Property I let has been sub-let and I'm upset!

r.mac wrote:

Alan_M wrote:

You paid an agent who let to Poles?

Did that not strike you as odd to start with?

quote]

I'm not sure that I am comfortable with this quote - I have several polish couples renting flats within my building and they are very good neighbours - much better than many british neighbours i have had to deal with. I don't think that country of origin has anything to do with whether someone is a good or bad tennant.

My advice would be to stick to your guns. If there is cause not to return the deposit then don't - there is no reason for them to have your personal home details if you used an agent.

There's a fine line between being a racist and being a realist, I live in the real world and I personally would be uncomfortable about letting any property I owned to immigrants - no matter what country they are from. After all people have no problem clearly stating "No DSS" on their adverts, which is discrimination of the underprivileged or unfortunate. How do you pigeon hole that in your politically correct world? And how would you consider "No immigrants" any more offensive than "No Dss"?

This isn't racist - this is sound business sense.

The OP has now found himself in a position where He is morally correct to withhold money to repair his property and I would normally champion his cause to the hilt.

However, it is clear that He is intimidated by these people and considering He will be moving into the property with his young family and therefore every one of the tenants know who He is and where He lives then I would advise the money is refunded and He be a little more choosy who his next tenants are. You live and learn.

If you think this makes me morally repugnant then you're entitled to this opinion - me - I think you're pandering to political correctness just a little too much and it's time to wake up and smell the roses.

Scooby_Man wrote:

I'm sure Polish people are very nice, but having spoken to a few other Landlords, they are reputed for sub-letting big time. Is there some kind of Polish ring in London? I can't understand how new people are coming into the house each week for a couple of weeks and then leaving only for a new set of people to come in.

It works in the following manner:-

There will be an established business man - either English or Polish that rents the house from you for an agreed amount. Say £1000 a month.

This businessman either runs or has connections with building companies and arranges work and accommodation for the immigrants. In return for this He takes a cut of their wages and deducts their living expenses.

For a 3 bed semi, you'll get 8 - 10 guys in there at any one time, each of these will be paying about £100 per week for commission and accommodation. So the guy arranging it all is picking up around £800 - £1000 a week - then paying you £1000 month for the property, of course all this is cash.

So you take all the risk, let your property out and earn £1000 month whilst the tenant earns a further £3000 or so for organising it all.

Any HMO laws that you fall foul of are YOUR responsibility not the tenant - sure you could probably evict for breach of terms - but then you have the intimidation problem again.

You going to use this agent again?

I strongly object to the anti-immigrant remarks posted above. All kinds of people come to this country for a whole range of reasons, and many of them are fine.

However, migrant workers who are willing to live under overcrowded conditions, and probably plan to return home or move on once they have made a bit of money, are probably high risk if you care about the condition of your property.

As for the OP's situation, firstly it is clear that there has been a major breach of the conditions of the tenancy. This could easily result in serious legal problems for him, for example the fact that his property has been used as an HMO witout satisfying the necessary regulations, and the fact that people are living there who have not signed a tenancy agreement and so could be difficult to evict. In the first instance, the agent has been quite extraordinarily negligent, and should not be used again.

Anyway, the OP would be justified in bringing the tenancy to an immediate end; seeking posession of his property; and witholding the deposit. I doubt whether the tenants would risk getting into serious trouble by retaliating, but if the thought of this would make him or his family uncomfortable the obvious solution is to find new tenants for the next six months and perhaps move into a rented property himself.

....but then something bugs me about having to bow down like this an be walked all over!

Then don`t be.........this main guy has been making a fortune of your back for months. He can withstand the loss of deposit. You shouldn`t have to. If these people were not immigrants you would prob pursue with full force of the law. Just because they appear threatening doesn`t mean they should get away with it. Just my thoughts........