The Letting Centre

Hi All,
New to these forums, but I thought this would be a good place to look for answers...

Myself and my partner have just returned from a lovely week long holiday to find that while we were away there had been a leak in our wardrobe.  The layout of the flat is such that the hot water tank sits right above the only wardrobe.  While we were away there must have been a steady dripping of water right on to all of our coats and suits.  It also had run down into a large bag of laundry in the bottom of the wardrobe.  All the coats and clothes have sprouted a spectacularly thick layer of mould and growth.  Several of these items were designer brands and/or dry clean only.  I counted up the value of all the water damaged items and the total came to over £1000.
The plumber who came to fix the leak showed me that the problem was caused by a severely corroded inlet valve and the fact that the overflow pipe was not connected to ANYTHING!  It was just left as an open pipe in the middle of the wardrobe!  :o
I seems to me that it is our landlord's fault as the water heater was at fault.  Would we be able to pass any part of the replacement/cleaning costs on to them and how should we do this?  Is it reasonable to pass a bill on or to withhold rent until the balance is paid?
Hope someone can help...
and thanks in advance for your advice!
Robin