Landlord let himself in.....

1984ReturnsForReal_2

frugallass wrote: »

it's funny cos we've often joked that he probably has hidden some !

I AM NOT JOKING ABOUT LOOKING FOR CAMARAS


Serious.

brightonman123

def tell LL not happy with short notice, and repeat entries to YOUR flat.. esp if doing wor he is not trained/qualified (insured??) to do..

also rather concerned he is talking to your children, without you around?

check if tenacy agreeemnt allows you to fit extra lock/s yorself, and maybe your own cameras, to see what he is up to..

dunno how you can check if anything has been overtly installed tho..

border_collie

Especially as he left the hob..................but had been messing with that light.

I would try and do some detective work with regard to your electric use.

madeinchina

An over-enthusiastic landlord is a no-no. I wouldn't tolerate this.

ruggedtoast

I wouldnt worry about the contract, apparently the clauses of the contract have to conform with a normal AST or they arent binding; quiet enjoyment etc.

I doubt theres really much long term resolution to this other than to move out though. Regardless of what he agrees you wont ever be sure hes not coming out. He's probably harmless, but hey ho, theres a recession on and rightmove is packed with nice flats to rent and buy.

m_13

I feel for you. When we rented from a retired couple in Dorset we came home to find the husband sat on our worktop. He said he was trying to get the boiler to light. We had complained it was broken but he was determined that we were just stupid and incompetent and it needed a man to do it.

We then suffered two weeks of him letting himself in to try and fix it and British Gas not coming round because they didn't have the part. Eventually British Gas did fix it and paid compensation for the two weeks without heating but the landlord kept the money despite not suffering the inconvenience!

It was at that flat that we had a nightmare agent who came round every two months and ran her finger across the top of our picture frames and looked in the grill and oven. When the toilet upstairs started leaking into our bathroom she insisted that we were causing the damp by not opening the bathroom window. This went on for weeks until the large stain on the ceiling was very, very noticeable and we weren't strong enough with her about getting it sorted. Eventually they gained access to the flat upstairs and found the leaking toilet but no apology was forthcoming.

It's good that you recognise that you might lose your temper and might make things worse. Do you have a letting agent or did you rent it direct?

pinkshoes

You could mention that your insurance is invalid if he lets himself in whilst you're not there, and without your knowledge. If he did something and accidently burnt down your flat (check he's corgi registered if he's tampering with gas appliances!!!), I doubt your insurance would pay out for your possessions!

princeofpounds

Hey there,

The first thing you should do is go and look at Landlordzone Forums - it's a much better forum than here to get advice on renting matters. People there generally have a clear understanding of the law and in a couple of places are actually professional lawyers. MSE is great for a lot of things but is sometimes a bit fuzzy on housing matters.

Shelter is an alternative form of advice, and CAB can work for certain issues too.

Next you need to understand your legal position. There are two forms of law that apply to your tenancy. One is statutory (i.e. law written by parliament and case precedents judged on that law) and one is contract (the law enforcing your contract agreements). The latter cannot take precedence over the former (for instance, if I sign a contract allowing you to assault me, that's doesn't stop it being a crime).

So when you see contract terms such as 'don't change the locks' it is meaningless. You have certain rights as a tenant because whilst you rent the place, it is *your* home. Many amateur landlords (and some professional ones) simply don't know or don't want to know about this.

One of the things you are allowed to do is change the locks. It is not hard for most locks - simply change the barrel and leave the lock structure untouched. Change the barrel back before you leave. I think you are crazy not wanting to change the lock at the very least. It's non-confrontational and will improve your security massively. It should be standard practice for rentals even without a dodgy landlord, so if he complains, you can just say you had been meaning to do it at some point

Another is to insist upon 24 hours notice for all landlord access. Even then you can refuse them access. Landlords only have a right of entry for emergency situations (gas, water leak etc).

These things are not being difficult. They are fundamental rights of the tenant to live in their own home with 'quiet enjoyment' (a quaint legal term meaning without being bothered).

Of course if relations totally break down then the landlord can issue you with a notice to quit, but frankly, if they are such a jerk, why would you want to stay and line their pockets? Especially if you have been thinking about alternatives.

They also must follow procedure to force you to leave - they cannot do so if you are less than 6 months into the contract (under statute, not just contract law) as long as you pay your rent, and they must give you 2 months notice.

As for the energy bills being high, you might want to check to see if your meter is paying for anyone else's electricity... (like the servants quarters). I would also check for cameras, although this is highly unlikely! Especially behind mirrors and in grates and light fittings.

poppysarah

Good point about the electricity... You should turn it off for a few hours when you know they're in - flick that big old mains switch (Don't open the freezer whilst the power is off) and see if they trot down and see what's going on.

frugallass

m_13 wrote: »

It's good that you recognise that you might lose your temper and might make things worse. Do you have a letting agent or did you rent it direct?

It's a private rental - which makes it hard

I posted the note this morning.

My daughter is off school sick, I told her to put the chains on the door, not answer the door and not to answer the phone !