As a landlord I am continuously surprised at what tenants will allow them selves to be conned into, this tale hurts my sense of fair play to tenants and I hope you guys can help. My friend is the 4th tenant T4, in a shared flat above a shop in south London (shop also owned by LL). It seems to be on individual contracts. The LL assigned my friend T4 with the responsibility of paying the metered supply water bill to the water company (lets call them WC as I am not sure who they are as yet). She calls WC and they arrange 1/4ly DD of £300. Although they did not change the name on the bill it remains the name of the previous tenant even though now T4 is paying the DD and collecting the other shared contributions from the T1, T2, and T3 At some point it is discovered that the shop below, with a loo and a kitchen, are on the same meter, and that the WC has them on a commercial rate. T4 asked the WC to come and see what was up and they confirmed single meter, commercial rent, and that meter had not been read correctly since june2018 and they in fact owe 2K in back charges. So T4 and her pals have been paying the water for the shop since June last year, the LL knew this but did not tell T4 or her buddies. They have spoken to resolver who have said because the water comes in via the shop, then they must pay commercial rates - its about twice what a normal water bill should be - now I think resolver probably cannot think outside the box here... Anyway what to do? I am tempted to advise T4 to just stop paying and give the WC the LL name and address as the bill payer. I feel like LL has committed a fraud by a) not telling them they were paying for the shop, and b) not paying to have a 2nd supply added to the flat. T4 is moving out at the end of April 19 and wants to try and resolve it so that she does not have to pay these ridiculous water charges. WC seem ambivalent, (as you would expect, they are making the dough right now) LL said tough **** sort it out with shop below. T's 1-3 are spineless and my friend T4 is trying to sort it out. Any advice?

I have been living in my current flat for approximately 5 years. Firstly with a partner and recently by myself. During this whole time I have had a pre payment meter taking debt every time I top up for a previous tenant. Through my own laziness and stupidity I didn't pursue the issue. I tried to at first but couldn't figure out where to start and about a year or so ago the 'debt' being taken off was a negligible amount (approximately 50p-£1 for every £10 I topped up). However, recently the rate that the debt is added seemed to have escalated to £2-£3 per £10 topped up. I should have pursued this much sooner I realise this, but I would really like them to stop charging me for a debt that has never been mine and to recover some or all of the money that I have paid towards this debt that is not and never has been mine. Is anyone able to advise who I should contact and how I should go about this?

Government publishes key licensing changes to further protect tenants READ MORE HERE: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/government-publishes-key-licensing-changes-to-further-protect-tenants

New tougher electrical safety standards to protect private tenants READ MORE HERE: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-tougher-electrical-safety-standards-to-protect-private-tenants

Interesting article about sites where bad landlords can be named and shamed, also details of rental repayment orders. https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/aug/24/landlords-tenants HB

Dear all A current AST comes to an end on a property on the 17th August. When my agent enquired whether the tenants would like to renew, they told him they were splitting up. On this basis my agent advised issuing a S21 as he was concerned about affordability. The tenants are an unmarried couple with three children. One of the current tenants (male) is now starting treatment for a serious condition and now the partner of the sick tenant has texted me offering me 6 months rent upfront to stay when the AST ends as she says that they are working on getting back together and don't want the stress of moving. There is a guarantor already in place for this AST plus 6 months deposit. I am tempted to accept this as it will avoid a void period. Is there anything to be concerned about? I know Johnson V Old has ended concerns about registering rent upfront as a deposit. If I accept this, should a new 6 month agreement be put in place (as my agent suggested)? Or should I let it go on to a monthly rolling tenancy? What about the notice period and serving a S21 when the 6 months draws to an end? The female tenant apparently told my agent 3 weeks ago when we sent the S21 that she would stay on regardless (seems to have backed down on this though) - so I am slightly worried about her volatility. It would have meant I would have had to get a possession order. My agent's renewal charge is 4 %. Would you expect that a 6 month renewal means that I would pay 4 % on the 6 months rent? Sorry if this post is confusing. I guess I am asking if anybody thinks it might be a bad idea to let them stay on after the threat of staying after the AST expires. Obviously they still might if the council advises them to stay and the 6 months upfront would mean this potential disaster is abated but what are the issues after the 6 months elapse? Thanks in advance for any advice

Strictly, speaking this is not a subject that would normally feature on the 'bailiff discussion' section of the forum. However, with the subject matter regularly featuring on the popular TV series; Can't Pay We'll Take it Away' it may well assist some viewers. Anyone watching the TV series would have seen the many instances of a tenant is being evicted. Routinely, the tenants had been advised by their local authorities that in order to gain assistance with emergency housing, that they must remain in the property until the actual eviction. It would seem that this practice must stop. The following is taken from a recent article from the Sheriffs Office: Housing minister, Brandon Lewis has told all local authorities to stop routinely advising tenants to stay put until the enforcement agent arrives before they can be accepted as homeless. Mr Lewis has written to all the chief executives of local councils saying that households should not be put in this position, and clarifying the guidance about homelessness. In his letter he says, “Authorities should not routinely be advising tenants to stay until the bailiffs arrive; there is no barrier to them assisting the tenant before this. By doing this, local authorities miss a valuable opportunity to prevent homelessness.” Mr Lewis writes that the statutory Homelessness Code of Guidance, which local authorities are required by law to have regard to, is clear on this matter and contains guidance on how they should treat homelessness applications where a tenant has received a valid S21 notice. This is what Mr Lewis’s letter highlights about what the guidance states: -Housing authorities should not, in every case, insist upon a court order for possession and that no local authority should adopt a blanket policy in this respect. -If the landlord intends to seek possession and there would be no defence to an application for a possession order, then it is unlikely that it would be reasonable for the applicant to continue to occupy the accommodation. -Unless a local authority has very good reason to depart from the statutory guidance, then they should not be placing households in this position.

Read More HERE: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-35515993

aa I've never received a N24 form before, so I have no idea what to do, also I cant seem find anything to do with the N24 we've just received on the site. All we received was 2 sheets of paper, telling us to file within 7 days, & a cryptic accompanying letter sent to our solicitor. I've attached this to the post My main question is what is "an order excluding the Defendants from the property"? Does it mean a lodger ie an excluded tenant? or something else? Is it evicting a commercial tenant? The full paragraph says : " in detail and in numbered paragraphs the background to the dispute and why they are entitled to an order excluding the Defendants from the property" I have no idea what this means ... The accompanying letter to the solicitor said something about varying a residential contract into a commercial contract. I've included the full letter as an attachment. The exact wording about the varying order is: "That the said Assured Shorthold Tenancy bearing the latest date be varied into a business/commercial lease upon registration or obtaining an operating licence with the regulatory board namely Office of Standards for Education Department (OFSTED). " Also is it possible to ask the court to show us the original application or order from the court, so we know what the hell is going on ... The only forms we received said Because this Order has been made by the Court without considering representations from the parties, the parties have the right to apply to have the order set aside, varied or stayed. A party wishing to make an application must send or deliver the application to the court (together with any appropriate fee) to arrive within seven days of service of this Order. The Claimants must file with the Court and serve on each Defendant by 10-12-2015 a signed and dated witness statement which sets out clearly and in detail and in numbered paragraphs the background to the dispute and why they are entitled to an order excluding the Defendants from the property and which contains a declaration ('a statement of truth*) that the contents are true . 3) When the Claimants do this the application will be placed before a circuit judge who will decide without a hearing when it will be heard: 4) If the Claimants do not do this by the date given, the application (but not the Claim will be struck out) Dated 17 November 2015 Again we have no idea whats going on, please help. Thanks

I've got some tenants running some sort of Pregnant Mother assessement centre, basically subletting the property on a residential AST. A lot of pregnant mothers have visited the property. As well as several large families. A confused pregnant mom was seen on the property, & then rushed off to hospital a couple of hours later. I've tried contacting ofsted, & they dont seem to care the tenants dont have the correct permission of the landlord. Can I get an injunction on the tenants or some other legal action, without having to file a section 8? I'm concerned about damage to the property, as well as the safety of the heavily pregnant mothers, as our building insurance doesnt cover business use of the property. Not to mention our mortgage contract.qq I'm also trying to contact the correct authorities, I'm contacting ofsted again, but I have no idea who to contact about the illegal planning permission granted to them. Does anyone know who I should contact about the illegal planning permission granted to them? & if I can get an injunction on the tenants or some other legal action, without having to file a section 8? As theyre subletting illegally, not to mention illegally dealing with vulnerable members of the public. Also because of the large number of families damage to the property. I'm based in London btw ... Thanks!!!

I hope this is in the right place to put this. I have been chatting to someone about a case where a father and daughter were Tenants in Common and the father now has to go into care. First the daughter was told she would have to sell the house so the father's share could be used to pay for the care. The daughter did not believe this to be true and the Social Worker has now agreed it is not but has now said the council could move 3 tenants in to offset the care fees as it is 4 bedroom. The social worker said the tenants would be council approved but could be male, they could also be young and wanting to play music till all sorts of hours. It seems as if the SW believes the share of the house owned by the father passes to the council and can be used how they choose. I am concerned about this as my daughter and her partner - not married - are Tenants in Common and I wonder what this opens the up to if one of them should need care in the future. Does anyone know the legal position of the council re the father's share? Thank you.

Hi everyone, I'm hoping someone can give me some advice. I've been renting a room in a property for 3 years now and the system that the landlord has put in place is: one person collects the rent and pays him directly. Currently, I am in charge of this. He says I can decide whether I want to rent out one or all of the rooms but the amount of rent for the whole property stays the same regardless. He has also said that I can decide how much rent to charge per room, again rent for the whole property would stay the same whatever I decide. I don't have any written agreement with the landlord, so my first question is, what kind of contract do I have if I have one at all and secondly, am I subletting to the other tenants in the house? I would also like to know where I stand in terms of trying to evict one of my flatmates. The landlord has said I can give notice to people as I see fit. However, he is very laid back and I can't see him wanting to get involved in anything too official unless he isn't getting the full amount of rent each month. He has said to me that as long as he gets the rent, I can decide how to run the property but it also makes me feel as though, if I need his support to evict someone, he will leave me to it and I just don't know what rights I have in this instance. How much involvement would I need from the landlord, if I wanted one of my flatmates to leave? I hope someone can help me with this because I don't really know where else to go for accurate advice. Many thanks in advance

Hoping someone can give me some advice here but it seems to be quite a unique situation, with a solicitor even shrugging her shoulders and saying she'd rather not get involved due to lack of experience.. . Apologies in advance for the long post but it is quite complex! My aunt passed away recently leaving me, my brother, and my sister as administrators. She owned a house as "Joint Tenants" with her ex husband. Upon their divorce in 2011, a consent order was made whereby the house was to be sold and the net profits split 60/40 in her ex husbands favour, with the actual sale of the house to be conducted by him and his solicitors. For whatever reason, the house was never sold and, frustratingly, the title deeds were never amended to show a "Tenants in Common" situation. There is also a joint mortgage outstanding, with 6 years remaining before its cleared. Now, neither he nor his solicitor are disputing the sale of the house or the split of the net proceeds, but he's not being forthcoming with the outstanding balance and whether or not there is any kind of life assurance policy included in the mortgage. I've approached the mortgage company but, as anticipated, they won't discuss the account with me as there is a surviving account holder. I need this info in order to apply for a grant of probate. I'll deal with that issue somehow in time, but my real concern is just how powerful this consent order is. If I officially notify the mortgage company of my aunts passing I'm assuming they'll remove her name from the mortgage and possibly start the process of getting the title deeds amended to show a "Sole Tenancy". Will either of these actions negatively impact the estates claim on the property or over-rule the consent order? Or does the presence of an unfulfilled consent order usurp all else? I don't want to go ahead and notify the bank if it eventually knackers our claim to the property - I can't imagine her creditors being all too pleased if it's the executors fault there's no money for them! The solicitor was less than helpful now I really am stuck and would appreciate some advice if anyone is legally minded or experienced in such matters! It would be ideal if we could change the deeds to reflect the "Tenants in Common" ownership status but, from what I've read, that's simply not possible now one of the joint tenants has died. Can anyone confirm that? If anyone can make sense of this, well done and I'd appreciate any helpful responses.

Govan Law Centre has launched a campaign which it hopes will give a voice to people in the private rent sector and lead to reforms. Staff from the service which provides free legal support are holding street stalls throughout the city as part of the lottery funded research project. They hope tenants who have had problems with landlords will come forward and tell their story. READ MORE HERE: http://www.eveningtimes.co.uk/news/law-centre-campaign-to-help-tenants-203848n.123407248 More info Here from GLC: http://govanlc.blogspot.co.uk/2015/03/govan-law-centre-endorses-living-rent.html

Mrs L.C.writes: I bought my house in 1999. Previous tenants left owing money to everyone possible. Their children went to university but have not repaid student loans, and every few months I have received demands, which I have returned, saying they are no longer at my address. Erudio Student Loans Limited has now taken over this debt. I told it that the family left over 15 years ago, but Erudio said it would keep sending demands. I protested and was told they would stop, but after two weeks another has arrived. Read more: http://www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/experts/article-2904618/TONY-HETHERINGTON-Student-loan-demands-pile-15-years-tenants-moved-out.html#ixzz3OYUF3D6f

Hello I have a friend who has used this advice forum a lot and it comes highly recommended This is my first posting and use of this forum Over the last 6 months I've found myself in a really tricky situation. I lost quite a high powered job, high income and so on, had no savings, high outgoings etc and stopped paying cards, mortgage and so on. I've recently been re-employed and look well back on track. But long story short, I've been declared personally bankrupt in court in the last few days. I took a long look at the options, took advice, it was the right thing to do. Whilst not pleasant much of the process seems straightforward. However one item is pretty tricky and is like to ask for some advice on it please. I live in separate rented accommodation, but I own another flat. The Mortgage is £155k, the mortgage company currently value it at £140k Mortgage payment is £750/Mth, service charge £150/Mth = total £900/Mth The flat is rented out for £900/mth (to two Chinese student with poor English skills) They have paid £900 deposit plus a full year Upfront to cover 1st September 2014 to 31st August 2015. They paid a year upfront as this tend to be normal for foreign students. The money was paid direct to my mother and is held in her bank account as I intended to shield it from my personal bankruptcy. However, since late August around half had to be used for day to day expenses and there is £5800 balance remaining. The mortgage on the property has not been paid in 6 months and a repossession order is in place with a hearing booked for Monday 1st December. The official receiver has indicated she's not likely to be interested in the flat as its in negative equity and therefore it's up to the mortgage lender if they wish to force a repossession. However she is keenly pursuing the rental money held in my mothers account. If the lender insists it is repossessed then the students will be evicted at some point. They rightly should expect the remaining balance of rental money. However the official receiver is demanding I hand it the rental money immediately. I fear if I hand it over now the tenants will not not see it and not only be asked to leave but will also be left without any rental money to find a new place, along with this being hugely disruptive to their final year studies. The thought of this is a heavy burden to me and I'd like to know what my options are with the tenants and the situation as a whole. Aside from dropping them right in it, I can see them pursuing my legally for the rental money. Ultimately I'd like to keep the flat, setup a plan for payment with the lender to settle the shortfall and get it back on track. I wondered if there was any way I could do this. Any advise or guidance would be very helpful. Kind Regards, Rob

A housing association has sent letters to over 600 of its tenants who have been identified as potentially having grounds to appeal against the government's controversial bedroom tax. Read More Here: http://www.24dash.com/news/housing/2014-09-25-Bedroom-tax-campaign-heats-up-as-600-tenants-face-appeal Just hope its successful and more HA do this.

A housing association has sent letters to over 600 of its tenants who have been identified as potentially having grounds to appeal against the government's controversial bedroom tax. Read More Here: http://www.24dash.com/news/housing/2014-09-25-Bedroom-tax-campaign-heats-up-as-600-tenants-face-appeal Just hope this is successful and that more HA get onboard. You could consider writing to your own HA and pointing to the above link and asking if they are going to do the same.

Nine million private tenants in the UK could be given extra protection from landlords who try to evict them. The government has decided to back a private member's bill, which would make it illegal to evict tenants who make justifiable complaints. It would mean that people who complain about faulty boilers, leaky roofs or dangerous electrical items would no longer have to fear eviction. However it is uncertain whether it will become law before next year's election. Nevertheless the news was welcomed by campaign groups, including Shelter and Crisis. According to Shelter, more than 200,000 people suffered from so-called "revenge" evictions last year. The government said it would back the private member's bill from Sarah Teather, a Liberal Democrat MP, providing it only targets bad landlords - and does not stop legitimate evictions. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-29156186

Hope that someone can help, this is a bit of a long shot and bizarre story but here goes..... My parents live in their owned (no mortgage) private property which is a semi detached. They're in their early 70's and my grandmother who requires full time care (early 90's) also lives there. My father still works full time. The adjoining property is let out to tenants through a private (multi national) estate agency. Mum and dad have never had any hassles at all with previous tenants and they live in a quiet cul-de-sac on a family estate. Anyway, a new tenant moved in around Christmas on a 6 month contract. There have been no problems up until the last few months. We know for a fact that the tenancy is just in her name and the estate agents have confirmed that there should only be her living there. Over the past few months, things have been gradually getting worse and worse. The tenants boyfriend is a firefighter in Glasgow (my parents live in Greater Manchester) and he works 4 days on and 4 days off. During his 4 days off, he stays in the property with his girlfriend (the tenant). They've had parties, BBQ's and gatherings and there has been evidence after these gatherings of drug taking etc (wraps and foil etc left on the driveway and in the garden). When the boyfriend stays, they have very loud, extremely noisy sex with the windows open and this goes on for 2 or 3 hours during the middle of the night. Having read up about it, I'm informed that cocaine and the like enhances sexual drive which is why they are at it for so long! A neighbour from over the road has verbally told them to be quiet (she has 2 young children) on several occasions but to no avail. The boyfriend will just shout obsenities and go back into the house. The neighbour then verbally complained to the estate agent about the noise. This is when the big problems started. The tenant incorrectly presumed that it was my parents (specifically my mother) who has complained and they've made my parents life hell since this. They have recorded my mother talking to my grandmother, they have recorded my father snoring and they have also recorded my mothers cat meowing and play this back very loudly at ridiculous times such as 2 and 3am in the morning. They are also concerned that they have had their telephone (land line) tapped. The reason behind this is because my mother was on the phone to the doctor about my grandmother the other day and the tenant then played a partial recording of the phone conversation to the gardener! My mother heard this going on as she was in her garden hanging out the washing. The gardener then said to the tenant 'you shouldn't be doing this' and apparently she just laughed. They also had a party at the weekend and played recordings of my mothers cat meowing over and over again to their 'friends' of which they all though it was extremely funny. This has been going on for sometime, my mother is not sleeping and it's now making her ill. She is extremely frightened of any repercussions as the boyfriend is very verbally abusive. I took my mother to her GP who has prescribed beta blockers to help calm her nerves. We also went to the police, however according to them, no offence has been committed so they can't do anything. They advised us to contact the council to see if we could get an ASBO against them, unfortunately we can't. Mum has just been told to keep a diary and report it to envirnomental health and they will then look into this. As mum is so frightened of this scottish boyfriend, she did not report it to the estate agency for fear of giving her name. Anyway, she has now reported it in writing anonymously and not given a name and address. I've tried to convince her to give her details but she's living in fear. Can anyone help or give me any ideas on what to do next. Police can't help, council can't help, environmental health may get involved eventually and mum is too scared to give her name to the estate agents (although they do have a complaint in writing now). Mum's spoken to other neighbours and they all agree that this tenant is a nightmare and they want her off the street. The tenant has some sort of recording equipment in her back bedroom because if you go into mums garden you can see extra wires and hear a buzz of some sort of recording equipment. The estate agents did do an inspection earlier on in the week and have confirmed that there is only her living there. They also said that if someone else was living there, it would be a breach of contract. We know for a fact that the boyfriend stays there 4 times a week. My partner has managed to find this out anonymously as he also works for another estate agency and has been advised of this by an employee. I wuld be grateful for any advice. This is making my mum ill and my parents life a misery. Mum is my grandmothers main carer and cannot leave her and should not have to live like this.

Hi, I own a commercial property which I had been leasing out to a tennant since 2010. The tenant fell behind in rent and I had to get him evicted earlier this year. I've now started receiving letters at my residential address from utility providers for his unpaid bills, British Gas and Opus. I explained the situation to British Gas and they've agree to pursue the tenant for the outstanding amount. Opus however are sticking to their guns, quoting the Utilities Act 2000. According to them the property was declared "vacant" on a date in March 2012, and since then the property owner (me) is responsible for paying electric. The Opus account was set up by the tenant, not me, and I've not been able to access the property until 2 months ago. Am I really legally responsible for paying his bills?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/26326033 I'm involved in a similar ongoing story. The local Trading Standards will soon be getting another report. http://www.consumeractiongroup.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?408378-Agent-wants-significant-rent-without-contract

I have read many stories from Landlords about their treatment by Walker Singleton and Mortgage Express. I have found out just over 5 years later that I too as a previous tenant am a victim of their disgusting behaviour and am in limbo as too know what to do. We are going through the process for referencing to rent another property, too be told I have a CCJ against my name for £4125 through Guildford County Court. I was totally shocked as I subscribe to Equifax to check my credit file and nothing has ever shown up. The Letting Agents kindly gave me the case no so I pursue the details of such. I was told this was a possession order (dated: October 2008) for an Apartment I once lived in and there was a monetary judgement attached. This is were the story begins. I was living on my own with my children when in July 2008 I received a letter from Walker Singleton to say the Landlord had gone into receivership and we had two weeks to get out otherwise the baliffs would enforce eviction within 7 days of the conclusion of the 14 day period. We had been paying rent directly to the Landlord up until the point and we were not in arrears. We approached the Council and found alternative accommodation within this period and we duly moved out leaving the keys as instructed. I thought nothing more about this until now. It turns out there were some of us who did move out and some of us who didn't (the landlord had bought 12 flats off plan on a Buy to Let). Several months later Walker Singleton applied to the courts for a possession order to evict all of the Landlords tenants. However, none of the tenants received the court papers and therefore as the noone defended the claim, the judge passed it and all possession orders were issued. Although, I had vacated the property I am assuming that there was still a live Tenancy Agreement therefore they could not sell the property as a vacant possession, hence I got caught up in the swoop. They cited rent arrears (apparently I have discovered from the point the Landlord went into receivership (Jan 2008) all rents should have been paid to Walker Singleton) however they did not notify the tenants of this so they were able to cite rent arrears. I have been told I am best to wait the further 7 months for the CCJ to drop off my file as opposed to trying to have it set aside as the judge may reopen the case, and with a lack of material to defend this story (being nearly six years down the line), the judge could reorder the CCJ and I am stuck with it for another 6 years. Surely, if they believed there were only rent arrears they wouldn't have gone for the possession order as I was no longer in the property and it seems absolutely absurd to me they have never enforced the CCJ to recover the alleged debt. Feel a real victim of this underhand practice. Has anybody else been a victim of this and is there any advice you can give me. Open to all suggestions - whilst I am tempted to wait the 7 months part of me is loathed to as I have done absolutely nothing wrong and now the prospect of renting a new house is in total jeopardy over this!!!

I saw this on the news a few moments ago. Shocking. Full story and comments - http://www.insidehousing.co.uk/tenancies/prs-landlord-to-evict-tenants-on-housing-benefit/7001479.article

I was recently rehoused by my local council as part of the homelessness prevention route, I moved in last week. However, since I have moved in I have had nothing but problems with the upstairs tenants, they make constant noise (not music) but banging around constantly and just making lots of noise all the time and this carries on until up to around 1am-3am or later sometimes. The previous tenant complained about them but I was informed before I had moved in that it had been resolved, it's classed as a private let but the council is involved in the tenancy as well. It's in a very unpleasant area, it's in a block of around 12 flats, some of them are unoccupied but the tenants upstairs seem friendly with quite a few other tenants which concerns me as I reported them to the Landlord. The Landlord got back to me yesterday stating that he had reported it to the police and the anti-social behaviour team at the council but will they actually do anything? also, because they are friendly with some of the other tenants they will easily guess it's me complaining with me being downstairs and with me having only just moved in. We have non-secure tenancies so they can be evicted easily and they have been reported before so really I think they have had a second chance and blown it and they should be evicted but I doubt that will happen. They are also running up and down the stairs very regularly and have lots of visitors banging on their doors so I don't know if any illegal activites are occuring but I feel very uncomfortable in the area and in my own flat. I have taken precautions, I have a panic alarm on my keys, I also have a panic alarm on the wall next to the flat door, there is also 4 big locks on my flat front door which were already there so I'm presuming there has been problems there before. I am just very worried, luckily I am not back there until Boxing Day as I am spending Xmas with friends and family. Any advice you can give me? Thank you.