Student rent arrears

[Tehya Mai]

Hi I hope some folks could give offer me some advice for my son who is a student at university.

 

During his second year he house shared with three other students, the tenancy was a group one i.e. any problems and all were held responsible. They left the house in July 2013, my son and one other owed a couple of thousand in rent arrears between them to which they agreed to pay once their new student loans came in the September.

 

In September they moved to a new property and tried to arrange a payment plan which they could afford. In December my son was alone at the new property (they others lads had gone home for Christmas) when letters arrived threatening court action this prompted my son to contact them and apparently they (the solicitors) had been sending these letters to my son's first year address at student halls so they didn't receive them. My son paid his arrears because he'd managed to work all over Christmas/New Year and raise the money but the solicitors wouldn't let up because the other student still owed £1500. The solicitors sent a payment agreement which my son signed electronically, which also included the other three boys names but they didn't sign it because they were all at home still for the holidays.

 

So anyway to come to my question because my son signed this stupid agreement in a panic he's now being hounded, told he'll be made bankrupt and have all his stuff taken unless he pays what the other student owes i.e. the £1500 plus another £1000 in added solicitors fees, they actually came to his new digs and handed him the letter that has given him 18 days to pay up in full all they will take him to court and file bankruptcy against him.

 

Where does he stand, he has paid every penny he owed personally but this other boy won't pay and now my son is being made responsible, he doesn't have this kind of money and neither do we?

 

Sorry if I've put this in the wrong place.

[AndyOrch]

Thread moved to the appropriate forum.

 

Regards

 

Andy

[Tehya Mai]

Thank you Andy, I really did look but struggled to find where to put it. Thanks again.

[AndyOrch]

Not a problem ...it can be rather daunting when you are new finding your way around.

[mariner51]

As you say, son was jointly & severally liable for rent arrears of all 4. The collec tors have found him and will pursue. The only route in this situation would be to pay arrears in full and sue the other T for his share.

Were any Guarantors sought by LL before letting as they are prob equally liable?

At least your son was resp for sig share of arrears. just consider the poor housemate who paid rent on time, he would be equally liable as your son but with no respect for your son & other rent debtor, causing his problems.

 

 

Fair does to your son working over Christmas to pay his share. I assume son still is in contact with other debtor or knows his current address?

[Tehya Mai]

Hi, thank you for the reply, yes he knows where he lives as they all still live together just in another property. The one owing the debt won't pay he just keeps saying yeah I'll get my dad to pay but then does nothing about it leaving my son with a debt he can't pay, he's back in university now and can't work anywhere near what he did over Christmas to pay his own rent arrears. I just don't know what to advise him to do as he can't pay, he'll starve if he even tries as he has nothing left after his normal bills.

[mariner51]

You don't say whether each T had to provide LL with a Guarantor?

 

 

Pass delinquent T's current address to LL so he can pursue through SCC

 

 

Then Son gets orig flatmates together and explains they are all jointly liable for rent arrears for next 6 years and a resultant CCJ will adversely affect their chances of future loans, ASTs, mobile phone & internet contracts etc.

Detail who owed what, son has paid £x for his share and only 1 is in default It's called 'peer pressure' Name & shame.