Rent Deposit - Landlord making me a bit nervy!

MercilessKiller

Thanks tbs. I did email the Uni accom office late last week so will give them a few days before I call to ensure they received it.

Yes I paid in cash at the start, one month and then the £280 deposit as well (at his request/demand), and no he hasn't used a deposit scheme.

The thing thats annoyed me is all year he's called it a deposit. Not only did he handwrite it on the contract (as i asked him to thank goodness), but he's emailed me many times using that word. Then as soon as I speak a bit of legal jargon he changes his mind on what it is haha.

Hasn't he heard of being honest with your customers? Its disgraceful business and I'm not risking leaving him in control of my £280 with absolutely no agreement/word of when I'll receive any of it back (the current state!)

MercilessKiller

Hey - Still no reply so I've now cancelled my standing order...

Now let's see if all my stuff is still in my room when I get back there ^-^

alunharford

It's time to bring the legal people in. You almost certainly qualify for legal aid. When he gets a nicely worded letter from a solicitor demanding £1120 + costs, and reminding him that trespassing in the property can constitute tenant harassment and potentially lead to a prison sentence, he'll almost certainly get his own legal advice.

Assuming he's not so stupid that he ignores his own legal advisor, that will be the end of the problem.

MercilessKiller

I think I'll wait for a reply first? I mean he could come back to me and say "ok that's fine" about me canclling my standing order, or he could come back with a new solution which I'd be happy with...

Yet if he comes back disagreeing with the entire situation then I'll have to consider legal advice... Once again I just want my deposit back, I'm not interested in sueing for more money etc..

MercilessKiller

Well, that's the plan poppy!

But he may not see it like that... We shall see....

tbs624

alunharford wrote: »

It's time to bring the legal people in. You almost certainly qualify for legal aid. When he gets a nicely worded letter from a solicitor demanding £1120 + costs,..

The 3x deposit penalty may only be awarded by a judge/court order and AFIAA the "two months advance rent" proposals have yet to be dealt with in a court. It is likely that the LL could defeat any such order by repaying any amount that may be possibly viewed as a deposit,or scheme-registering it & passing on the scheme's info to the T, prior to any court hearing.

joolsybools

Why don't you open his post to find out who his mortgage lender is and then write to them asking them if he has a buy to let mortgage! They can't give you that info but it might get them asking him questions. I'm pretty sure he hasn't got one if he is still getting his post sent to your house.

Or report him to the inland revenue (paying tax??) Your LL sounds like a right k nob and needs teaching a lesson.

Sounds like one of my old landlords...

MercilessKiller

Yeh I mean ALL his post seems to come to us. Definitely 1 or 2 letters a day, a lot with private & confidential on front from banks, courts, bills (well that ones ok..) but ya know what I mean. Even christmas cards come to this address!

On the good side he rang me yesterday to confirm whether I was organising some cleaners to clean the place. I told him I've spoke to the other tennants who agree to contribute and we'll get in cleaners before I leave.. on OUR terms... he was more than happy and didn't even mention the fact I'd cancelled my standing order for the last month!

looks like it's all a-ok for now! The university accomodation people didn't reply to me (surprise surprise), so we'll see what happens.

Thanks for all the advice. This forum has REALLY helped!

MercilessKiller

Wow and not a few minutes after I wrote that was I lieing in bed and the landlord just opened the door and looked in.. said "dont wrory just showing people round..."

No warning or knock...

tbs624

MercilessKiller wrote: »

Wow and not a few minutes after I wrote that was I lieing in bed and the landlord just opened the door and looked in.. said "dont wrory just showing people round..."

No warning or knock...

If your tenancy was continuing an objection to this would be something to set out formally to the LL via letter etc (with back up from a private sector rentals officer) but as you are going, if you don't want the extra hassle of that, maybe you could get yourself one of those travel door alarms or one of these and print out an A4 sign for your door that says "knock before entering, you !!!!!!". Alternatively, just tell him f2f that it's not acceptable, preferably in front of his potential new Ts.

Student Ts in particular should be wary of over-friendly "let's be mates" LLs at the start of their tenancies, because some of them seek to use over-familiarity as a way of making it harder for inexperienced Ts to assert themselves over basic tenancy rights such as the right to "quiet enjoyment" of the property.