Is this slander?

crispsandwich

My g/f rents a house from someone who is a pratt. Here is a breakdown of the main reasons I say this:

The house is never sufficiently heated. There are storage heaters in some rooms. The average temperature in the house is about 10c at the moment (considerably less in the bathroom and kitchen where there are no heaters). My g/f has a child and has been assured that the heaters are working properly. This assurance was from a friend of the LL who is an electrician and lives in one of his houses. My g/f invited the LL round to discuss the situation. He said he'd come back during the day two days later when it was daytime and discuss it further. He didn't turn up. Instead my g/f got a snotty letter in the post saying in future the LL hopes all issues could be resolved amicably and it is up to my g/f whether she keeps the heating on all the time (the issue of temperature was not addressed). There were no arguments at all when he visited so the 'amicably' part is a bit of a mystery.

Anyhow, this week he wanted a surveyor to look at the house for some reason so asked my g/f to be in. She said she couldn't and they would have to arrange it when she was in. He left a message on her answerphone saying he was going to turn up and let himself in and if she leaves keys in the locks he will use "illegal means" of entry. My g/f won't stand up to him. I'm away all week but I'm seriously contemplating turning up on his doorstep at the weekend and asking him to discuss why he thinks he can treat her like this.

My g/f is showing prospective tenants round tomrorrow and I intend to tell them all of this. Could there be any repercussions from this? Could it be classed as slander if (when) word gets back to the LL?

I know he is breaking the law by letting himself into her home but she says she can't be bothered with the hassle of arguing.

Any thoughts?

debtfreein4years

slander is difficult to prove and its not slander if its true. however i wouldnt risk it if the landlord is being an idiot as what are the chances going to be of your gf getting her deposit back if you do tell the next lot of tennants the truth?

crispsandwich

Ta for the quick reply. The deposit is protected and the house is imacculate so my g/f will get her deposit back.

debtfreein4years

if you are going to tell the truth, possibly put a positive spin on it. i.e the heaters dont really get the house up to a decent temperature, however the landlord has checked them out and says they are working properly.

not sure how you could spin the landlord using "illegal means" of entry.

another thing to consider is will your gf need a reference from this idiot? if so that could make it difficult.

good luck

anotherpaul_2

crispsandwich wrote: »

My g/f is showing prospective tenants round tomrorrow and I intend to tell them all of this. Could there be any repercussions from this? Could it be classed as slander if (when) word gets back to the LL?

It would have to be proven and there would have to be financial harm (which turning off a potential tenant could be). I would recommend against it. Do not bring it up and, if asked, just rufuse to comment. I suspect that will be sufficient, and is definitely not slander.

crispsandwich wrote: »

I know he is breaking the law by letting himself into her home but she says she can't be bothered with the hassle of arguing.

If the request was in writting and with reasonable notice, he's probably within his rights. My tenancy agreement says I will allow the landlord or his representative reasonable access for repair work (which would include quoting for said), or to show the property in relation to a sale or rental. It must be reasonable and not adversely affect the tenants quiet enjoyment of the property.

If he breaks in, that's potentially a different matter, but preventing access is also dodgy - potentially, in a shorthold agreement, the LL could serve notice (though I guess she's moving anyway). However, I think just entering the house (without sufficient notice) would be trespass, which is a civil matter, not a criminal one.

crispsandwich

She's already got another home to move into. She just doesn't want to argue with this current LL. It's a real shame 'cause he'll just do this to other tenants.

anotherpaul_2

crispsandwich wrote: »

I'm away all week but I'm seriously contemplating turning up on his doorstep at the weekend and asking him to discuss why he thinks he can treat her like this.

I just noticed this. No, no, no. Don't harrass your girlfriends landlord. It can only make the situation worse.

crispsandwich

Thanks anotherpaul for the reply.

The notice was less than 24 hours (although Ithink he dated the letter so it looked like it was 24 hours) and she didn't give permission. All she wanted was to be present during the visit. I always thought the covenant of quiet enjoyment over-rode anything in a tenancy agreement, unless it was an emergency.

With regards to the slander and prospective tenants, we both feel we should warn other tenants of his behaviour. There is a thermometer in the house and it will show how cold it is. They will no doubt comment on it when they enter. Also, my g/f is doing him a favour by even allowing viewings because surely she could just refuse and say it is inconvenient until her tenanacy is finished?

This is all a bit confusing.

crispsandwich

anotherpaul wrote: »

I just noticed this. No, no, no. Don't harrass your girlfriends landlord. It can only make the situation worse.

You're right. It's just very frustrating. My g/f feels like she has to bow to his demands and I don't like seeing her getting stressed about it. It's her home.

anotherpaul_2

crispsandwich wrote: »

She's already got another home to move into. She just doesn't want to argue with this current LL. It's a real shame 'cause he'll just do this to other tenants.

I'm afraid she has to look at it as not her problem. The more hassle she (or you) causes, the harder it will be to reclaim a deposit. The problem is one for the new tenant and they may be in a better position to fight over it.

I have experience of landlord troubles. The CAB advised that the landlord could claim pretty much anything about damage to the property, rent arrears, etc, and tie up my deposit for a long time. It's not worth it. Moving and drawing a line under it is the best thing we did. (And we got our deposit back, in full, without a fight.)

logie28

I would def tell possible future tenants this LL is a prat, with the reasons why. I would also tell him what you think of him for treating his "punters" like this, sounds like a total pillock!!

Dont worry about the deposit, you say its protected under the new ish scheme.