What rights do tennants have?

iwanttosave_2

We tried the council route, we have two kids and had to wait for 18 months after moving into my mothers hoouse where there was 7 of us in a 3 bed, you need to get a letter from your landlord saying it is going on the market and you need to be rehomed by xx date, but if you have no kids they have no obligation to rehome you.

chugalug

The availability of social housing varies by area so might be a good idea to let your council know whats going on. By urgent status do they mean homeless? I would go for independent advice - do you have a Shelter, CAB or law centre near you? If not try https://www.shelter.org.uk

You have the right as a tenant to quiet enjoyment of your property which means no harrassment of any sort. Keep a diary. You also have the right to correct notice (which is at least 2 months) and the right to stay in the property until you are able to leave. If you can't leave then your landlord would have to apply to court for a possession order to evict you.

The date of your tenancy could be important so try and find your paperwork and have it checked out. Don't do anything without taking proper independent advice.

lynzpower

Shelln steve.

Just to say, you wont reach council priority ( although generally you would if you have kids) that the council will say you have made yourselves intentionally homeless. Stick with me on this

You are in your home.
Your LL wants to sell
You leave before your landlord goes through the official eviction procedure ( ie court all that jazz) This process itself Ive known taking minimum 6 months.
If you leave the property before being legally evicted, the housing department MAY ( and I use may as in I dont know whether this is set down legally or this is a local practice based where I work) say that you COULD and SHOULD have remained in that property until you were evicted. I suspect however, that others inthis thread are alluding to the same process, which makes it legal porocess rather than a p[rocedural one if you get me.

As you havent ( ie if you leave before eviction) you have CHOSEN to make yourself homeless as potentially you could have stayed for a further X months till you were formally evicted.

Any assured shorthold tenancy agreement (including the ones bought from WH Smiths!) would mean that you have to/ should sit it out until you ar formally evicted if you want council stock. If you are happy to find yourself another private rented, then save yourself the aggro and go that way.

Do check with your local authority housing dept. They have a duty to prevent homelessness, and thus wil be able to tell you thier process for awaiting eviction.
And your local law centre/ homelessness advice service will be able to guide you through the process.

black-saturn

Same thing happened to me 4 years ago. Most people are on an assured shorthold tenancy which doesnt give you any rights when the landlord wants you to leave at all except the 2 months warning period.

My landlord of my last house decided to sell up and gave me 2 months notice. I spent 2 months looking for somewhere else to live but it was easier said than done. There were hardly any other places to let in my town and the odd few that came up had about 10 other families going for them. I went on the council list but they had no vacant council houses. The two months notice came to an end. The landlord took me to court and the courts gave me another 2 months to find somewhere. I spent that 2 months frantically ringing letting agents every day, waiting in the council offices, walking the streets and looking for 'to let' signs and putting the word out to friends and family that I was looking. I still didnt get anywhere at the end of that 2 months. Landlord took me to court again. Courts gave him possession of his house and me 2 weeks to vacate. End of 2 weeks and I still have nowhere to go. Bailiffs come and make me leave. I go to the council and sit in their office with my 2 young children. They give us a room in a hostel for the homeless. It's a long walk from the school and I have to live in 1 room with a shared kitchen, bathroom and lounge with my children then aged 7 and 5. There were also loads of drug addicts and drunkards in there. I stay there for 6 months. Then the council rehouse me.

The key is dont leave until the bailiffs say you have to otherwise the council will see it as making yourselves intentionally homeless and therefore wont give you anything at all. Also dont go and live with family or friends as then you wont be on a priority list. I'm afraid you will have to suffer pain to get some gain and even then the house you get might not be up to much.

lynzpower

Also to add that new rules for families in temporary accomodation is that families are not allowed to be in temp accomodation ( B&B hostels ) for more than 6 weeks. I agree with black-saturn, the quality of the accomodation may not be what you are used to, but I would give my eye teeth for a 2 bed council flat for £85 a week. which is what my LA charges.

black-saturn

As well as that they charged me £400 for the court fees :mad:

Curry_Queen

I thought you said you owned your property and had paid off the mortgage, not rented a council house, and that you did a runner from your last place due to a violent boyfriend?

black-saturn

Thats right. I now own my own house and owe no mortgage. I did a runner from a violent boyfriend 5 years ago. Although why I have to explain myself I don't know

Spendless

black-saturn wrote:

Thats right. I now own my own house and owe no mortgage. I did a runner from a violent boyfriend 5 years ago. Although why I have to explain myself I don't know

Because people are interested. They see you post about having no mortgage and want to know how you did it, to see if you have any tips or ideas they can copy or adapt to their own situation. Each time someone asks a question about it though, you don't seem to want to answer

black-saturn

Yes because people on this site get jealous if someone has more than someone else then they pick at peoples decisions and actions.

If you have something to ask about me coul you please start another thread? I don't want this thread to take over as another one having a go at me. Thanks.