Thank you so much - I emailed them this morning and they phoned me pretty much immediately and agreed to waive the fee - the guy I spoke to was very nice about it all. Thanks again, you've saved my girlfriend's family a big chunk of money that they really couldn't afford right now!

Hello everyone, I'm writing on behalf of my girlfriend's family here. They signed up for Virgin Media 6 months ago, knowing that they would be buying a house soon but referred to Virgin's Home Mover website which makes moving seem a breeze. They were renting, but bought a house 2.5 miles away from their rented one. When they informed Virgin they had moved, Virgin informed them that they (Virgin) were cancelling the contract as they offered no services in the new area, and that my girlfriend's family must pay the full cancellation charge of £240. I did some reading up (on Broadband Choices) and found that Virgin usually offers their standard broadband service on a smaller contract, so they asked if this was possible, Virgin refused and said cancellation was the only option. They didn't feel this was fair and so wrote a letter to their complaints department. A week later they have received no reply, just a bill for £240. Is this fair? Is there anything they can do to argue/fight this? Thanks very much for your help.

We are considering doing this. We're not in a position to do it now, but should have a decent amount of savings come the end of January, so we will probably move out then. I'd just like to get some written legal advice and begin building a case on my own before doing that - I know that in matters like this one slip up could result in a bad judgement for me. Yes, there is an address to serve notices in my tenancy agreement - an address which I have been told by my landlord's agent that I am under no circumstance allowed to visit (even though it is a business address) :S. The only reason I mention that is because the company collects rent ONLY by bankers draft, and we are not allowed to drop it off with them. They let themselves into our room on rent day to collect the draft. So if I deny them access I technically won't be able to pay rent, even though I have BEGGED to be allowed to pay via direct debit. Would this affect my legal standing at all? I would obviously do everything in my power to make sure the rent is paid (I know that the court would look more kindly upon me as a responsible tenant). I have looked into this point, it seems that the law doesn't put a time limit on him putting the money into a protection scheme. So technically, if I took him to court, he could put it into a scheme a day before the court appearance and be clear of any wrongdoing? I have seen this mentioned somewhere a while ago so unfortunately cannot link to it, please correct me if I am wrong. Very very useful reading, thank you for sharing that - quite a conveniently timed article . Thanks so much for everyone's help.

I have been there since the 1st September, the term runs until 2 April 2012, and my deposit was a months rent... quite a big chunk of money .

The agreement states that I have to find a replacement tenant who will sign at least a 6 month term with them, otherwise I lose my deposit. Conveniently biased in their favour...

Hi everyone, Thanks so much for the replies! To answer a few questions, yes, there are multiple tenants in this building. There are 15 flats in this house alone, and the landlord boasted to me the other day (when I called to discuss my grievances) that he has over 700 flats. I will go and see my local housing department ASAP, I really can't let him get away with this. And yes, those terms are all written into the contract. There is even a clause explicitly stating that this agreement is a holiday let rather than an AST, and as such I have far fewer rights. Is there any chance that I may be able to break out of the contract early due to unfair terms in it? I have also done a bit of research and have found that a "holiday let" offers significant tax perks for the landlord as opposed to an AST - starts to make a bit more sense now .

Hi everyone, Thanks for taking the time to read what'll probably be a lengthy post. To sum up my situation, I have some severe issues with my landlord. Unfortunately when I signed the agreement I didn't have much choice - being new to the UK I had no previous work or landlord references and as such could not find anyone willing to let to me. My girlfriend and I have since found work, but are now stuck in a horrible agreement with a horrible landlord, but it was either that or be homeless . The problem I am having with my landlord is that he insists that my agreement is not an AST but rather a "holiday let" and as such, I have far fewer rights than an AST would grant me. I have called the Shelter helpline who informed me that it doesn't matter what my agreement SAYS it is, it matters what the actual circumstances are, and judging by my circumstances I have an AST. The factors that lead them to suggest this are: I was told that I HAD to take a minimum 7 month term, and that I have the option to renew it at the end of this term. I pay a set monthly rent to the landlord. My landlord does not share accommodation with me. My landlord was aware of the fact that I am not here on holiday at the time of the agreement being signed. Unfortunately, my landlord insists that I have a "holiday let". As such, he claims certain rights, such as: The ability for him or his agents to enter my property without my permission, any time between 8AM - 7PM, whether I am present or not. The fact that he does not have to put my deposit in a deposit protection scheme. The fact that he can evict me with barely any notice (2 weeks) for no reason, without a court order. The fact that he is allowed to change the day rent is paid as he sees fit. The fact that, during the last 4 weeks of our tenancy, he or his agents are allowed to show people around our flat without notice or permission. In fact, if my flat is not "tidy", he will charge me a fine of 1 week's rent. I think some of these are clearly unfair. I have tried to call my local CAB to get someone to read over my tenancy agreement, with no luck - I can never get through and as such have emailed and I am waiting for a reply. A guy claiming to be "building maintenance" tried to let himself in the other day as my girlfriend got out of the shower! Along with that, a burglary occurred where someone else in our building had several items stolen, and the burglar had a key to their room! When I voiced my concerns regarding security issues, my landlord informed me that "unless it was my flat that was broken into" it was "none of my business". I am really afraid to live in this building, and I would really love to get some solid legal advice concerning this landlord. I feel that as this company targets newcomers to the UK, they rely on the fact that we will be helpless and confused as to our rights, and so they can take us for a complete ride! For anyone who is curious, we live in North West London (Borough of Brent). Any help, advice, or comforting words would be greatly appreciated. Thank you so much for your time.