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

so i'm pretty sure we can claim compensation for that too if we really want to.

There is a route for this, yes.

You have to be served the 'prescribed information', and you have to have signed it.

As a LL, failure to serve it puts you in breach of the law, and the fine that is imposed can be quite large (3x deposit or whatnot)

You can use this as leverage. Or use it to fuck him. Or both. As a LL I'd suggest the former, then based on the response, try the later if you need to.

http://www.propertyinvestmentproject.co.uk/blog/what-to-do-after-your-tenants-deposit-is-secured/

As always, don't read the comments.

My flea infestation saga continues.

Landlord was asked to pay for a professional, certified pest control service to come sort it, and steam carpets etc. Came back with 'I think you should move out'

On checking, he's not registered for any of the three properties he rents out. He's therefore illegally operating, and probably not declaring the tax. There is a max fine of £50,000 for not being registered and insured, and fuck knows what HMRC would do.

Is a polite email casually spelling out the above and suggesting he reimburses us for all rent since the lease began, plus compensation for our bedding/sofa etc that we can't take with us for fear of spreading the fleas to the new property a good or a bad idea?

Do it!

What do you mean 'registered'? He hasn't registered the deposits?

Yeh man, I agree! Get the email sent. It's not as if he can grass you up to anyone.

Only thing I'd be concerned about is whether he's crazy and whether he will kill you.

Other than that email away.

https://www.landlordregistrationscotland.gov.uk/Pages/Process.aspx?Command=ShowHelpLocalAuthorities

Legal requirement to be registered, have the required insurance policies, and safety certificates etc. Maximum fine = £50,000

I've a 6 month assured tenancy agreement, but it's one of the 'download for a tenner' type deals from the internet. I've spoken to shelter etc and up on all that so i know he can't evict me, I also withheld June's rent and he was surprisingly muted about it...

I've written a draft and couched it as that Citizen's Advice searched for his details and couldn't find him on the register, so hopefully any instinct to kill the Gruber will be tempered by potential comeback from not only HMRC/Council but po-po. I'm only asking for all rent paid plus £500, under the circumstances, and given that he's got 3 properties I know of, I think that's pretty cheap.

Already found another place to move into on July 1st... woot woot. Moving will interfere with watching the Tour but hey ho... worth it for a flea-free lifestyle!

It's got gas, I know from talking to the electrician that it's not compliant, and the central heating is OLD, with an exposed circuit board underneath so I'd hazard a guess that there's no certification-I've certainly not seen any.

Deposit is cancelled out by the unpaid rent for this month, but i'm hoping he'll see sense and just cough up to avoid potential scrutiny from HMRC.

Or kill you

He's a chef, not Al Capone...

Cook you and eat you?

well he's got three rosettes so at least I'd taste delicious.

#betterthanexpected

Legal requirement to be registered, have the required insurance policies, and safety certificates etc. Maximum fine = £50,000

Ah, Scotchland.

I agree with the pitchforkers, there's no excuse for being a cunt landlord. Grass him for all the things.

Not very good for you, but do you want him to dick over the next people who move in?

Are you getting your money back and then he screws over the next tenant

Once I gently encourage a refund and have safely moved out I'll be grassing him anyway. I just need him to believe that I don't want the hassle of taking him to court to achieve the same ends.

This is how these cunts can afford to send their kids to private school, isn't it?

Landlord = forumenger aicmfp

Ha, if it was I'd be using a jobby shot putt rather than a coercive email!

Email sent as signed the lease on my new place today. No reply yet.

Either slashing at a pig carcass with his sabbatier knives and cursing gruber or sparking open a bottle of Mumm that my misery has paid for and not giving a fuck.

Putting the chain on the door tonight and have my trusty bit of scaff pipe within easy reach as a precaution anyway...

The joys of renting property eh?

Anybody got any advice?

Landlord contacted us in January to say they were considering selling the property we're in. They assured us it wouldn't be quick process, and there have been a couple of emails, with up to 8 weeks delays from the landlord to respond since. We've asked multiply times for an indication of timescale, but never received one.

There were viewings in May and today (14th June) we've just received an email asking us to sign a legal paper to state we'll be out on the 30th June as they've sold the property and the new owner would like to move in on the 1st July.

Up to this point everything has been quite amicable, but obviously, two weeks isn't a lot of time. We've had no formal correspondence at all concerning any of this, just a couple of emails which were all quite chatty and nice.

Anybody been in a similar situation?

What does your contract say? I'd imagine you need to be given 28 days notice, but it should state the notice period.

Our contract started in October 2012 and has been rolling since then. It states a minimum of 2 months notice. Since January we've been expecting a Section 21 notice informing of our statutory 2 months to vacate. The two weeks notice is very sudden.

I agree that you should read your tenancy agreement as that will reveal all, but assuming you have an Assured Shorthold Tenancy:

If you're within the original fixed period they can't force you to leave before that ends. If you're after the original fixed period and you pay your rent monthly they have to give you two months' notice from the day you pay your rent. So if you pay on the 25th of the month and they give you notice now you'd have to leave on the 24th of August. That's the rules.

Work out your position, explain it to your landloRd /agent and that two weeks is silly short to find something, try to come to an agreement. It may be that if they're desperate enough to complete on the first they'll Bing you some dosh to tear up the contract...

Damn my slow fingers. Just read my last para above.

Damn this new page.