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

Trying to chop it down now...

Got some specifics and trying to find more. Increasingly inclined to bite the bullet and draft a lawyer in : /

• me * who caused it.
  
  

:)

I like all the words, boring the lawyer into submission is a very valid tactic. It's not their £3000, be annoying and long-winded and they'll tell the landlord to settle just to make you go away.

Don't worry about unsupported statements, so long as you are telling the truth.

Make a counter offer at the end - £5k maybe.

Include a poo, if you can.

An update has come, this is the reply I've just received:

My sincere apologies.

The email I sent you requesting a move-out in two weeks was a mistake.

At first when I began reading your email I couldn't understand your
email at first. Then I had a look back at what I'd said.

No, clearly two weeks is obviously not an acceptable time frame. This
was a genuine mistake which occurred whilst looking at the wrong month
on my laptop calendar. I hope you'll accept my apologies for the undue
stress caused to you upon reading that.

The actual date I had intended to reference was the last Friday of
July, being midday on the 29th of July as the final move-out date.

The property being vacated on this day is not ideal and the day before
would be better to allow time for a change over, but as I had
mentioned in my previous email, it's common for people to want to move
on a Friday - the prospective buyers would like to pick up keys on the
Friday afternoon and I was prepared to include this day incase you
also had this preference.

Could you please confirm you are in agreement with a move out date of
July 29th.

Would you also provide your partners surname please as the purchasers
solicitors require that information and my solicitors may also be
required to get a signature from both you and your partner that you are aware
of the Sale and confirming it will be vacated by the given date.

Regarding the check out report, I could look back at the file although
I'm sure your right when you say that the lettings agents made a mess of
the check-in and I believe that was also one of the reasons I chose to
dispense with their services too.

I won't therefore be booking an inventory clerk-although I had not
intended to in any case-and will arrange for someone to visit the
property as you move out or immediately after you have vacated your
possessions.

Its starting to feel like a joke. So far we've gone from two weeks notice, to now six weeks. Although, I'm not sure what's happened to the two months stated in the contract?

Although, I'm not sure what's happened to the two months stated in the contract?

He's trying to make you forget all about it by being super polite.

So.....
Me and LadyLiz just moved into a rad part buy/rent flat. Dropped a massive wad of cash for the privilege.
The block isn't finished yet and some fucking savage has taken to spitting and smoking in the lift. We're a mix of full ownership, part buy and housing association tenants.
Us and the other residents have reported this and the first reply we got was they suspect they know the culprit.
Time to lay my hands on a tiny wifi camera to gather evidence and cover their door in Tynan-paste?

I'm no curtain twitcher but fucking hell....

Found relevant case-law and very politely but long windedly told them that we'd take £3k now or £6k in court for the privilege of living in cunt landlord's flea-pit these last months.

Have now had an argument with gf as she seems to be feeling the strain more than me and having previously driven the 'let's take the cunt to court' option is responding to the stress by suddenly questioning if the earth isn't flat after all and we should have just taken 1k and fucked off into the sunset.

I would have been more inclined to do this if I hadn't already spent two days reading up on legal minutae about infestations of every variety, Constructive Notice, Statutory Nuisance, and indicating you'll be a really obstructive arsehole whilst pretending you're just being really thorough and diligent.

Please please please I can't be bothered both going to court over this and dealing with relationship dramas...

Nicely done. Tell Mrs Gruber Hefty from the Internet confirms you are doing it right.

In the recent downpours my friends flat is basically filling up with water and cant live in it. the landlord refuses to do anything and says they can leave the door open on their way out....

what can they do to make the landlord do something?

Any Tenancy Agreement will require the house to be in livable condition.

They need to get it in writing from the landlord that they won't fix it, then get advice from a housing charity like Shelter as to whether the issue and the landlord's refusal to act breaches the Tenancy Agreement.

Is there a clause in the contract about the property becoming uninhabitable due to flood / fire etc...?

I'm not sure if they have a tennancy agreement... something i have just learned. fingers crossed. Silly happy go lucky Spanish. Landlord sounds like a right cunt, but i hope they havent left themselves wide open.

^ see Hefty's comment

It's difficult to provide a residence on a rental basis and not have responsibility for it to be habitable I believe.

@markairsy1 if they don't have an official agreement, they have an AST by default. It's the landlord who leaves themselves open if they don't provide a contract.

@Howard @TW @Hefty thanks for the advice.

If they have no contract, I'm betting that their deposit isn't in a registered protection scheme.

In which case, move somewhere else, stop paying rent, and sue for 3 x the deposit amount.

i suspect the same. trying to get all the info from them.

Hello Londoners from London's famous London Town.

I've been living abroad for the last two years and am coming back to London this weekend. I have a temporary apartment for a month but will need to find a flat to rent long term within that month.

A lot has likely changed in the last two years. What are good areas to look for a 1-bed or studio flat I can rent whilst living somewhere with a good ride to soho? Any good agencies or other means to find a flat?

Thanks!

What is your budget?

£1500 pcm max, although I'd rather spend more like £1300.

Tooting is where im considering, with similar requirements.

So I found a nice flat, but they agency says I can't keep bikes in it.

They also say I can't keep bikes in ANY flat they manage, and they are pretty certain this rule is applied by pretty much every letting agent in London.

WTF

How do you all deal with it? Do you just ignore them?

That sounds like total bollocks, unless they're confused and talking about the communal halls/stairs/etc.

You ignore it/tell them you have just sold all your bikes......

This.

If you're worried, get some of that clear plastic carpet protector and put that on the floor underneath your bike(s).

Good call, and if you're storing more than one bike, try to keep them (and bike maintenance) to one room. That way if you do get any oil/marks on the carpet, then you'll limit the damage to one section of carpet.