14 months Assured shorthold tenancy started Sept 2009, end Jan 2011. LL presented me with ridiculous charges for administrative costs in chasing up utility companies at £100 per company, totalling £300 (electric/water/council tax). There is no clause in the tenancy agreement, which obligates me the tenant to provide the landlord with final bill statements. All bills were paid in full, in due time and I have rang up each company asking if there was any correspondence between themselves and my LL to substantiate the LL's claim. The answer was 'no' in each case, and as far as I know it is not standard practice for utility companies, if the bill is unpaid, to chase up the landlord, rather than the account holder. Thus the LL cannot impose such charges? Am I right in thinking all of the above? Sofa with a slightly dented armrest- LL claimed that I have damaged the sofa and wished to replace it with a brand new leather sofa, initially pricing the top cost at £300, now LL changed a priced a new sofa at £449. The inventory I signed states ‘two seater black sofa’ there is no mention of the condition. Can this be argued as betterment? I am a conscientious tenant, the place was left sparkling (in much better shape than received and I have pictorial evidence of this), with absolutely no damage, and therefore I am obviously not prepared to pay for any of the charges. I know that the whole apartment block has this particular sofa and everyone has the same problem with the armrests, the foam inside just melts after some time. My deposit is protected by a scheme, however LL presented these charges 3 months after I moved out of the property and now I cannot use arbitration to resolve the dispute. The only remedy available to me is placing a claim with county court. And finally, I moved out of the property 3 weeks before the end my tenancy (the full moths rent was paid). The landlord was fine about and aware of that fact. A new tenant moved in 2.5 weeks before the end of my tenancy. It was agreed over telephone and in an e-mail correspondence that the landlords were to reimburse me the rent for that time, as in essence she was getting double. She has now conveniently forgot about this. Where do I stand? i) Any help and advice on how to start a County Court claim ii) The wording of a Letter Before Action iii) Chances of success in: a) admin charges b) sofa c) rent refund Many thanks in advance.

Hi all, Just wanting a bit of advice MBNA have been getting a company in Mumbai to phone my girlfriend, My girlfriend is disabled and can't hear them on the phone, I have explained this to them but say they can not take my word for it or discuss it with me. I have complained to them for harrasment of myself but they told me that because they are not in the UK they do not fall under UK law, which I know is a load of rubbish. I am going to send the template letter asking not to phone, and slightly adjust it to include DDA regulations as my girlfriend feels that she is at a substantial disadvantage because she can't her them. She is one month behind on her payments and we are getting all of this shot at us, I am a fighter and believe wrongs should be fought for until they are put right, but my girlfriend is a worrier. Can anyone give me the best way forward with this and maybe suggest a letter that I can write to propose an arrangement to pay the outstanding months payment? The last letter was not replyed to so I am taking over the running of this fight and I will ensure my letters are replied to and acted on. Thanks in advance:smile: