Hope this is in the right place. If not, Admin please move. My son and his girlfriend moved into their first flat 4 months ago. They have been very happy there but now the weather is getting colder, they have tried to put the heating on and there's something wrong with the boiler. They have had various conversations with the Letting Agent who sent round their plumber last week who has condemned the boiler, saying it is beyond reasonable repair and requires replacing. The Landlord is refusing to accept this and won't authorise the repairs. The letting agent say their hands are tied until they can get an agreement out of the Landlord. Meanwhile the flat is getting increasingly damp and is freezing cold. They have tried to get hold of the CAB and the local council but to no avail. I've told them to continue to pay their rent but that I would see if I could get them any advice on what they can do. Any ideas?

Hi, I and my partner rented a property from april 2015 to may 2016 from a private landlord and moved out after a dispute with the landlord who would not carry out any repairs (a lot needed!) at the end of the tenancy. I then moved into a rented property from a social housing provider in May 2016 (my partner and I went our separate ways). Last month I received a notification from the local council that I owed council tax for the previous property up until August 2016. I rang the council and explained when i had moved out of the property and sent them my tenancy agreement for my current address dated May 2016, I was never provided with a tenancy agreement for the previous address. A week down the line and i was then contacted again by the council who told me that the landlord had provided them with a tenancy agreement signed by both Myself and my ex for years 2015-2016 and 2016-2017, they also stated that the property was let fully furnished (it wasn't). I asked for these by freedom of information request and have received them this morning. The documents provided are two identical tenancy agreements with both mine and my ex partners signatures very obviously forged onto them, they are not even good forgeries and the signatures are completely different even on each document. I have spoken to the council who have put the case on hold until November 6th so i can try and get some advice but they are basically saying it is his word against mine and it is quite possible that i was living at both properties at the same time! I have no idea where to even start with this, it makes no sense that they are chasing up council tax from may to august 2016 when he has forged the tenancy till may 2017, i can only assume that from me moving out till him carrying out repairs and getting a new tenant took till august so he has told them i was still there so he would get me to pay it. Can anyone offer any advice? its not difficult to prove the signatures are forgeries as they are shockingly bad but the council are not interested in that for some reason.

Can anyone advise me please, I'm a landlord and have had a tenant living in my property for over 6 years, only a small deposit given and I didn't put into a protected thing, I now need to get the property back and the tenant says I need to evict them as they want a council property, what can I do?

Hello, I have been renting an apartment for the past year with a previous friend. We each paid a £500 deposit to cover a month's worth of rent (£1000 in total) . Long story short, my flatmate failed to make two of her rent payments so the landlord is trying to claim back the whole deposit to cover each of the £500 she failed to give him. We are on a joint tenancy so I understand the landlord has the right to do this as technically we were both liable for the rent even though I paid all of my 'half', however the question I have is do I have any chance of seeing my £500 again? The deposit is currently in the deposit protection scheme where my landlord has requested the full amount back. Should I go into a dispute even though I know I would probably loose? The only small thing I have on my side is that my landlord was not a very good one and we had issues with the flat when we moved in that were never resolved even though I emailed him several times that I have records of (the shower leaked so badly it caused a damp patch on the ceiling of the apartment below, the drains smelled of sewage, the blinds in the bathroom were mouldy). Would this give me any leg to stand on in claiming a bit of the money back or is this not worthy to get some of the deposit back? In terms of my flatmate we are no longer in contact however I have messaged her several times asking her to pay at least one month of the rent so I could get my deposit back at least, to no avail. She already has a lot of debt against her name (unpaid loans, unpaid phone bills ect.) so is there any chance I could claim my lost £500 from her another way or would going through the courts be a waste of time due to her previous unpaid debts she hasn't repaid. I know I was silly signing a joint tenancy with her but hindsight is a beautiful thing and now I'm just trying to look for a way to resolve it and get a part, if not all of my money back!

I live in Leicestershire and i rent privately from my landlord, i deal with him directly regarding payments and any maintenance requirements. I have an Assured Shorthold Tenancy. My landlord lives in the house behind me and he has a few properties that he rents, he also has a business locally. I moved in less than a year ago in oct 2016. The property has required quite a few repairs so i guess i wont be his favourite tenant, he has always got things attended to however the tradesman/handyman that are sent to do the repairs are not particularly great. Last week the landlord text me by mistake, he thought he was texting his tradesman friend, he referred to me as XXXXXXX in the text. I appear to have slanty eyes and i was called this name when i was bullied at primary school, you can imagine the offence this has caused me, im white and scottish but this must be a feature bullies like to use to ridicule me.. He tried to make out he was not referring to me, yeah right, he was all apologetic by text but that kind of offence cant be undone. The most recent ongoing problem was reported a few months ago. A leak through the ceiling in the kitchen, this was coming from the bathroom above and the shower was the cause. He sent a young guy round to do the repairs, this involved patchwork and replacing some tiles, trying to cut costs, after that the leak still being there , he has returned and replaced all the titles round the bath with non matching ones and left the rest white, he comes and goes and seems to do other jobs when he is here, a lot of my time has been wasted, even after replacing the tiles and the shower door i still have the same leak. You could not make this up. This so called tradesman has really peeved me off due to times when he did not turn up or he was late, he cancelled 2 bookings and was a couple of hours late on another 2 occasions. So earlier this week this same tradesman text me asking when he could come round, i told him thursday morning, i got no reply, so i text him after 3pm on wednesday to say dont come tomorrow as i was fed up with his lack of communication and not knowing what was happening. The landlord has gave me a letter stating he will be here on Monday morning at 8am with a contractor. He will be carrying out the so called emergency repairs. I dont have a problem with him getting the repairs done. The problem is i work 3 x 12 hour night shifts at the weekend, i finish at 6am. I have told him this and i told him not to come but he is telling me he will be here on Monday morning at 8am. I dont see why i should let him in because this really is unsociable hours for me, i need to sleep until about 12 noon. I told him he can come on Tues Wed or Thurs but he is refusing and he is adamant that he is turning up on Monday morning with this contractor. I know he is giving me plenty of notice for his so called emergency repairs but i really dont want anyone here when i am meant to be sleeping after a 12 hour night shift. I also told him i am using the bath instead and there is no leaks. Any advice on what i should do. I contacted the police, they dont deal with this kind of thing, i contacted CAB but i could not speak to anyone who deals with tenancy rights. I spoke to Shelter via the online webchat, i have posted the script below so you can see what they said, it looks like im not in a strong position to do anything as refusing entry might have repercussions. I have decided i want to move out, so keeping the landlord sweet is not my priority. (16:38:02) Visitor- i need to get tenancy advice. (16:38:15) Shelter- Hello, my name is xxx. Thanks for coming through to us. (16:38:17) Shelter- Do you want to briefly explain your situation and I'll see if I can help? (16:40:46) Visitor- Yes thanks. I am being harrassed by my landlord regarding an ongoing repair that has been here 3 months. Now he is calling it an emergency, he has given me a letter saying he will be here on monday morning at 8am with a contractor, i have text him to say i will be in bed as i work sunday night shift so asking if he can come tues or wed or thurs, he said no he will be here on monday morning. what can i do . (16:41:01) Visitor- i am private renting in england (16:41:41) Shelter- I'm sorry to hear about your situation. It must be a very difficult time for you. (16:41:50) Shelter- Do you know the type of tenancy you have please? Someone is likely to have an assured shorthold tenancy if: * their tenancy started on or after 28th February 1997 and, * they pay less than £100,000 a year in rent to a private landlord who doesn’t live anywhere in the same building, and who doesn’t provide them with services (such as someone coming in to do cooking or cleaning). Does this sound like your situation? (16:41:51) Visitor- thanks xxx (16:42:26) Visitor- its an assured shorthold tenancy (16:42:55) Shelter- Thanks for confirming that for me. (16:43:25) Visitor- he is giving my notice but he is calling at unsociable hours due to my shifts (16:43:43) Shelter- Just to clarify, Is it disrepair in the property that is currently being sorted, or is it just improvements to the property? (16:44:39) Visitor- disrepair, the shower leaks water through the kitchen ceieling but i am using the bath to avoid this at the moment (16:45:24) Visitor- I see. (16:46:28) Shelter- Just for the purpose of the web chat today, are you wanting to know if you have the right to stop the landlord coming at that time of day and if there is any chance it can be rearranged? (16:46:53) Visitor- yes thanks that is what i want (16:47:07) Shelter Thanks for confirming that for me as well. (16:47:23) Visitor- i suggested that he comes any other day tues to thurs but he wont do this (16:47:45) Shelter- Is there any mention of the timescales or procedure that the landlord must follow in your tenancy agreement regarding disrepair? (16:48:56) Visitor- 24 hours notice unless its an emergency (16:49:23) Visitor- the notice is ok but the hours he wants to turn up at are unsociable hours for me (16:50:23) Visitor- the repair guy has had many attempts at fixing this including replacing all the tiles but we still have a leak. its been ongoing for 3 months. (16:51:01) Shelter- I see. Normally we would advise to stick to what is written in the agreement because if your refuse entry after the correct notice has been given, the landlord might try to take action against you for breach of tenancy or breach of contract. The difficulty is that assured shorthold tenants have limited rights. For example, they can usually be evicted quite easily (providing the correct legal process is followed), even if they haven't done anything wrong. This is why it's often a good idea to try and keep things as amicable as possible, especially if you want to continue living there. (16:51:40) Shelter- All tenants have the right to live in their accommodation without being disturbed. They have control over their homes so that landlords and other people cannot freely enter whenever they want to. This is known as the ‘right of quiet enjoyment’ and is an implied obligation. This means tenants have this right whether or not it is written into their agreements. (16:52:47) Visitor- I have decided i want to leave, i dont need this grief and so i dont need to contiue living here, i dont want to create problems but at the same time he is being very unreasonable. (16:52:56) Shelter- But the difficulty with this situation though is because there is disrepair that's been reported. You can exclude the landlord from entering the property if he is just wanting to improve the property but it is different when it is regarding disrepair. (16:53:28) Shelter- I agree with you from the information you have given me it does appear that he is being unreasonable. (16:53:46) Visitor- the dispute is him turning up when i am sleeping (16:53:57) Shelter- You could contact your local council for help. Many councils have a dedicated tenancy relations officer (TRO) who can often mediate in disputes between private tenants and landlords. A TRO may help mediate between both parties or help explain a tenant's rights to a landlord, either over the phone or in writing. (16:54:27) Visitor-- i know i can leave the keys in the door and refuse him entry but will that cause more problems? (16:55:31) Visitor- There is not really any time for a third party to get involved, tomorrow is friday and he is coming on monday morning. (16:56:03) Shelter- Possibly it could do. The reason for that is, practically speaking the landlord would have served correct notice to enter and may have had to pay for a contractor to come round at a certain time. If he cannot gain access to sort out the disrepair he might still have to pay the contractor for his time and suffer financial loss. (16:56:26) Visitor- i work 12 hour night shifts, there is no way i can let noisy workmen into my house on monday. (16:56:31) Shelter- This could result in deductions being made from your deposit when you leave or even the landlord starting a money claim against you. (16:57:52) Shelter- I completely understand your situation and I do agree the landlord could be doing a lot more to make this situation more manageable, but it does seem like he is being difficult and that's why you need to know the steps that he could take against you if it comes to the worst case scenario. (16:58:08) Shelter- I can appreciate this is not the news you’d hoped for and I do wish I could have given you better news. (16:58:34) Shelter- Is there anything else I can help with today? (16:59:43) Visitor- If we assume he is being unreasonable and im going to refuse his entry, what is my next step. Do i need to reply to his letter officially. He lives in the house behind me so i can put a letter though his post box. (17:01:21) Shelter- Even if he is being unreasonable, he could still be acting within the correct process set out by the contract. It might be worth putting something in writing to him stating the reasons why you want to rearrange. I would also suggest speaking to your local council's tenancy relation officer if he is not willing to budge. (17:01:49) Shelter- I do wish you all the best of luck with resolving your situation and I hope you’re able to get the outcome you need. (17:02:09) Visitor- ok many thanks for your help xxx (17:02:16) Shelter You're welcome. Take care. (17:02:19) Visitor- am i able to save this chat? these are the texts that i got Conversation with Landlord xxx Note! - On Tuesday night i send my landlord this text to say his tradesman had been in touch. [15/08/2017 9:22 pm] Me: That guy who cant fix the leak has been in touch asking when he can come and replace the bath panel etc. What is he coming to do . I want to be sure his visits are kept to a minimum and my time being further wasted is kept to a minimum. Note! - This text sent to my landlord after the tradesman had not replied to me by 3pm regarding repairs on the following day. [16/08/2017 3:07 pm] Me: I have told him to make arrangements through you. Note! - These are the texts to my landlord following the letter i received from my landlord. [17/08/2017 2:47 pm] Me: I will be just off night shift on monday so its not suitable. Wednesday is ok. [17/08/2017 2:56 pm] Me: The oven is not working properly it does not heat up to correct temp. Food is undercooked. Fan cuts out too. [17/08/2017 2:57 pm] Landlord : Sorry. The repair is now urgent and we need access on Monday. The notice given is more than required by us for emergency repairs. We have made several attempts to arrange the work to suit you but this has not worked as you have cancelled prior arrangements. We will attend the property on Monday. [17/08/2017 3:01 pm] Me: If its urgent then get someone who can fix it first time. How many attempts is needed. I tried to arrange with your contractor but he has not heard of common courtesey and never got back to me. [17/08/2017 3:02 pm] Me: You can't come on monday i will be sleeping. We will use the bath so no more water will leak. [17/08/2017 3:18 pm] Landlord : Sorry xxx. We have to repair leak as arranged. We will still be attending the property on Monday. Work will be done as quickly as possible. As per your contract I have given more than the necessary 24 hours notice to carry out repairs. [17/08/2017 3:21 pm] Me: You are not calling at reasonable time of the day. Tenants rights. I will be sleeping until 12 like a always do i finish at 6am so your request is highly unreasonable. There will be no water dripping. You can come Tuesday if you deem it an emergency. [17/08/2017 3:22 pm] Me: xxx kids are here and the bathroom is needed regularly. They go on Tuesday [17/08/2017 3:27 pm] Me: Its bad enough you called me xxx and so i dont needed further stress or harassment. You can come Tuesday Wednesday Thursday next week as these are reasonable days due to my shirt work. [17/08/2017 3:28 pm] Me: Its taken 3 months so its a bit rich calling it an emergency now. Apply some decency and respect it might work. [17/08/2017 3:31 pm] Landlord : Make other arrangements I will be there Monday. [17/08/2017 3:35 pm] Me: You wont be let in. Why are you bullying us. This is meant to be our home but you dont care about that. [17/08/2017 3:38 pm] Me: Ok your wish is granted. I will find somewhere else to stay. I thought i should do an official reply to his letter, i put it through his letterbox so he will get it tomorrow no doubt. Hopefully i did not do anything wrong. Date - 17/08/2017 Dear Sir/ Madam I am replying to your notice of repair work letter dated 16/08/17. It is highly inappropriate for you to turn up with your contractor on Monday 21 August at 8am. I work 12 hour night shifts at the weekends, these finish at 6am on Monday 21st August. So as you can see these are very unsociable hours for me. To turn up at this time is highly unacceptable and I deem your demands as unreasonable. Therefore I request that the work is carried out on another day next week, between Tuesday 22nd and Thursday 24th inclusive. I have no idea why you did not ask me if this was a suitable time for me but you failed to do so. I already tried to make direct arrangements with your contractor but he made no attempt to get back to me by 3pm the day before I suggested that he could attend i.e. Thursday 17th August. I don't consider this sufficient notice for knowing what I will or will not be doing on that particular day. A slight bit of courtesy would have been nice but I was left wondering is someone coming to my property tomorrow or not. I don't find this suitable. I also consider this repair as non urgent, I can assure you the shower will not be used until the repairs are done and so there is no urgency required in this repair. This repair has been ongoing for a few months, the contractor has been here quite a few times over the recent months. When he is here he comes and goes between jobs. This is wasting my time. I think my time has been wasted enough so far. Given the fact that original complaint of the faulty tap and the water leaking from the shower are still there, I think it can be considered as non urgent. I think it is reasonable to ask you to come on another day when I wont have just got home from a 12 hour night shift. I believe this is a reasonable request and I hope you agree to arrange the bathroom repairs for another day. I would also like to point out that calling me a XXXXXXX in your text was extremely offensive. I don't know what I did to deserve this type of vile name calling but that was what you called me. I don't accept any of your apologies, I don't accept the pink rose bush you gave to my partner. You deeply offended me. This is harassment. I consider your attempts to gain entry into my house, against my wishes as further harassment. To conclude, I think I have suffered enough hassle, stress, unbelievable amount of time wasted and so on. I would appreciate it if you rearrange your repairs for one of the days I suggested. I wont be letting you into the property on Monday 21st august so please do not antagonise me any further. Please do not cause me further hassle. Regards

HI I moved to a private flat-share around a few months ago. The agent at the time didn't want to give me a full tenancy agreement. I wasn't really fussed as i was working and paid my rent on time. Unfortunately I recently lost my job and have been forced to claim esa. The landlord does not usually accept people in full time employment and i have no intention of risking my accommodation . I need proof of address as i am allowed by law to apply for housing benefit and i am under no obligation to tell him i am unemployed anyway, BUT i need proof of tenancy What possible reason can i give him to ask for proof of tenancy? I have also been told by housing benefit that i do not actually need a tenancy agreement just proof of residency etc. SO i assume for housing benefit just a letter stating when i moved in and how much rent i pay and what room i live in etc Can someone offer me some advice? Im only staying here for four months and I'm recovering from an illness i have no option but to stay here at the moment. What reason can i say that i need proof of tenancy other than for housing benefit? thanks

Hi All, I have been living in a private rented property for 14 months now. Up until today, both the letting agents and landlord have been spot on. Yesterday morning we woke to a broken double glazed window. This happened over night and was through no fault of our own as the tenant. I phoned the letting agents to be told "Sorry, glass is your problem to replace". My main concern was getting rid of the broken window and being secure so I had a company in to quote for a replacement. The fitters who came straight away said there are very obvious signs that the window has failed due to a manufacturing defect and has showed me how I can evidence this. He has also said he is willing to write a report confirming this with pictures and that Pilkington, the manufacturer will do the same. We have been good tenants, not over expecting, always paid on time and have looked after the place very well. The letting agents originally told the landlord that I broke the window so the landlord said it was my responsibility to change. I can understand that. If I had of broken it through my own fault, I would never expect them to pay to repair. I asked the letting agents to go back again and explain the situation clearly including that I will be able to supply professional evidence of no wrong doing on my behalf. Today I have had an email back stating that as a gesture of good will, the landlord will replace this one however in future it is my responsibility. Now, I do not want to sour my relationship with either the landlord or letting agents but to me this is not on. My contract does state; To keep the interior of the property (including glass in the windows and lock fastenings and fittings of the outer doors and windows) and the effects in as good and substantial repair and condition as at the date hereof (fair wear and tear excepted) and (where applicable) all electrical and other mechanical apparatus in good working order and to immediately replace broken glass upon the occurrence of any breakage However surely a failure through no fault of my own can be my responsibility? Some advice would be much appreciated.

Hi and thank you for taking the time to read my post, I believe I may have an issue with my Landlord supplied electricity. I am posting here in the hope that you kind folk may give me advice on my maths, assumptions and possible action, The situation: I live in a building that is subdivided into 9 self-contained flats. The Landlord is responsible for paying the electricity bill for the whole building, there is a regular usage meter on the outside that records the usage for the whole building. The Landlord has installed payment meters into each flat, in order to credit these meters we have to purchase £5 disposable cards from the Landlord which are inserted into the meter to credit it. The rates: The meters are currently set to charge 55p for every kWh of electricity used. I do not know what supplier, per unit price or standing charge the Landlord is paying as I have not yet confronted him about this as I would like to make sure I've not made any mistakes or overlooked something. The problem: I believe I am paying over double the price I should based on my usage. I have kept a tally on the amount of cards I have bought over a 3 month period and I have spent £265 on electricity cards. This works out to a usage of about 482 kWh per quarter. If I were getting my electricity directly from a supplier, say British Gas for example, using their Standard Tariff information on their website it quotes 12.28p per kWh with a standing charge of 26.01p per day. A quarter is 91.25 days on average so that's a standing charge of £23.73 per quarter and £59.19 of usage making a total of £82.92 with VAT that comes to £99.50. I figure this means I'm paying roughly 250% more for my electricity than if I were getting it direct. The concessions: Many of the tenants of this building are quite old. They do not use modern devices like computers and the like and I imagine have quite low electricity usage. This being the case, the Landlord would have to increase the price per unit in order to cover the standing charge he is paying. But seeing as I don't actually have the information regarding the other tenants and the Landlord's billing I am only speculating here. In any case this arrangement would be very unfair on a higher user like myself. I also understand that payment meters are generally more expensive than straight billing, but 250% more expensive seems somewhat overkill. Issues: If I confront the Landlord about this, and he is overcharging for profit, he would have been doing this for a long tome and has gotten used to the extra money by now. If I drop this on him and force him to lower the rates on the meters, he is not going to be particularly pleased about it. Yes he may be stealing money from me, but human nature being what it is, he's been doing it so long he probably believes he is entitled to do this. It's going to cause bad blood. Resolutions? Ideally I would like to do away with the Landlord meter and have my electricity supplied directly. I've tried to look into the laws on this but I can't really find anything that is specific or even related to my situation. The only things I tend to get when I do a search is for switching electricity suppliers. Also having the meter reduced to a more reasonable rate, say, 22p per unit would be ok. Or even, I would be willing to pay the landlord a flat fee per month to cover my share of the standing charge and have the meter set to the actual price per unit with VAT that he is paying. What do you think? I am going to ask the Landlord to look at his electricity bill soon. If he does show it to me, then I can explain this issue to him with actual irrefutable numbers and math. But what should I do if he refuses to show it to me? Anyway, thank you again for reading this and thanks in advance for any replies. Regards Col

In August last year, I signed a 12 month AST Tenancy that was set up through a letting agency but the Landlord has taken over things since that was set up and signed for. In February, I asked the Landlord about extending the Tenancy and also so that should he ever require me to leave the property, I would have sufficient time to find alternative accommodation. On 1st March, he inspected the property and was happy withe everything and we talked about a Tenancy extension. We verbally agreed that the Tenancy would be extended by 6 months as of August 2017 when the existing AST would expire and it would then run until February 2018, and that if he wanted to, he could give me two months notice in December 2017 to leave in February 2018. We agreed we would do this without us signing a new agreement and without going back through the Letting Agency so no fee's would be involved. Also that the rent would stay the same and I wouldn't have to pay anything else or any extra's. So this was all agreed verbally, I wrote down that day what we agreed to cover myself, I also relayed the information to my partner and a friend of mine, the Landlord stated he would send me an email confiriming everything in the near future, he never did. I chased him several times and a few weeks ago, he was acting as if the agreement was never made, he now keeps stating he can give me two months notice next month should he wish to do so, also that anytime from the end of August, he could give me a months notice to leave. Today he sent another email stating and I will quote the most important parts: " When you speak to a solicitor he will tell you that, in the case of housing, verbal agreements aren't valid. This is to protect you. Your AST expires on 23rd Aug. I can give notice on 23rd June for you to leave and so can you. As I have already stated you can stay until 23rd Feb. However, under the Housing Act , your AST automatically reverts to a periodic tenancy . This means that as you pay your rent monthly the tenancy period is monthly- a rolling contract. If you want a 6 month AST, then you can have this but you will have to pay for the AST to be drawn up and pay 6 months rent up front. If you cant pay 6months up front then I will accept a guarantor. I am more than happy to talk to your solicitor, CAB or your housing officer if necessary" So now he's stating that a verba agreement isn't legally binding, he's still acting as if this agreement wasn't made, but notice he does state that I can stay until 23rd February 2018. But now he's stating about signing a new 6 month agreement and paying 6 months upfront or having a guarantor, when the agreement was made, it was made clear that the agreement was to be extended by 6 months and there would be no charges or anything to pay other than the existing rate of rent. For some reason and I have no idea why but he is acting like the agreement wasn't made or is just trying to change the terms to get money out of me but regardless this needs to be resolved as I am a disabled person with several long term chronic health conditions and as I only know a handful of people where I am, I cannot be in a position where I only have a month's notice to leave and that was one of the main reason that I asked him round to sort out a Tenancy extension. I did speak to CAB today who say I have a case and I have an appointment to see them in a couple of weeks time, however, I wanted some opinions on this from some of you if possible in the meantime. Thank you.

My Landlord, a housing association, is threatening legal action for access to examine a gas boiler in my rooms. I think that the application would go before a magistrates court. My question is do I get notice so I can defend the case? There is no gas boiler in my rooms. The landlord knows this. I have reminded them several times and they don't seem to believe me. It is a case of administrative chaos rather than deliberate harassment. Any ideas, please?

I recently fell behind with some rent payments, which I'm now paying back. My Landlord issued a claim for possession through the courts and the hearing date is in April, however, today I received a form 6a from the Landlord and I'm really confused! Does this go hand in hand with the Court hearing? It appears tactics have changed. How do I stand with a 6a as it states 'no fault possession. The Court claim says it's due to rent arrears. Please could anyone shed some light on it for me?

Background The landlord initially let a flat to myself via a letting agent "not managed" in 2013 and they used one of their standard 20 page contracts on a fixed term of 12 months. We have recently moved out and now the Landlord is being a pain. Question Every year since the first contract on the expiry of each he choose due to cost to use a Staples type contract which is just 1 A4 Page, simply setting out the details etc. no T&Cs attached such as "you cant do this, You must do this etc" My guess is no as the first contract has a expiry date to this but can the terms of the first contract be used for the renewals even if a copy of the terms is not attached to the new contracts (Renewals)

Hi all. Been a good tenant for 10 years now, but have the worst Landlord ever. He has many properties, and trades as a business. We are down to get a new boiler in 2 weeks time, but the old one sprung a leak a couple of weeks ago. It was manageable, and we still had hot water and heating. Unfortunately, the water has got into the electrics and if the boiler is turned on, all the electricity in the house blows. They sent a man out this morning who does all the gas safety checks for them, and without even opening up the boiler, he told us that it is beyond repair, and we will have to try and get the new boiler fitted quicker. This cannot happen, so now they are expecting us to go without heating and hot water until 3rd of March. We have kids, so this can't happen. I really think the old boiler can be fixed, but they just don't want to pay for it, when we will be getting a new one in 9 or ten days. I am going to ring them and tell them this is not acceptable, but I don't know where I stand regarding the law. Please help. Thanks in advance.

I received a phone call today from my previous council, the gentleman said he called me with regards to my very old address dating back to 1999-2004. I was a student then and found the flat through a normal Estate Agents, signed the Tenancy Agreement and moved in. Today, 2017, four children later I get a phone call from the council enforcement team informing me that I owe over £4000.00 in BUSINESS RATES. I was never informed that it was an "office" I was living in and to my total amazement they even took to me to court and I have a liability order from 2005. This is approx a year after moving out. I wasn't the only tenant, there was a gentleman above me in another flat and they built yet another flat in the loft when I moved out. My flat had a bathroom with a bath and a kitchen and looked nothing like an office. My LL at the time informed me that I wouldn't have to pay council as I was a student and it would have been included anyway. The gentleman from the council informed me that I am 100% liable and even though landlord or estate agent deceived me. I am in total shock and feel that I have no choice other than to start to pay this huge amount. There weren't any letters chasing the so called Business Rates throughout my time there and all correspondence from Landlord stated My name, then, First Floor Flat, 33 So-called Road and Postcode. Unfortunately I don't have more than 3 letters after that many years and I feel well and truly confused. The man also informed me that their records only go back 7 years so they will not be able to investigate nor look further into it as "the Law of the Land" (his words) has already decided that I am liable. Does anyone know why landlords would do this? What do I do? I have 7 days to respond Please advice or wake me up from this nightmare :frosty: Please let me know if I need to post this in another section, unsure and new to this.

Hi, Hopefully someone can offer me some advice here, sorry for the long post. I live in Bristol and have a statutory periodic tenancy on a rolling one month basis. I have been here just over a year. My landlady has repeatedly breached the tenancy agreement by coming round and allowing herself and workmen access to my house with no notice whatsoever. My tenancy agreement says she must give 24 hours notice for any visit. I have told the letting agents in writing on several occasions that I am categorically not OK with this and I insist on notice. They have informed me (in writing) that they have asked the landlady to provide me with notice of her visits, but this has happened numerous times since. I live alone and I feel like I've been robbed of my privacy and harassed in my own home. As a result, I have found somewhere else to live, but I cannot move in for a month or so yet, maybe longer. My question is, because she has breached the tenancy agreement, can I serve my one month's notice from any date, citing these breaches, rather than the date of the rental payment (the 21st). When I can move, I want to get out of this house as soon as possible, and I don't need a reference from her for my new flat. I know "fair" doesn't hold always much weight legally, but it doesn't seem right that she can breach the agreement at will and suffer no consequences, but if I breached the terms, I would be served notice and evicted. I would be happy to stay here had I not been subject to this treatment, but now I feel I have no choice if I want a quiet life.

We have several concerns about our current landlord and current house. 1. two windows smashed due to a fault. There has been a product recall in which the company who installed them will replace all of these windows. Our landlord response is to come by with some gloves and a box. Only the ones which already broke, the others are still at risk of spontaneously shattering. 2. no current gas certificate. no gas certificate since we moved in, if there is one it is fraudulent. 3. black mould, my asthma has increased from mild to severe. 4. I am currently disabled and been told by doctors to move out of the property. We had seven months left on our lease. Our landlord insisted we stay to the last month even if we offered to pay the remaining months. 5. He set up our next landlord on our behalf. We decided not to go with them, but he brings the landlord we rejected around to our house on the pretext of making repairs while also asking us about where we are moving to. Feel pressurised. 6. We gave three months notice so we could relax and not be bothered during the move. (due to disability) he had the estate agent bringing people around for the whole three months. 7. The latest is he is pressuring us to move out early but also pay the rent when we aren't living there. Now that the estate agent found interested people. For example, we expect to move in one week, but we are paying for another 2 months. We haven't had the all clear, credit checks etc but he wants to know NOW what's going on. (we had a delay due to the landlord he set us up with. so instead of having a relaxing three months we had about 10 days.) 8. Had doctors letters saying the house isn't suitable, need to move. The house cannot be adapted for my needs. My question really is we are tempted to go after them, for the potentially dangerous window (two have broken glass overhead, plus one in tact but same brand that shattered already), the lack of gas certificate, our deposit being in their bank not protected, black mould growing where a pipe was leaking for two years. The thing is we are disabled and any retaliatory actions or stress would increase health problems. Scared that calling environmental health will spark a chain of events when the whole point is we want to be left alone to peaceful quality of life. However, it is nagging at me, the potential dangers to the next tenant. Where do we stand as well due to the other issues with paying the rest of the contract? I.e after we move out we will still be paying about 6 weeks.

Hi All, I have served notice to my landlord to move out of my apartment on 01/12/2016. There are no arrears and everything is up to date. My landlord however wants to do an inspection on 14/12/2016 which is over 2 weeks before the tenancy ends and I feel will not truly represent the condition the property will be in before handing the apartment back to him. The reasons given by him for doing this are to get an assessment done for trades people to fit there schedules and to prepare the property for the letting agent. This is all very well and good but the landlord has said if they cannot gain entry they have said the following and I quote "It will be a long time before you can get your deposit back if at all" The LL requested access on Monday for the pre-end inspection. However I advised I am currently harboring a contagious condition, which I have had 6 courses of antibiotics to treat, been struggling with for over 2 months and it's still not close to gone. I also have extensive medical history and take various medications for my ailments nearly all of which cause some form of drowsiness. I am also classed as a vulnerable person. I have said to the landlord that I am harboring this condition and that it is contagious. I have not had any response since then despite a reply the same day. I have chased him up today and still no response. I could absolutely evidence that I've had several hospital visits in the last 3 months for this condition. During the weekend I was involved in an accident, my arm is in a sling as I cannot use my left hand at all. So as you've probably gathered I'm not feeling too social at the moment. I am aware that he probably has the right to enter in these circumstances, But I feel the inspection won't be a genuine representation of the condition of the flat after I leave. I plan to repair some things which have broken overtime and deep clean the property as I have lived there for 4 years. Can anyone suggest how I should approach this please? I don't want to make out that I'm using these ailments as an excuse to deny the landlord entry. I'm actually thinking I don't want to pass him the condition. But threatening the deposit if he can't get in? Really?! Seems a little unreasonable if you ask me. Thanks again in advance for any advice

Hello, I am due to move into my new flat on 11 December. I made an offer for it over three weeks ago, which was accepted by the landlord on 18 October (3 weeks ago). I then went successfully through reference checking and all that, and on 25 October (16 days ago) I made the payment for the first month of rent and the six-week deposit, plus various fees (in total circa £4500). The issue is that, as of today, the landlord has not yet signed the contract; the lettings agency say they are trying to get a hold of him but he is not returning their calls, the last time they spoke to him was "some time last week". they say they are sure he will sign eventually but cannot tell me when as they do not manage to speak to him. I am concerned that something may be going wrong on the landlord's side and that he may not sign at all in the end, otherwise I see no reason for such a huge delay. As my move-out date is approaching and the lettings agency keeps telling me that they can't do anything but insist calling him, I am getting more and more worried and am thinking of looking for alternative solutions, i.e. considering finding another flat. But as they have my deposit I feel my hands are untied, at least until either he signs or he pulls back from the agreement. The questions that I have are: 1) Does the landlord have an open-ended option to sign the lease whenever he wants, and possibly never sign? Can he basically keep me on hold until 11 December? Or is there such a thing as a "reasonable time" after which I can withdraw my offer without my incurring in any cost (i.e. I get everything back)? 2) Is the agency or the landlord to be considered liable for any of this? If I need to look for another flat, I will have again to take time off from work, go through the annoying and frustrating flat-hunting again, which I suspended because both of them agreed to signing a contract (as proved by offer acceptance letters, reference checking, deposit, etc.). I am trying to put some pressure to the agency but they are a bit helpless (and useless). Thanks, Daniele

My landlord wants to rent out my roof to a solar panel company called Voltaire that has a sim card in it and sends data to an independent source. How worried should I be about that, hypothetically speaking of course?

I would really appreciate any help with this. I live in London and have a spare bedroom some of the time. I don't want a permanent lodger but was thinking of renting it out on an occasional basis through crashpadder. I am in receipt of housing benefit and obviously would declare the earnings from this, but cant find any information on the legal implications of doing this and do not want to get into trouble with them. Does anyone know where I would be able to get more information?

I would welcome some suggestions from Forum Members please as to what I should with regards to a landlord who is taking her time in restoring central heating in the house which I am renting. I have been without heating now for a week. Prior to this, the boiler had broken down a number of times and the landlord was told by two of the engineers that the boiler was obsolete and needed replacing. I have been in touch with the LL and made the point that the situation is becoming untenable, but all I got back was that she is dealing with the matter. I would be grateful for some suggestions about what options are available to me so that I can use some leverage to get the LL to act and act urgently? I hope members can help. Many thanks in advance. Mack

Apologies if this is the wrong forum! I live in a flat above a retail unit, which is rented from the owner of that unit. My gas supply doesn't come directly from a gas company, but rather the unit below. There is a submeter installed, when I moved in my landlord told me to text them a regular meter reading, and they would calculate how much gas we had used and then let me how much I owed them. All "bills" were sent over text, and payment was requested in cash (I asked to do a bank transfer as it was easier for me, but the landlord insisted on cash payment), and no receipts were given. I started off providing regular meter readings, but the bills grew further and further apart. I haven't had one in about 3 years now, and they have never come to read the meter themselves. They haven't responded to attempts to contact them for close to a year now, and I'm now looking at moving out because the flat is becoming uninhabitable/dangerous due to a lack of repairs. I've looked at the tenancy agreement (which has now rolled over from an assured shorthold tenancy and become a statutory periodic tenancy), and it says nothing specifically about paying the landlord for our gas, just that "the tenant shall pay all charges for gas and electric current supplied to the premises". There's no mention of costing, when, how or to whom it should be paid, etc. I'm just wondering where I stand here? If they were an energy company, I don't think they'd be able to backbill me for the whole period as they've never read the meter at all, or provided me with a bill for three years now. With no receipts and cash payments, there's no evidence of what has or has not been paid, either. I'm just worried that they're going to try and hit me up for 3 years (or more) of gas bills when I give them notice.

Hello everyone, I hope that you can help me. Sorry this is really long but I'll try to get all the info in. I have been out of the UK for a number of years but found a job this year in the UK. I found a studio flat advertised online and arranged to rent it. The property was advertised on spareroom by the landlord but I had difficulty arranging an evening viewing with him, so he suggested 2 other local companies that he works with to arrange a viewing. I believe they are letting agents. I originally thought they owned some of the flats but now I know that he owns them all and they act as agents. I said from the beginning that I might not stay after 6 months (this was also the min. term advertised online) as my probation period was 6 months and I had a feeling I might not like the job! I signed what I thought was a tenancy agreement with the letting agent, and a form for a reference search, both of these state 6 months (but the form that I thought was the tenancy agreement has SUBJECT TO CONTRACT at the top). The letter that I signed states the fees required for referencing & moving in, the move-in date, 6 month term and amount to pay in advance to landlord which was 1 months rent and a deposit of the same amount. The bank details given were of the letting agent though (probably one of the reason I thought they were the landlord). When I arranged to pick the keys up I went to the agents office & they then informed me that the actual landlord would meet me at the property. So there I met him, got the keys and he gave me a standing order mandate form with first payment due a month after moving in and last payment of "until further notice". This form gave the landlord's bank details which were different to the initial payment I made. There was no itinerary taken and he seemed like a relaxed, genuine guy. I can't remember if the min. term came up in conversation but I know if he'd said 12 months I'd have said I only agreed to 6. After I'd been moved in for a week or two I received the protected deposit letter which I signed one copy of and sent back. Fast forward 4 months and I decided to leave my job as I didn't like it. I contacted the letting agent to say that I'd be moving out and they then said my contract was a 12 month contract. They told me the landlord had agreed to let me leave early as long as they could find someone else and then I'd just have to pay the re-let fee (no mention of that in the paper I signed with the fees listed). They said they have a draft copy of the contract on file that states 12 months. I asked them to send it to me but they won't, they want me to send them what I've signed. Looking through all my paperwork I don't actually have a tenancy agreement! And on further inspection of the deposit protection letter, I can see that the end of AST tenancy is listed as 12 months after my move-in date. I didn't notice this at the time, and I've also seen that my name is spelt wrong. So I have 2 forms that say 6 months and one that says 12. Can they make me pay for 12 months because I didn't notice that the date was wrong on the deposit protection letter? The letting agent say it's not their problem and I have to deal with the landlord but he hasn't answered my phone calls or email. The original listings on spareroom are now removed and messages are deleted after 2 months. I've managed to find an old ad of the place from the 2nd letting agent which states 6 months minimum term but I don't know if that's enough. There is absolutely no way I'd have rented a place if the minimum term was 12 months because I had a very strong feeling that I would be moving again. I've spoken to spareroom and they won't let me have the information from the expired ads because they say it's a breach of data protection! I cancelled the standing order for the last month's rent because I'm worried that they will take my deposit anyway. I would have only had one more month to pay for before the 6 months was up. I am worried about the council tax because when I called the council to say I'd be leaving they said I was liable to pay tax for the full term of the tenancy agreement unless the landlord takes over.

Hello, I am in pretty desperate need of advice! I rented a unit to use as a photography studio around 18 month ago. When I looked at the unit, there were a few leaks, which the landlord said he would repair, but never did. I carried on paying rent, but not using the unit as a studio, more of a storage space, as the leaks prevented me from having my equipment set up. Fast forward to December (my dad was incredibly ill and passed away in the August of last year, so all of the unit leaking and not being able to use it went right to the back of my mind) the landlord gave me a polite reminder that my rent is due. I, again, politely reminded him that the unit leaks and nothing has been done about the leaks since I'd been there. He apologised and told me that I wouldn't be paying any rent until he'd repaired the leaks. I then spoke to the landlord in July, him asking what was happening etc. and whereabouts the leaks are etc. so he could get them fixed. I explained that I don't use it etc. and most of my work involves me working away (or I use my garage as a small studio) and I wouldn't be back until mid August. I then start getting messages from the landlord saying that I'm owing the full missing months of rent, from the last time I paid in December. I received a letter the other day from a debt collector company saying that I owe the landlord £4248, which is the 10 months rent (£400/m) plus a late payment fee. The guy was friendly enough and I explained the entire situation and he appreciated that I as clearly not trying to rip them off etc. He said that as it's a commercial property, the fact the landlord told me not to pay until he'd fixed the leaks was completely irrelevant unfortunately. The unit still leaks next to the 3-phase 415V main fuseboard, so as far as I'm concerned, it's a death trap and I could never have clients into the building etc. He said that even though the landlord had said that (not paying rent etc.), I was still responsible and if anything, should have had the roof repaired and taken it out of the rent. Where do I stand? The chap I spoke to said the amount may be negotiable, but to be frank, I feel that I shouldn't have been paying full rent for the period that I was, let alone for the period that he told me not to pay through. I fully appreciate that although the guy I spoke to was very friendly etc., but is obviously working for the landlord and not myself, so there is going to be an issue of him biasing towards their interests and not my own. There's just no way I could afford to pay that figure, it's hard enough working as a freelance photographer at the best of times, let alone paying rent on a unit that's been unusable since I got it. Where do I stand? If anybody has anything impartial to say, that'd be great and thanks in advance. Sorry for long post.

Hi all, I live in a property rented from a housing trust under a licence rather than a tenancy agreement. When I took on the tenancy about 7 years ago I was informed that the clerk to the trustees would hold a set of keys to my home and it would be stored in a locked safe. I have recently discovered that keys have been used to enter properties owned by the trust by workers employed by them without the tenant's permission or presence. One particular maintenance worker often calls unnanounced to carry out small jobs and has been asked on numerous occasions by various tenants to make an appointment but he refuses to do so. He often works until 8pm making this awkward for people coming home from work or with children to get meals etc. This person has entered a neighbour's home without her permission. He also entered another person's home without her permission and moved personal items which I assume was to enable him to carry out a repair job. He has also questioned me because my daughter has fitted a secondary lock to her door saying he's reported her to the trust clerk as he checked that she hasn't provided a spare key. My questions are: a) has the clerk to the trustees got legal rights to hold a spare key b) does the male maintenance worker have legal rights to use this key without permission of the tenant (all mainly female living alone) c) can tenants have secondary locks fitted (leaving the original lock in place), without having to pass a key on to the clerk to the trustees as some of the tenants have been told. As you probably gather most of the tenants are females living alone and are very nervous that the male maintenance worker rocks up at any time without an appointment and seems to be able to access keys to gain entrance when the tenant isn't present. Unfortunately any complaints to the trust clerk about this man seem to fall on deaf ears and he seems to be very highly thought of by the trustees. Any legal advice welcome with pointers towards legislation to quote if possible. Thanks in anticipation.