I'm sure I saw it on here but can't find it. My partner had a letter from Welcome Finance (MKDP) saying she owed over £4,0000. It was statute barred which, with the help of the Ombudsman, they eventually agreed. However, we just saw that the 'debt' appears on her Experian credit score! Is this legal? We've just emailed the Ombudsman again to ask advice on how to get this b/s off of her credit score.

Thanks. 1. Periodic 2. Yes we have an inventory 3. No Notice 13, she put the rent up last year just by word of mouth too and did not give us any new agreement

Thanks. First up, she's emailed us three times since I last posted, I asked Council about harassment and they said if they got involved she'd probably kick us out. Great help! As for the rent, it's not a gradual increase, from £625 to £750 in one jump is hardly gradual.. If she were to put the rent up, do we have to agree/does she have to give us a new contract?

I posted about this here before and have kept the same thread title in case you're interested. Ok, short story is we mentioned to our Landlady last year that we'll need to move as the rent is high; since then she's been what I would call pressuring us into getting out - she gave us references the day after we'd talked, emails me regularly dropping hints. Here's the one I got today: Is this LEGAL???? Hi Just wondering whether you had a chance to talk to Claire about your future plans? My understanding from previous conversations we have had is as follows: Claire would like to move nearer to work Claire's daughter is 18 in August, which has a financial implication You both feel the rent is too high From what you have said, I am concerned that come August you might be struggling to pay the rent, which will be a stressful situation all round. If you need to find a cheaper place it would be better to do it sooner rather than later, as rents are going up across the board. You can look on rightmove and gumtree and I guess other places to see what you could get for less than £650, perhaps nearer to Claire’s workplace. I am happy to pop over and have a chat about it, if that would help. I am free all day tomorrow, if that would be any good for you? Kind regards Helen

Thanks for the replies everyone, much appreciated. @mariner51, Are you saying that if she increases the rent again we can contest?

We've lived in this private rented house for almost 4 years now without any issues whatsoever, we look after it and have only ever had cause to contact our landlady - when the shower sprung a leak. When we moved in the rent was £625, it's crept up to £650 and when she told us a couple of months ago that she wants to put it up to £700 a month I told her we'd need to move (I didn't give notice, just an off the cuff comment)...she came around the next day with a reference!!!! Since then, she contacts me perhaps once a month to 'say hello' and always ends her text/email/unscheduled visit with a note asking if we've found anywhere yet. We feel pressured to move out and can't believe this is legal?????????????

So she can do that, that's disgusting. So many Landlords (they're all tight) will make up stories to keep some/all of the deposit.

Cheers everyone, great answers. @SabreSheep : Couldn't agree more. I'm guessing she plans to hike the rent up big time for the next tenants @sequenci : Yes it is in the deposit scheme, does that mean she's trying to take the ...? @ashmak : Great idea, will do that thank you

Our Landlady has constantly dropped hints that this 3 bedroom house should be for a family not a couple so my Mrs and I are looking for somewhere else (daughter left home). Talking to Landlady yesterday she said she'd give us back the deposit 10 days after we leave. She's a tight bitch so I don't trust her. 1. Is that even legal? 2. Whose to say she wont just walk around the house making up stories to diddle us out of our deposit money?

I just got a bill from 'STUDIO' which is a kind of catalogue. It states my balance is £330 odd + 23/01/2014 Default Sum £12 + 23/01/2014 Service charge £16.22 I can only think 'Service charge' is an excuse to add more. Is this legal? What shall I do? £28.22 extra for paying late is a bit much isn't it?

I was on ESA but the DWP have stopped it as my Mrs works, I now get a grand total of £0 from the DWP. I owe Freemans catalogue about £500 and have no way of paying them. Any advice please?

UPDATE: I didn't go to the Medical as all of this made my depression severe; I was talked down from jumping off a local bridge but am starting to make a comeback. Today I got a letter saying I didn't turn up for my medical (why should I, they pay me nothing) and now want to know why or they'll stop my NI. It's all a [problem] to cut down the numbers on the sick; they'll leave us penniless or thieving then wonder why the UK is a crime centre. So what if they stop my NI? What does that effect? Do I need to pay it myself? They see me as nothing, a piece of sh?T so why should I bow down to them and let then rule my life and mood this way? Westcountry TV phoned to interview me, I need to phone them back..

As far as I can know my PC is up to date, it is Windows 8 and updates itself automatically. The game is Elder Scrolls vs Skyrim. STEAM have no care for DSR so it looks like I've been ripped off. Never again

I bought a game from 'Steam' so have no disc. Before I bought the game I checked the minimum spec and my PC is more than powerful enough so I went ahead and bought it. After installation I tried to play the game and it is twitchy as hell and has no sound. I told them about this but they didn't seem to care; I asked for a refund and they said they don't do refunds; this item is not fit for the purpose I purchased it for..any advice please? Ripped off £20 by Steam.

I don't see why I SHOULD attend their farce medical or go to some b/s back to work/work for nothing scheme when all I get from them is my NI; if they want to treat me like a nobody then why SHOULD I bow down to them? As they're paying me £0 could I just pay my own NI (how) and tell them to fk off; if I did that would they stop my DLA (PIP which they will end in October anyway), Housing Benefit, Child Tax Credits and Working Tax Credit that Claire gets?

So what happens about the Medical? What I mean is, why are they getting me to even do it when they've already stopped my money = £0, DLA is now PIP (£21 a week) and will end in October leaving me penniless. Why should I do what those little Hitlers say? I guess they'd just stop our Child Tax/Working Tax/Housing Benefit/Council Tax benefit (if we get any)? If all they hold on me now is NI I'd rather break free from them and pay my own somehow because right now I feel worthless, my depression has got really really bad and I am thinking more and more about hanging myself or cutting the rope when I climb next; that's a lot easier than being a worthless, invisible piece of sh?t cuz that's how they've made me feel.

Thanks Margaret, I was on ESA (Contribution based apparently) and had to go to a couple interviews before they left me broke. Seeing as they've stiffed me and left me with £0 I feel like opting out of their NI that way they got the finger, they've left me to starve and suffer so why should I do anything for them? All they care about is I count as 1 less on the Dole/Sick; perhps I could change my surname and yell 'Racist'.. It wasn't Housing Benefit who told me I'm entitled to nothing, THAT was DWP. I'll have a look at that form but to be honest I am trying to find legal advice..what happened to "The Law says you're entitled to.."?

Stop The Press! Now I Have To Do Medical To Get My NI ! I got a letter this morning telling me to go to that notorious Otos healthcare; I phoned them asking why should I, after I now get £0 from the DWP; they said it's so I still get my NI paid; is that even legal? This is starting to feel like a personal vendetta now!

Before I answer: DWP just phoned back, the woman had a real attitude but basically told me I wouldn't get JSA either cuz of Claire's wages so ALL I'll get is my DLA - if I didn't get that (which ends in October) I'd be penniless. This is going to cause a lot of relationships to end and major poverty, how am I supposed to live on £0? Ok, answers: I think College would be classed as full time as she'll go there 3 days a week + 1 day placement. Claire's gross pay is usually £760/month, this month she had some sick time so it was £745.83 gross, £718.41 Net. She earns £6.19 an hour.

PleaSe Help - DWP says I can't claim for being sick any more. Well, in so many words anyway, grab a cuppa here's the low down: I live with my partner Claire who works 30 hours a week; she has a 15 year old daughter who will be going to College in September so they'll be stopping the Child Benefit too. Anyway: Claire gets: Wages - £760 a month (£9,186 a year) for working 30 Hours a week Tax Credits - £310 a month Child Benefit - £81 a month (will end in September when her daughter goes College) Council Tax Benefit - £0 Housing Benefit - £72.34 a week (Obviously the Council Tax and Housing Benefits are for us both not just Claire). I WAS getting ESA Contribution Based (apparently) - £108.05 a week DLA (now 'PIP' which will end in October) - £20.55 a week Okay, here's the news: The Council phoned me yesterday saying they're reassessing our Housing Benefit claim because 'your ESA ends on 16th March' (thanks DWP for not telling me) so I just phoned them and they said you can only be on ESA for a year and my year was up so here's my options: Income Related ESA Support Group - They said I can't join this as it's for severely disabled/dying people JSA (£71 a week and you have to look for work) DWP told me I'd get £0 for option1 as Claire works (what if she cuts it to 16hours a week???), option2 they said doesn't apply to me as have Clinical Depression and an Upper Thoracic Injury, so I'm left only with option3 - JSA IE You're not allowed to be Sick So what do I do? I've had it! I could just move out and hopefully me and Claire would be better off. I could just hang myself from a tree outside DWP the next time I get down. I could claim JSA and have to look for jobs even though I have Clinical Depression and a spinal neck injury. ...DWP going to phone me tomorrow about me trying for a Income Related ESA claim even though they already told me I'll get £0... ANY advice/intervention gratefully received. Be Warned: DWP didn't tell me they were even stopping my money, the Council told me. There's no way I'll get a claim (for what exactly??) by the 16th March so we'll probably lose our home anyway (we pay a private landlady)..so deeply in the sht.

Sorry I didn't reply earlier, I don't get notifications from this Forum even though I switched them on. Anyway, Virgin said they will auto renew unless I say otherwise. As for 'Buy A Calendar', yeah productive comment but why should I have to remember when my contract ends, I'd have thought it would be at least a courtesy to let us know it's ending and have us sign up for it again..especially when you consider there's no real way out of a contract until it is coming to the end.

Thanks guys, appreciate the tips. As it goes I messed up, our contract doesn't end until May so we have time to cancel it and find a decent provider. Interesting to note though that Virgin Media don't give any warning your contract is ending, no mention on the bill, nothing and I'm not sure they just renew it for 30days if you forget; I think it's more like 12months.

I bought this Monitor http://www.ebuyer.com/387133-samsung-s24b300hl-led-lcd-23-6-hdmi-monitor-ls24b300hl-en for £125 from EBuyer (plus £10 next day delivery) and it is not fit for use; it has what they call 'Magic Tilt' - an inbuilt feature that supposedly mimicks the tilt function of a Monitor (yknow, when you push your screen back at the top for a better angle), thing is it is absolute crap. In reality all it does is shade the bottom with a bit of white, it looks nothing like tilted no way, just normal with white at the bottom. I've 'ENoted' Ebuyer (funny how support is so slow once they've had your money) for a full refund; what's my chances because if I wont get my money back I'd rather have the pleasure of smashing it up??

Apparently you have to tell Virgin Media if you DON'T want your Contract to continue after it's ended! I've heard that you have to phone THEM three weeks before the end of your contract to say that you don't want to renew it? That's not legal is it? We want to leave them but I'm pretty sure we've left it too late to phone them and say that we don't want to renew our contract so now we're stuck with it for another 12/18 months. Surely they should phone and ask if we want to renew or at least warn you that the three weeks period is coming up????????

Yikes, I'm a bit lost with all the legal chat but thanks for helping me out people, I've emailed Amazon and look forward to updating my progress here. If only the retailers were more honest and treated us consumers fairly we would probably not5 even have this great forum!