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

Often the referencing firms and letting agents just take a reference from your most recent landlord or agent, not the one before. Not saying you'll defo be safe, but you might.

They usually ask for the last two years in my experience, so if you plan on staying in your new place for that long you'll be alright.

Top advice there, folks!

I'll try that reference trick. Cheers!

Hello fellow renters, I'd like some advice on how to proceed. We've been living in our current flat since May 13 and in Nov 14 we signed a 12month tenancy extension and reluctantly had to pay a £120 admin fee for the agents to 'administer' this. We have been offered a 6/12 month extension, which we're wanting to accept (before the landlord comes back with an offer on rent) but I really am not willing to pay this fee again.

Any tips?

We just try to sign the longest the contract possible to mitigate the amount of fees, there's not much you can do I don't think.

Tell the landlord that you don't want to pay it. If you're a tenant they want to keep, it's in their interest to have it waived.

Could try contacting the landlord directly and getting them to just photocopy the previous contract. They're probably paying fees to the agents too.

My landlord has suggested a rent increase, is he expecting to negotiate, or should I just accept it. Its a 15% increase after 2 years.

Not too bad i'd say but doesen't hurt to negotiate.

In the past, I've always said sure to increase but would like x y z fixed.
If you have anything to fix.
Or a new bed/furniture if furnished place.

15% for two years is ridiculous, although not out of step with the general cuntiness of professional landlords. What has the landlord done to the property to justify it? Do they just want more money for doing more nothing?

This seems like the place to mention that Generation Rent - the only organisation that represents the UK's 11 million private renters - have had an unexpected funding cut after their main funder unexpectedly pulled the plug and are appealing for donations. They need to raise enough money by 31st August (Bank Holiday Monday) to keep them going until spring 2016 when they expect to secure longer term funding.

If you've ever had a shit time with a landlord, had your rent hiked massively, been revenge evicted, had to live in an unsafe/unpleasant property, or been ripped off by a letting agent (who hasn't?) you'll know how much this matters. In their first year and a half, they've already succeeded in pushing the government to protect renters from revenge evictions, take away landlord tax breaks and regulate letting agents, but there's lots more to do!

Details here:
http://www.generationrent.org/save_generation_rent_donate_today

Disclaimer: My boyfriend is one of their trustees, but this is a volunteer thing he does it because he believes in it, as do I.

Is there none of that £3m left over from the Kids Company 3 day bailout

We have an assured shorthold tenancy agreement with a 12 month term first signed in June 2013.

We renewed in 2014 and again in 2015.

We can't see a break clause in there, 6 months or otherwise.

Surely we don't have to stay the full 12 months before we leave?

gulp

If you signed for 12 months then yeah, you do. Talk to your landlord / agent tho if they can find someone else they should let you leave early.

You could just walk away from it and in theory you should only be liable for the rent in the time it's left empty plus the costs of re-letting it. However, these may add up to a fair bit, arguing about it could take a fair bit of your time, and you could end up damaging your credit rating so it's not an option to take lightly.

Best thing is to discuss it with your landlord, see if they can get new tenants, maybe offer to forfeit some of your deposit to reflect the additional costs/work for them.

They'd probably jump at the chance for you to leave. Then they can jack the rent up a bit.

This. Thank fuck (see owning your own home thread).

30 days is fine and he said if the exchange takes longer he can be flexible if we need to stay on.

To those on pre-paid electricity meters, does anyone have experience of getting theirs removed?
I'd like to pay by DD instead, but I imagine the lettings agents will be particularly cunty and probably charge me or the landlord some kind of admin fee for the priviledge...

Can you talk to the Landlord? I'd imagine they like the PP meter because it means tenants can't leave an outstanding balance when they vacate the property. So getting it cleared with the LL is probably the biggest hurdle. If they are cool with it I'd imagine it's just a case of calling the suppler and asking them to fit 'normal' meters.

Annual letter from the estate agent informing of the arbitrary increase in the rent (always with the "similar properties in your area go for X" line)..

Told them we were leaving and they came right back with:
"We were just joking lol, don't worry about it!"

They will lose more bringing this back to market than if they had just left us alone (good, low-hassle tenants of 4 years).

Our landlord has just issued us with a Section 21 notice with 6 months to go. We just moved here in June, which cost an arm and a leg in agents fees / removals etc.

Kindly their managing agents have said we can discuss renewal before our tenancy ends, after which it will be put back on the market.

Utter cunts.

Assume they want to hike the rent up? Seems shortsighted at best.

It seems that way the way they're going. We got them down slightly on the rent when we moved in, so I can only assume their agent has advised them that we're now paying well below market rate for a two bed in the area (it can't be more than 10% less). Seems they're just playing hardball from the start.

At the same time our landlord has asked us for permission to come round to get the property 'revalued by her mortgage company', which makes me more suspicious. Assume she's either looking to buy more properties before the stamp duty changes, or she's looking to sell?

The agents dictate the market value.

They will have suggested that the landlord increase his price. Most landlords are happy with their tenants paying what they do - it's merely the agents wanting an increase in revenues and they do this by appealing to the greed of the landlord.

I have an agency who look after my property and every year they've suggested that I increase the price. I've avoided a price increase every time and have even managed to sign my tenant into a long term contract (3 years) at a fixed price.

Most landlords never want to see their property empty - if it's empty, it's costing them.

When the last flat Mrs b&d and I rented in London was up for renewal, the agency wanted to charge us about a hundred quid, to which I replied: "Don't be so fucking stupid - tell the landlord that we'll leave unless this gets waived..."

Neither side paid.

Our landlords were as good as gold - as far as maintenance and that kind of thing was concerned, we dealt with them directly.