Bats in the belfry, windows are jammed - London flat renting, deposits & landlords

she's been fucking unreasonable

I don't think she realises how little power she has in this context, and how difficult you can make her life with little negative consequences and effort on your part.

Ultimately I'd rather leave on good terms. Talk to her directly.

These are my main worries.
A refusal to leave might make me a renting pariah.

I may well be massively inconveniencing her, but we have no other options. We could put our shit into storage for a month and move us all into a Linton Travel Tavern but I just can't afford it.

Cheers for the advice!

I don't think she realises how little power she has in this context, and how difficult you can make her life with little negative consequences and effort on your part.

This.

I'll talk to the agent tomorrow, let them know where I stand.

Thanks!

she wants her home back, but she's been fucking unreasonable. I wouldn't dream about kicking a family onto the streets.

I tried to think of an amusing thing about being devil's advocate to go here but couldn't.

What if she has to leave her place and will be just as homeless as you? What if she has 3 kids and one of them has a disability - who goes in the Travel Tavern then? Jus sayin that you don't necessarily hold the moral high ground and she's not necessarily being unreasonable.

Though realistically she's probably got loads of houses and the needing it back thing is just a ruse.

she's not necessarily being unreasonable.

Given that she offered a two year contract, and has now reneged on it, and granted only the minimum notice she legally can, I'd say she's being pretty close to being unreasonable.

What if she has to leave her place and will be just as homeless as you? What if she has 3 kids and one of them has a disability - who goes in the Travel Tavern then?

As a Landlord she should well have planned for this eventuality, and should she not be able to cope with it should not have let her home.

Says my cold, dead heart.

I do know her circumstances, as it happens.
She bought the place knowing it needed work but then landed a cushy job in London.
She let the house as is, i.e. pretty shabby, but we rented knowing what we were getting into so no bother there.
It seems something's happened with the job, contract ended etc... so she's wanting to come home and pick up where she left off.
She's no kids and her folks live (fairly) local. I don't think a fortnight i the spare room would kill her.

Sorry to hear your pains Luci, I came on here to complain about a much more minor issue than being made homeless but might just keep my mouth shut now...

She's no kids and her folks live (fairly) local. I don't think a fortnight i the spare room would kill her.

Whilst I would not advocate what you're about to do, I think I might do it too.

Do try appealing to her better nature first of course. :)

Ha! Yeah, it's a ballache, but what can you do? It'll be sorted by August, that's all I know.

My GF is going to move in with me for 3/4 months whilst we wait to buy. She won't be registered at the flat or have a key etc. The landlord wants me to pay an extra £300 per month for this. The apartment is 5 beds but only 4 rooms are let (4 tenants). I know there are restrictions between 4 and 5 bed houses (fire doors etc) but as she will just be living with me, is it not my choice?

What does the contract say about moving other people in? The landlord has a right to know because a) they are unreferenced and b) cause additional wear and tear, c) impact on other tenants. Not sure about the £300, but they could justify it on the grounds that it covers them against the increased risk of the other tenants leaving because of the increased demands on shared facilities.

Is it registered with the Tenancy Deposit Scheme. If so, go straight to them and request it be released.

If it isn't, tell them that they're in breach of their duties, you'll be taking legal action and the likely remedy is that they'll end up paying you back three times the deposit.

http://england.shelter.org.uk/get_advice/tenancy_deposits/tenancy_deposit_protection_schemes/deposit_protection_and_tenancy_deposit_schemes?

a) I understand but I would be paying rent and she wont have a key or be registered at the address, so I would be liable for anything.
b) I accpet this but have offered to get a cleaner in twice a week, rather than once currently.
c) Other tenants are all our friends and we're just about to renew contract

He argues that he could rent the place out for more as a 5 bed - but he'd have to put a bunch of money into the house to make it legal, I think. There would be more wear and tear on the place as well.

I'll check the contract.

Lawyer mate recons a court order could take two months lulz.

Not to sub-let the premises or take in lodgers or paying guests without the prior written consent of the landlord. The consent will not unreasonably be witheld but it may be withdrawn on reasonable grounds and with the provision of reasonable notice.

Not to assign, in whole or part, the tenancy of the premises without the prior written consent of the landlord. Such consent will not unreasonably be witheld. The tenant will be liable for any reasonable expenses incurred by the landlord in arranging the assignment.

So from that I don't see that he can arbitrarily bump up the price of the rent. Or am I wrong?

Not within the fixed term - it would require a new contract I think.

So, our boiler has died.
We rent with Hamptons and pay a fair whack in rent. They have informed us that they can't replace the boiler without the landlords consent as it costs more than their agreed budget with him for repairs..
Our landlord lives abroad and has consistantly been shown to not give a damn about the state of the property. When one of our neighbours boiler died recently it took nearly a month to replace despite his partner being in ill health.
Where do we stand? Should they be replacing the boiler tomorrow as I feel they should or is it entirely at the landlords whims? I considered heating and hot water to be a basic requirement of the tennancy...

Our landlord lives abroad and has consistantly been shown to not give a damn about the state of the property. When one of our neighbours boiler died recently it took nearly a month to replace despite his partner being in ill health.

This is one of those annoying things where It's all about what is deemed reasonable. The property must meet certain conditions, i.e. must be heated, but obviously there's a lag between the boiler breaking and the landlord getting a new one installed because depending on the quirks of the property this isn't always a simple job, although on some properties it can be, and there might not be anyone suitable to do the work for a price that the landlord can / will pay.

A month....doesn't sound too horrendous, to be honest, although from your perspective it's not going to be a whole lot of fun.

To speed things up I'd line up a couple providers who can do the work then hammer away at the estate agent and at the landlord (if you can) every day to make sure some kind of progress is happening. Other things you can do - did you get a gas safety cert when you moved in? If not, and assuming you have gas, you can use that as leverage.

Can't you compromise by letting her move in and live with you for the the final three weeks, as a sort of handover, and you can make a hilarious sitcom out of it?

Or just stay and be unreasonable back. Trying to get you out will take her a good few months.

Can't you compromise by letting her move in and live with you for the the final three weeks, as a sort of handover, and you can make a hilarious sitcom out of it?

Ignore all other advice and do this.

Is she hawt? #sexist

This has legs. I need new writing material.

I'll call the show LandLodger

That's kind-of what we're doingonly being pretty fucking reasonable (for me).
Her little life in London has been hunky dory, people paying her mortgage while she makes big bucks. She decides to come home (after a 3 week holiday in the sun, mind you) and gives us two months to fuck off! We don't moan, find a new place but it doesn't EXACTLY fit madam's demands so she gets shirty. The cunt.
My only worry is that by not moving out it leaves a black mark on our rental searches and will pop up the next time we move, and may go against us at a place where competition is high.

I'm thinking of loosening a few roof tiles before we go and leaving open pots of honey tucked around the loft. A few wasps/bees nests should keep her busy for a while.

IANAL but used to share a house with a friend who was and who specialised in property law. She had a case where a family rented out their home whilst they lived in the states for a year. The tenant paid his first month's rent then stopped paying. They were still trying to evict him when they returned. Court dates would be set but then he'd not attend so the case would be adjourned until a new date was set. Repeat ad absurdum.

My only worry is that by not moving out it leaves a black mark on our rental searches and will pop up the next time we move

You'll get to a stage where she'll do whatever necessary to get you out.

Make it a condition of exiting the property that she provides you with a glowing reference, and says nothing that might affect your chances of securing rental properties in the future.

In return, you keep paying rent, and don't shit under the floarboards.

You get to stay a few more months in the property (allowing you to find a new place at your leisure) and she gets you out quicker than if you had really dug your heels in.

Win-win.