What can I do about (dangerous) overdue maintenance on my home?

Questioner

In our rental house (private sector), lead pipes from 1929 run to the tap in the kitchen. We had this water tested and it showed that the amount of lead in the water was 120 micrograms per liter; for health reasons, this water may only contain 5 to 10 micrograms per liter. We have been drinking this water since the start of the contract and have also used it to prepare food for our 11-week-old baby, which means that we have been getting far too high a concentration of lead for 7 months. We have now made a proposal to have the pipes replaced by the landlord or to reduce our rent by 50% for the remainder of our contract and to be released from this contract. The landlord has indicated that he does not agree to the rent reduction but has called in the plumber to replace the pipes. This will mean that we will be living with our 11 week old baby in a noisy, dusty and much overdue renovation where we will not be able to use the shower, toilet or tap water. We believe that the landlord has had a very long time to replace these pipes and that it is also their responsibility to investigate whether the facilities they are offering (for an antisocial price) are safe to use before offering the tenant a lease. After reading and thinking a lot about the situation and what the ''law'' could actually mean for us, we think we have no other option than to leave the house and let mother and baby move back in with her parents and father to upholster a sofa at friends' house. Can we still; - Continue living here and demand a rent reduction - Have the landlord carry out the renovation AFTER our contract expires - Get a portion of the rent back based on unliveability and endangering us and our child

Lawyer

Undeniably, old lead piping is very dangerous to health and if standards are exceeded, the defect in the rented property is a fact that can lead to a 60% reduction in rent ,retroactively six months after the date of notice of default. Of course you can also agree that work will only take place after you leave the building, but then also include damage! In any case, those six months and clean drinking water that you have to purchase from now on. I think that some legal assistance can make a difference here, for more information you can contact me at info@rechtinjestad.nl .