Landlord hasn't taken my money!

katelu

I have been in a rented house (very happily) for the past year and in Dec. the contract was up for renewal - the letting company wrote to say that they would do me a new contract for 6 months so I wrote back and said that I wanted it for 12 months could they please send me the contract post haste. I have yet to receive the contract and I have been phoning, emailing and writing (the local branch of my letting agency closed down and merged with another branch). I have been unable to get in touch with anyone and so just assumed my tenancy was continuing etc. etc.

Today was the day I normally pay my rent and it is sitting there in my account waiting, but it hasn't been collected. I don't want to get into a tricky situation (I am a single mum of 2 (4 and 3 yrs) and work full time and so don't want to find myself without a home when it wasn't my fault and want to avoid any problems. Am totally sick of chasing the letting agents and now feel like just putting the money into my savings until they get their !!!!!! moving and do something.

Any ideas/thought welcome on what to do - in a legal way please, I am juggling £15000 of debt and don't want any more worries;)

Zelie

It may be an administrative !!!! up due to the merger. Whatever you do, don't spend the money as it's not yours. Just leave it where it is for them.

One thing springs to mind. I leased for a year when I first moved to my current home. It was agreed that I'd stay on a rolling contract thereafter. And on the 13th month my landlord called and asked had there been a problem as the rent hadn't been paid. I was puzzled as I knew the money was sitting in the account. He suggested that I may have set up rental payments for a year and told the bank a final date for payments as we'd originally only had a contract for that period. Sure enough, he was right. Give your bank a call and ask if you'd previously put a final date for payments on. If they say yes then you can just ask them to make this month's payment and to pay monthly thereafter. If this happens then I'd also advise sending a short note to the agent apologising and explaining you had your own admin error and that the rent will be on time in future!

If there's no final date then write to the agent at the address they previously provided and tell them that as your six months lease is up and they have not provided a new contract then you are now on a rolling contract. Also state that they have not taken the rent and that it is sitting in your bank account waiting for them to draw on it and that if they would like to be paid rent via another means then they need to let you know.

ETA: How curious. That swearie word is a technical term where I work. Oh well. Think about boy chickens.

zone

As long as your landlord doesnt have plans to sell the place you have no need to worry. The rent money is in your account ready for them to collect. They have your phone number?

katelu

Thanks for that - I'll check with the bank, didn't seem to be a problem online but will double check in branch. Also I promise not to spend the money - it goes straight into a seperate account when I get paid and all that comes out of there is rent so it can't go awol "by accident":rolleyes:.

They do have my phone number and obviously my address so they can contact me easily - just a shame I can't do the same.

I do have the landlords phone no. do you think it would be a good idea to phone him direct and explain whats going on?

Thanks for you help, much appreciated.

poppysarah

You could always write to them both (LL and LA) to let them know - but check at bank first.

littlemissmoney

Isn't rent normally paid by standing order not direct debit?

If it's standing order then the problem is your end - they don't "claim" the money, you just pay it. If you pay by direct debit then the problem is their end.

thebaldwindowfitter

many landlords arnt renewing tenancies because now the deposit has to go into an insurance backed deposit fund which gives them less control over there deposit you agreement will just roll over