Landlord Scamming Council

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I started renting this property in Feb 2003 for £950 an agreement was signed for the amount of £950. We handed this into the housing office of our local council (housing benifit).

The council paid most of the rent.

In 2006 the Landlord decided the original rental agreement was wrong and didn't include the conservatory as an extra room, the amount should have been £1150 she wanted backpay from the council.

 

The landlord approached me, and explained that should i aggree to the extra room and the mistake (she claims) to the original agreement, the council will pay her more money and this wouldn't affect my position.

I refused to go along with her scheme.

 

in october 2006 I recieved a letter from the council where they refused the increase in the rent as the original aggreement was signed by the landlord. apparantly the landlord applied for her increase and backpay on my behalfe without me knowing.

 

I approached the housing office and explained that i had nothing to do with any correspondence between the council and the landlord. All council checks were going staright to the landlord.

 

Throughout the entire tenency from 2003 I have recieved only one gas and electric certificate.

In 2005, I was on holiday when the house was burgled, the window where they broke in was twisted away from the fram and cannot be closed. the reception area (with the broken window) is pulling away from the main building leaving a large gaping hole. allowing slugs to slither in.

 

during winter the house is like a large cold room. I spend approx £20 per week on gas and £20 on electric just to keep the house at room temprature.

The heating system works only one way, on hot water all the radiators heat up. on central heating all the radiators heat up.

The landlord says i should turn off the water pump whenever i want to get hot water.

In the summer the house it then a sauna

she has been informed that the entire boiler system needs replacing.

 

I have now recieved a new tenancy aggreement on a 12 month fixed term at £1150 p/cm in the same letter there is a photcopy of a notice requiring possession. expiry date 1st nov 2007.

Im confused as to why the dodgy possession notice and the aggreement at the same time.

 

Council have informed me that the house has five rooms and not six and falls under the £950 rent control.

 

Where do i go from here

[MrShed]

It is known as "sword of damocles" in the industry - landlords wrongly think that the notice will be valid - it is not due to the offering of a new tenancy. Before we say where to go, I guess the question is where do you want to go? Do you wish to stay in the property or leave?

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if i leave then the next tenant will have the same problem, why should landlords get away with demmanding high rents and offering poor living conditions. she needs to be put in her place , as far as i can see she is trying to defraud the council, ("no if's or buts")

if it comes down lo me leaving, can i contact the necessary people ie gas/electric inspector as well as building inspector. who would foot the bill if this is chargable. I know if i do all this but want to remain she will o doubt issue me with notice.

she cannot keep any of my deposit as she didn't get any when i moved in. (her arrangement as she was desperate to get a tenant)

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It is known as "sword of damocles" in the industry - landlords wrongly think that the notice will be valid - it is not due to the offering of a new tenancy. Before we say where to go, I guess the question is where do you want to go? Do you wish to stay in the property or leave?

Update

the landlady has now put a claim in to the council and had it approved for £1150 with this she has given me two letters stating the amount we pay her will remain the same as befor totaling £950. as the council was paying £230 per month toward a £950 rent my part would be £720, her letter states I will continue to pay the £720 and the councill will pay the balance, the council now pay her £344 per month, at no point was a rental agreement signed.

I would also like to know if I can seek compensation for the living conditions. In 2003 the property was burgled and the thieves managed to pull the back porch/entrance section away from the rest of the building and twisted the window frame preventing the window from closing, so for the past 5 years I have had to put up with living in an ice house. numerouse requests have been made to her, to repair the building, with no success. I have recieved no gas or electric certificate for the past 5 years. I have now reached the end and plan to move but befor leaving, I need to know if I can initiate Fraud charges against her for the council claims (most of wich she did on our behalf without our knowledge).

 

She has now decided to get a possession order because with her continual messing around with the benifit claims the rent amount fluctuates, meaning for a few months the rent was £900 the jumped to £1150 resulting in the council paying different, she has also raised the amount for a while when she claimed my 18 year old daughter lived with us as a student when in fact she moved out at the age of 16 to live with her friend. (two years prior)