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

Agreed, it seems a bit backwards, but technically if I just leave and they dont give notice on leaving the house, I'll still be responsible to cover the rent as I;m on the lease...

I think?

You don't have to do 1.

2 isn't really your problem because you are leaving.

That said, how much do you value continued good relations with existing housemates?

technically if I just leave and they dont give notice on leaving the house, I'll still be responsible to cover the rent as I;m on the lease...

You individually give notice to the landlord. The contract is up, you are done with it.

I don't want to fuck anyone over, but I don't care if they're annoyed at me.. if that makes sense.

Im also worried because I don't know how easy it will be to find someone to take this room. My room is twice the size of everyone elses and the price reflects that, but its a 5 bed house that is now in a state of.. less than glorious, in a not particularly nice area..

I don't think it will be easy. And i know my other housemates won't pay any more to get someone in, they'll make it my problem.

So you reckon I should just call the letting agency and tell them I'm leaving, independent of what everyone else is doing?

Also, sounds like the £4oo charge should be for the new tenant.

the £400 charge is for anyone silly enough to sign a contract that says they incur a £400 charge for 4-5 hours of administrative work.

You tell everyone else what you are doing, they throw their toys out the pram, you compromise, you tell the LA that they need to agree a new contract with the remaining tenants + new tenant.

If the remaining tenants want to stay, they need to find a replacement. If you are nice, you will help them, but you can just wash your hands of it.

I'm not sure why the existing tenants are willing to accept the £400 charge for a new tenant - it should (just) be a case of arranging a new contract when the existing one expires, which the LA should want to do anyway because rolling contracts are a liability.

Agree with the above in that I don't think it's really your concern. You've given the other tenants more than two months notice and ulttimately they will have to find someone to replace you if they want to continue living there.

Sounds like a good plan.

The final worry then would be deposit. Normally the new tenant just transfers the one leaving £900 and they get there names swapped on the lease.

I feel like this is a slightly different situation? If I leave and they find a new tenant, whats to say they send me any money at all?

I feel like this is a slightly different situation? If I leave and they find a new tenant, whats to say they send me any money at all?

Whoever is managing the deposit specifies where the portions of the released deposit go (account / sort code). In your case this is the LA.

+1million rep

Thanks! Feel much better...

You should dig out the details of where your deposit is stored. It should be a scheme, i.e. deposit protection service (DPS).

I don't think any of the above advice can be trusted without sight of the tenancy agreement. Everything will, or should, but laid out in it. All your questions ought to be answered by reading it.

My contract mentions nothing about ending the tenancy as an individual.

Standard joint tenancy agreement. According to shelter I can basically just hand notice in by myself and its up to my LL/LA to negotiate with the remaining housemates.

I don't think any of the above advice can be trusted without sight of the tenancy agreement.

True. I'm assuming the agreement isn't completely insane.

That said, if the contract expires and the agreement is over in november, you can walk away in november. I'm not sure what could be agreed contractually to make this not the case? Notice period perhaps?

and its up to my remaining housemates to negotiate with the LL/LA

:)

Gna be a lovely awkward 2 months remaining.

We have an wall on one side of our garden that has foliage growing to a height of about 10/11 feet (there is a wooden fence on top of the wall to support it growing higher). On the other side is an alleyway and the foliage is growing out into it. Because of the height and the sheer amount of it, it's probably a professional job to cut it back.

Anyone know who is usually responsible for such costs - landlord or tenant? (our contract mentions the tenant tending the garden (which we do) but this is a big job, and it doesn't go into detail on landlord's responsiblity for the exterior parts of the property).

Its the garden so it's your job. But you may as well ask the agent/landlord if they'll go twos.

OK, long story but basically, work has been done on the hedge without us requesting it and we have been sent the bill. Where do we stand?

Depends on your agreement (and all the facts).

If the garden is your responsibility then the starting position is the costs fall to you.

The fact that you asked the question, makes it sound as if the work needed to be done and as you hadn't done it you were in breach of your obligations.

If there was a risk of damage to the property (ie wall) or something/one else then it makes sense that the owner would limit any loss by stepping in to remedy the problem.

Still they should have asked you and I think there's room to argue.

How much is the bill? And is it a reasonable price for the work?

Also how urgently do you think the work had to be done?

The other thing I'd say from a bargaining POV if they've paid its up to them to try and get the money from you. Which sorta makes it more their problem than yours.

Thanks, we haven't been as on the ball with getting it sorted as we could have been but I think there should have been some communication with us re urgency before asking for the work to be done. They asked the gardener to do it and to send his bill to us. He only did part of the job yesterday and sent a partial bill so we don't even know the full costs.

Remember my flea ordeal?

Been feeling really ill for months-no energy, really down, fevered, stiff neck, joints, swollen glands, been to docs numerous times, told them about fleas etc, did blood work, came back with 'post viral syndrome' or 'stress'.

Now, I've lived through far more stressful times in my life and come away unscathed, so I've been doubting this and still felt I was carrying something else-although the idea that it was self-generated was really troubling in itself and frankly I was despairing.

Finally last week I decided to do online self diagnosis and thought back to when the problems started i.e, moving into that flat. What can fleas give you? Typhus. Symptoms of which fully correspond to how I've been feeling.

What do you need to treat typhus? A meagre 5 day course of antibiotics that are also used as an anti-malarial so thankfully very easy to get hold of online.

Self-source antibiotics and 5 days later I'm feeling 1000% better, fever, joint aches gone and actually have some energy.

Apart from feeling a bit let down by the Docs on this, I'm also feeling guilty about the settlement reached with Landlord which basically gave us our rent back on condition we didn't report him to the council.

As a matter of public health I probably need an official diagnosis too but I feel for the poor bastards in that flat now and would go back to docs to tell them this if it helped shut that fucker down.

What I'd like to know is if I do report him/typhus to the council will he be likely to counter-sue or claim back the money we recouped?

Could someone else shop him for you? Or tell any new tenants to do so?

will he be likely to counter-sue or claim back the money we recouped?

That's something you'd know better than us as you've dealt with him.

If you're asking whether he'll be able to, I think someone else made the point way back better than I will.

But it was to the effect that he'll be the one who has to try, pay for a solicitor, prove breach of contract, and that the term was enforceable.

If it did go all the way my gut would be that as a private tenant you would be looked on more favourably than a professional landlord especially given the circumstances (if you didn't have your own lawyer and he did even more so).