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Couldn't live in property but Landlord taking me to court 2 years later help needed!


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Hi everyone. I have joined this website as I am in need of some advice and help.

 

Basically in 2013 I was attending a university in Buxton.

I arranged to live in a property in Sept 2013 with a friend (a 2 bed flat) through a local Buxton estate agent.

As student properties went fast we arranged the details in May of 2013 as we did not want to be left stranded last min.

 

Basically I signed the contract I was given by the estate agent with my friend and gave the estate agent a bond registered deposit of 200 pound and a guarantor form my mother signed. however when I fine combed the tenancy and I got home I realised it was a standard contract and spoke about not including bills etc,

 

I felt a bit stupid as I had read the first two pages and it seemed fine and it was ony on the last pages I noticed the errors when I got home. I contacted the estate agent who said that they had by accident been issued and were the wrong contracts and we needed to sign a new guarantor and new tenancy form for student properties.

 

However 3 weeks later in June 2013 my university stated they would not run my unuversity course anymore as there had not been enough students sign up for it, but they would notify ucas and student finance so we could transfer to another uni and withdraw

 

I therefore wrote to the estate agent and dropped a letter by hand to the estate agent and emailed them in June 2013 and explained to them the situation and provided them evidence of this.

All they said was they could emphasise with my situation but could not release me from the contract and they would try and replace me if I gave my permission.

 

Considering that it was 3 months before the move in date I assumed they would find someone else before the tenancy start date or during it and I told the landlord to keep my deposit as I would not be able to honour the contract due to the unforeseeable circumstances.

 

I never picked up the keys for the house and about 6 months later in 2014 recieved a letter from the estate agent saying I owed them money. I spoke to my mother about it and she said to ignore it, so I did.

Anyway after that I had a letter from a law firm saying I owed the money again and again I ignored it.

 

Them after feb 2014 I heard nothing and so assumed they found a replacement housemate.

Today I've recieved a notice not from the estate agent and not from the law firm but the landlord a woman in Bristol wanting 4 thousand pound which she claims is the year amount of rent and she has issued this in the small claims court.

 

It says I have 14 days to respond?

 

The address is my mothers Who she has written to who was the guarantor and not my own.

And also in the top right hand corner my names surname is spelt wrong but in the defence it is spelt right.

My belief is that as my mother didn't sign a second guarantor form that the first contract was legally void and any guarantor form correlating to it? I spoke to my friend and he says the estate agent never showed anyone around which suggests thy never bothered o try and get a replacement so how can this be my fault?

 

The landlord says in her defence I only gave the estate agent a few weeks notice and so they couldn't find a replacemt but this isn't true. She then just says I wrote to him 3 times. 3 times in a 2 year period is acceptable?

 

I feel that the unforeseeable circumstances werent my fault. I notified the landlord as soon as I can and I don't know what I could have done. I can't afford to pay 4k as I have only just graduated from the other university I transferred too and I have no source of income..what can I do and am I stuffed?

Edited by honeybee13
Paras.
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Can you please let us know the date of issue of the claim - top right hand corner of the claim form.

 

Also can you let us know exactly what it says on the Particulars of Claim.. eg, the reason the Landlord is issuing the claim.

 

Site team have been alerted by Reallymadwoman, so once you have provided this information, we can then know how best to help you.

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Another question - did you sign the new tenancy contract and guarantor paperwork ?

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Thansn citizen b and site team. I am a newly graduate student and I can't afford this debt.

I forgot to mention that I did offer the estate agent for me to pay 50 pound until the debt was paid off, they refused this.

At the time I kept track for 4 months of if they were advertising the place as they said they would and they were not which I found evidence of on their website and by covertly emailing them. I was disappointed about this but decided until they took it further I wouldn't mention it

 

Hi I signed the new tenancy yes (the student one) which they said was correct for student properties. However my guarantor did not sign the new guarantor form issued.

I also have been through my emails as this dates back to 2013 and seen that I kept a copy of the original wrong issue tenancy for normal rentals they issued by mistake.

 

Hi it says on the form the landlord paid 180 court fee and did it online.date of issue States 19th may 2015. As for reason she's kept it short and sweet the landlord.

The landlord says that she has suffered a loss on the property as neither her or her agents (the estate agents) could find a replacement for the house as I only gave a few weeks notice which was not sufficient to find a replacement tenant and so she wants the total rent for this year and also interest from 2013-2015. (Even though my tenancy ending in June 2014.)

She says that she wrote to me and never got a response this is forced to file in court.

 

I apologise about the multiple posts but am using a tablet as bad luck for me but I've recieved this courr notice plus my computers motherboard broke and I can't afford to fix it and then my phone stop worked :( so am left using a cheap tablet. :( my luck isnt good.

Ps: I have proof of all email correspondence thanks to hotmail!

 

I'd just like to say really she already had another tenant who still kept to his part of the contract so for this landlord to ask me for full rent and not deduct my Deposit which she kept from the cost isn't tbis a bill overzealous ..really I should be paying back f anything just base costs (rent alone?) Also I know I signed the contract but my guarantor didn't ? Isn't this making the guarantor void?

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I'm a landlord and have had a tenant leave our property 6 months into a 12 month contract.

We were told that we would have to be able to show that we had mitigated our losses as far as possible, ie by seeking to find replacement tenants.

I suspect your mistake was to ignore communication from the agent/landlord. It may have been possible for you to surrender tenancy by mutual agreement and payment by you of a fixed amount.

It certainly doesn't sound reasonable that you are being perused for the full amount of rent, if, as you say, part of the rent was actually paid by another tenant.

Can I ask, was your deposit a holding deposit to the agent? Or was it a tenancy deposit for damage etc?

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I'm a landlord and have had a tenant leave our property 6 months into a 12 month contract.

We were told that we would have to be able to show that we had mitigated our losses as far as possible, ie by seeking to find replacement tenants.

I suspect your mistake was to ignore communication from the agent/landlord. It may have been possible for you to surrender tenancy by mutual agreement and payment by you of a fixed amount.

It certainly doesn't sound reasonable that you are being perused for the full amount of rent, if, as you say, part of the rent was actually paid by another tenant.

Can I ask, was your deposit a holding deposit to the agent? Or was it a tenancy deposit for damage etc?

 

 

 

Hi well I checked the correspondance fully now and it shows that to the first estate agent letter I offered 50 pound payment a month until the debt was paid off. This was refused. I then had a letter from the landlord which I ignored and then I had a letter from a law firm of which I replied also to and offered 50 pound a month this was rejected. The deposit was meant to be protected and for damages with a protection authority

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So was the deposit protected, and were you issued the prescribed information, telling you how it would be held, how it would be returned and how any disputes would be resolved (regarding the deposit)?

Because if either of those things weren't done, you are actually able to sue your landlord for up to 3 times the amount of the deposit - which means you have a counterclaim against her.

 

Can I suggest that you seek advice from a specialist lettings forum - (Reference removed - SS) actually has solicitors specialising in tenancy law among its members. (Apologies to moderators here if posting info about other forums is not allowed - please feel free to remove my post).

 

The law favours tenants over landlords, so you stand a good chance of defending your case successfully, especially if you can prove wrong doing by your landlord. Deposits HAVE to be protected in one of the 3 recognised schemes, and prescribed information issued to the tenant within 30 days. If you search "protecting tenant deposits", you will see what should have happened when you paid a deposit.

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Link to other website removed.

 

We have some very experienced caggers here that should be able to help :)

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The SabreSheep, All information is offered on good faith and based on mine and others experiences. I am not a qualified legal professional and you should always seek legal advice if you are unsure of your position.

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Honorsmum thanks for that advice but I would like to remain loyal to cag.

As an update I've been searching my email and found the original tenancy that was wrong. It was a 'residential' contract and not a 'student property contract.'

I've noticed that my name is spelt wrong on it again by one letter on my surname again just as per the small claims court I've recieved . I've heard mixed things about if that can get as case struck out but am assuming not.

Interestingly I couldn't find a date of signature of the contract on there just a templated generic date of 2012 on the contract which seems to show that they don't bother to change tenancies.

On top of that it says the landlord signed tenancy but it was a generic signature. And the witness of the signature was another estate agent ..is that not a bias witness?

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Righto, well your timeline is...

 

Date of issue - 19.05.2015 + 5 days for service = 23.05.2015 + 14 days to acknowledge the claim = 06.06.2015 + 14 days to submit a defence = 20.06.2015

 

So, if you are planning on defending, you need to log on to the MCOL gateway, using the password and claim reference number on the claim form and follow the instructions. You will need a pen and paper because you will be given a new password in order to access your claim. You need to acknowledge that you have received the claim and that you are intending to defend. This will give you the full time up to the 20th June to submit a defence - you might need to make contact with the solicitor in order to obtain information, but those with more experience in this area will tell you what you need to do next.

 

If you don't acknowledge the claim, they will obtain a Judgment by default.

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Advice & opinions given by citizenb are personal, are not endorsed by Consumer Action Group or Bank Action Group, and are offered informally, without prejudice & without liability. Your decisions and actions are your own, and should you be in any doubt, you are advised to seek the opinion of a qualified professional.

PLEASE DO NOT ASK ME TO GIVE ADVICE BY PM - IF YOU PROVIDE A LINK TO YOUR THREAD THEN I WILL BE HAPPY TO OFFER ADVICE THERE:D

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I suspect the information you might need to request, would be proof that the agency/Landlord made every effort to relet the property.

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5: Forum rules - These have been updated - Please Read

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1: How can BCOBS protect you from your Banks unfair treatment

2: Does your Bank play fair - You can force your Bank to play Fair with you

3: Banking Conduct of Business Regulations - The Hidden Rules

4: BCOBS and Unfair Treatment - Common Examples of Banks Behaving Badly

5: Fair Treatment for Credit Card Holders and Borrowers - COBS

Advice & opinions given by citizenb are personal, are not endorsed by Consumer Action Group or Bank Action Group, and are offered informally, without prejudice & without liability. Your decisions and actions are your own, and should you be in any doubt, you are advised to seek the opinion of a qualified professional.

PLEASE DO NOT ASK ME TO GIVE ADVICE BY PM - IF YOU PROVIDE A LINK TO YOUR THREAD THEN I WILL BE HAPPY TO OFFER ADVICE THERE:D

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Deposit protection.com is the DPS.

Were you given any more info about the deposit than that? Look through the tenancy agreement again and see whether it contains info of how your deposit will be returned to you, what happens in the case of dispute etc - if you were not given this info within 30 days of paying the deposit, you have a counterclaim against your landlord.

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A few questions:

  • can you post up a copy of the tenancy agreements and the guarantee, with personal information removed? It would help enormously to give you a bit of specific advice. There are instructions on how to do that floating around CAG.
  • what do you mean 'in the defence it is spelt right'? Has a defence already been filed?
  • Who is being sued here - you, your mom or both?

Unfortunately, in the case of liability for rent under a tenancy, there is generally no liability for the landlord to 'mitigate their loss' - and the landlord would be free to sue for the full amount of rent (assuming that the property is not being used). That is certainly the case if you leave a property half way through a tenancy, although I guess you could have a go at saying the landlord did not mitigate their loss in a situation like this where the tenancy never really begun.

 

Unfortunately I don't think you are right to say that the guarantee is void because it wasn't resigned. It depends what is stated on the guarantee. If the guarantee says that it only applies to the first tenancy agreement, you might be able to say it is no longer valid. But most guarantees would be drafted much more broadly than that and would still apply. Attention to the detail of exactly what is written on the guarantee is critical here.

 

Another thing to mention in the defence would be 'frustration' - give it a google search. Again I'm not sure that would apply here but it is certainly worth arguing.

 

While you work on the defence I would also write back to the landlord in the form of a CPR part 18 request (you can find templates on CAG) asking them to confirm (i) whether the property is currently vacant and whether it has been used by the landlord or let to anybody else at any time during the tenancy and (ii) details and evidence as to what efforts have been made by the landlord to mitigate their loss and re-let the property. Do make sure you file your defence BEFORE the deadlines though - asking for information does not buy you any more time.

 

At least, the deposit should be deducted from the rent which is being claimed. There is no such thing as a 'forfeiture' of deposit, the deposit should be applied towards the outstanding rent.

 

The best approach would be to put up as much of a fight as you possibly can, and then try to settle after the defence has gone in.

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Hi everyone thanks for the help . Well the landlord rents out the property on a regular basis so after my tenancy she has rented it out again as that's the deal with student properties.

As for the docs I'll scan theM up what I have , but I didn't leave half way through I let the landlord know 2 and a half months before the move in date that I couldn't move in . I never even collected the keys to the property .

The landlord has given a poc. I thought this was the defence ? So am I right that I should file a acknowledgement of service ? Then in the meanwhile I can write a defence n request docs etc .

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No, the particulars of claim PoC is the claimants side of things - the reason they have issued the claim.

 

You have to submit a defence, giving your side of things - as to why their claim should not be successful.

 

I have attached a CPR18 draft below for you to complete and send to the Landlord or solicitor named on the claim form (this is in respect of steampowered suggestion that you request information) You must ask questions eg..

 

asking them to confirm (i) whether the property is currently vacant and whether it has been used by the landlord or let to anybody else at any time during the tenancy and (ii) details and evidence as to what efforts have been made by the landlord to mitigate their loss and re-let the property

 

 

 

I have attached the draft in both word and pdf format.

 

[ATTACH=CONFIG]57722[/ATTACH]

 

[ATTACH]57723[/ATTACH]

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5: Forum rules - These have been updated - Please Read

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1: How can BCOBS protect you from your Banks unfair treatment

2: Does your Bank play fair - You can force your Bank to play Fair with you

3: Banking Conduct of Business Regulations - The Hidden Rules

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Advice & opinions given by citizenb are personal, are not endorsed by Consumer Action Group or Bank Action Group, and are offered informally, without prejudice & without liability. Your decisions and actions are your own, and should you be in any doubt, you are advised to seek the opinion of a qualified professional.

PLEASE DO NOT ASK ME TO GIVE ADVICE BY PM - IF YOU PROVIDE A LINK TO YOUR THREAD THEN I WILL BE HAPPY TO OFFER ADVICE THERE:D

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You may wish to wait for steampowered to confirm that you are asking the right questions in the CPR

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Uploading documents to CAG ** Instructions **

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2: Take back control of your finances - Debt Diaries

3: Feel Bullied by Creditors or Debt Collectors? Read Here

4: Staying Calm About Debt  Read Here

5: Forum rules - These have been updated - Please Read

BCOBS

1: How can BCOBS protect you from your Banks unfair treatment

2: Does your Bank play fair - You can force your Bank to play Fair with you

3: Banking Conduct of Business Regulations - The Hidden Rules

4: BCOBS and Unfair Treatment - Common Examples of Banks Behaving Badly

5: Fair Treatment for Credit Card Holders and Borrowers - COBS

Advice & opinions given by citizenb are personal, are not endorsed by Consumer Action Group or Bank Action Group, and are offered informally, without prejudice & without liability. Your decisions and actions are your own, and should you be in any doubt, you are advised to seek the opinion of a qualified professional.

PLEASE DO NOT ASK ME TO GIVE ADVICE BY PM - IF YOU PROVIDE A LINK TO YOUR THREAD THEN I WILL BE HAPPY TO OFFER ADVICE THERE:D

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Curtainsplitter, I've only skimmed the various posts. In your position I would get in touch with The Office of the Independent Adjudicator for Higher Education: http://www.oiahe.org.uk/ Your difficulties have been caused by the university and they might have to compensate you. If the OIAHE agrees to deal with your complaint you can ask the county court to stay the proceedings against you in the meantime. I wouldn't have thought that the university has a liability in law but the Adjudicator might see things differently. It would be a good idea though to look at the university's terms and conditions as regards discontinuing courses.If it turns out that the university has a liability in law you should join them as lawyers call it i.e. make them co-defendants. I hope though that you don't have to do that.

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MI already asked the uni if they can help and they said that their t and c states they have the right to change a course at anytime and end it if there isn't enough Students to discontinue it because of the financial balance of things. I asked them if they would speak to the landlord and they said they can only state in writing the course was ended because of a lack of student sign up . I provided the landlord with proof of this and he estate agent in my original letter and all they put was they emphasise but I'm stuck to the contract

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Hi everyone thanks for the help . Well the landlord rents out the property on a regular basis so after my tenancy she has rented it out again as that's the deal with student properties.

The landlord shouldn't be able to claim anything from the period when she started renting the property to someone else. That would be accepting a surrender of the lease. In your request I would ask the date on which the property was first rented to someone else, if you don't know that already.

 

As for the docs I'll scan theM up what I have , but I didn't leave half way through I let the landlord know 2 and a half months before the move in date that I couldn't move in . I never even collected the keys to the property .

The landlord has given a poc. I thought this was the defence ? So am I right that I should file a acknowledgement of service ? Then in the meanwhile I can write a defence n request docs etc .

The POC is what the landlord serves. The defence is what you serve - it is a defence to the claim.

 

Yes, you should serve an acknowledgement to get you a bit more time to defend. Whatever else you do, you must not miss the court deadlines or you'll end up with a default CCJ against you.

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