I'm a tenant along with my girlfriend who have been renting a property since the middle of last year, I have been doing a lot of searching for similar scenarios and this place seems knowledgeable enough for me to feel confident on asking your opinions.
Apologies for the rather random title and very long post....
Okay, just to be clear our landlords agent has by recorded delivery sent us a letter releasing us from our agreement due to the landlord a) breaching the quiet enjoyment (debt collection/ballif threats, solicitors starting repossession processes, court letters and hearing scheudled etc) and b) Not carrying out required repairs in reasonable time/ever, some of which were the toilets, one of which that has been broken and never fixed (not draining).
Now, our landlord has finally after months of never communicating has decided to try and fix things. So the place is on a RESIDENTIAL mortgage that we a) have confirmation from the lenders he didn't and still doesn't have permission to let and b) he stopped paying months before we moved in and was late with his payments for over a year. We were asked by the lender to find alternative accommodation, this happened a week before xmas :(. As we had no security of tenure so we made arrangements to do so.
So, we have our deposit back, found a new place and are due to move in shortly. Wahey!
However, the landlord wants to come and view the property while we are still here. In a normal situation we would be happy to oblige but this chap has breached our trust and we don't even know who he is. We suggested that the agent could visit at any time they liked next week or even today to which the landlord declined and is insisting he comes in to "view the property he hasn't seen in 4 years".
Okay, he does own the place and maybe worried that something might happen. I can fully understand that we could be a unsavoury bunch that would wreck the place (its unfurnished btw) but quite honestly the place is in mint condition, we haven't broken a thing.
We requested his address from the agent under the correct legal act and the one given (the only one he gave them) was an address owned by another chap of the same nationality and approximate age under a different name (details from land registry, googling, research - he apparently has several dissolved companies at this address). We do have a duty of care to ensure anyone claiming to be the landlord is who he says he is right? I do think something is a bit dodgy here, all his mail goes here, debt collectors.....
What should we do? Should we allow access if he is accompanied by the agent? I don't want this guy coming near our belongings which can't be moved till the weekend (our insurance will only cover damage of transportation if done by a professional removals company) and also we are moving at short notice and don't get the keys to the new place till after he wants to visit.
We have had an awful lot of stress and hard work and had to obtain legal help to be released from our tenancy, we are already out of pocket but were happy to draw a line under this and move on/forget... but this is really annoying us now, we've felt a lack of security for 2 months now, my partner is nervous and anxious and is jumping everytime she hears a door in the block go thinking someone might try getting in...
I have found that landlords have it VERY hard, I've read horror stories from tenants destroying places, taking things, not paying rent for months, not allowing access, changing locks and a landlord seems to have to bend over backwards through the courts to get access.... its crazy!! However, we are quiet natured, law abiding "normal" people and are going quietly as it were....
We are also (although none of our concern) thinking it would be awful if this place was let out to new tenants only to be in the same nightmare! We do feel its quite immoral to create an agreement when you have no legal right do so and gain money by doing so, only to have someone maybe thrown out at short notice (we were told by the lenders and the court it would be a minium of 3 weeks)
A couple of questions:
a) Can we refuse access till after we have moved?
b) Should we contact anyone about what could really be fraud?
c) Is it worth pursuing any claim with the landlord if he does fix his finances like he says he is? (ie. costs incurred of moving at short notice, frees we paid for a tenancy that was breached, time off work to deal with it, legal costs incurred in getting out of the tenancy which he made difficult)
d) Should we contact the debt collectors with his address to ensure we aren't chased?
e) Sounds stupid but has he broken any criminal laws??
Just to be clear, rent has been paid on time, never late/missed since we moved, our recent inspection had NO advisories/comments and we have been (we feel) ideal and good tenants for any landlord.
Thanks for your time reading, I feel for you guys, don't think I will ever become a landlord with some of he horror stories of nightmare tenants there are on the net.
Kind regards,
Apologies for the rather random title and very long post....
Okay, just to be clear our landlords agent has by recorded delivery sent us a letter releasing us from our agreement due to the landlord a) breaching the quiet enjoyment (debt collection/ballif threats, solicitors starting repossession processes, court letters and hearing scheudled etc) and b) Not carrying out required repairs in reasonable time/ever, some of which were the toilets, one of which that has been broken and never fixed (not draining).
Now, our landlord has finally after months of never communicating has decided to try and fix things. So the place is on a RESIDENTIAL mortgage that we a) have confirmation from the lenders he didn't and still doesn't have permission to let and b) he stopped paying months before we moved in and was late with his payments for over a year. We were asked by the lender to find alternative accommodation, this happened a week before xmas :(. As we had no security of tenure so we made arrangements to do so.
So, we have our deposit back, found a new place and are due to move in shortly. Wahey!
However, the landlord wants to come and view the property while we are still here. In a normal situation we would be happy to oblige but this chap has breached our trust and we don't even know who he is. We suggested that the agent could visit at any time they liked next week or even today to which the landlord declined and is insisting he comes in to "view the property he hasn't seen in 4 years".
Okay, he does own the place and maybe worried that something might happen. I can fully understand that we could be a unsavoury bunch that would wreck the place (its unfurnished btw) but quite honestly the place is in mint condition, we haven't broken a thing.
We requested his address from the agent under the correct legal act and the one given (the only one he gave them) was an address owned by another chap of the same nationality and approximate age under a different name (details from land registry, googling, research - he apparently has several dissolved companies at this address). We do have a duty of care to ensure anyone claiming to be the landlord is who he says he is right? I do think something is a bit dodgy here, all his mail goes here, debt collectors.....
What should we do? Should we allow access if he is accompanied by the agent? I don't want this guy coming near our belongings which can't be moved till the weekend (our insurance will only cover damage of transportation if done by a professional removals company) and also we are moving at short notice and don't get the keys to the new place till after he wants to visit.
We have had an awful lot of stress and hard work and had to obtain legal help to be released from our tenancy, we are already out of pocket but were happy to draw a line under this and move on/forget... but this is really annoying us now, we've felt a lack of security for 2 months now, my partner is nervous and anxious and is jumping everytime she hears a door in the block go thinking someone might try getting in...
I have found that landlords have it VERY hard, I've read horror stories from tenants destroying places, taking things, not paying rent for months, not allowing access, changing locks and a landlord seems to have to bend over backwards through the courts to get access.... its crazy!! However, we are quiet natured, law abiding "normal" people and are going quietly as it were....
We are also (although none of our concern) thinking it would be awful if this place was let out to new tenants only to be in the same nightmare! We do feel its quite immoral to create an agreement when you have no legal right do so and gain money by doing so, only to have someone maybe thrown out at short notice (we were told by the lenders and the court it would be a minium of 3 weeks)
A couple of questions:
a) Can we refuse access till after we have moved?
b) Should we contact anyone about what could really be fraud?
c) Is it worth pursuing any claim with the landlord if he does fix his finances like he says he is? (ie. costs incurred of moving at short notice, frees we paid for a tenancy that was breached, time off work to deal with it, legal costs incurred in getting out of the tenancy which he made difficult)
d) Should we contact the debt collectors with his address to ensure we aren't chased?
e) Sounds stupid but has he broken any criminal laws??
Just to be clear, rent has been paid on time, never late/missed since we moved, our recent inspection had NO advisories/comments and we have been (we feel) ideal and good tenants for any landlord.
Thanks for your time reading, I feel for you guys, don't think I will ever become a landlord with some of he horror stories of nightmare tenants there are on the net.
Kind regards,