Landlord wants money paid into a different account than one set up at beginning

mickym

Im sure this is all normal as people swap banks stuff around all the time.

Our agreement is due to end mid August (but we are happy to stay on and landlord has said they are happy for us to stay longer. We signed a section 21 at start of agreement though on the finding agents insistance).

The landlord wishes us to pay our rent into another account to the one we have been paying in for the last year, i presume this is all ok to do?

poppysarah

The normal reason is you've fell out with a bank and want to be able to get the cash without it being gobbled up by fees etc.

Ensure you have it in writing to confirm the changes and as long as you keep paying I see no problems.

mickym

yeah all in emails. thanks sarah

Pee

I'd actually have a signed letter in writing, as well as the e-mails.

lonestar1

Could also be that at the moment your paying a LA and the LL wants to deprive them of their renewal fees by getting you to pay him directly

mickym

nah we are paying directly to LL already. The LA were just used for their tennancy finding and contract services. All contact has been made with LL since signing.

Im sure its just a fomality, i just wanted to check.

tbs624

mickym wrote: »

The landlord wishes us to pay our rent into another account to the one we have been paying in for the last year, i presume this is all ok to do?

People *do* change bank a/cs from time to time, without there being anything dodgy going on

If you are worried, all you need to do is send a letter to the LL by snail mail, keeping a copy, which simply says that you confirm that you will now be paying your rent into a/c xxxxxxxx, as requested. File copy with AST, job done.

mickym wrote: »

Our agreement is due to end mid August (but we are happy to stay on and landlord has said they are happy for us to stay longer. We signed a section 21 at start of agreement though on the finding agents insistance)...

There is no requirement for a T to actually sign a S21 notice, however, if they served it before they registered your tenancy deposit then it's invalid. Shhh.;)

mickym

tbs624 wrote: »

There is no requirement for a T to actually sign a S21 notice, however, if they served it before they registered your tenancy deposit then it's invalid. Shhh.;)

We were served with the s21 a week after we had moved in when we went in to the LA offices to sign off the inventory. I said that we didnt have to sign it, and the LA was insistant it was common policy for all their contracts... very weird that it was the last piece of paper they wanted us to sign.

Im just wondering now what step to take now with our tennancy. The LL has said to us that he is happy for us to stay for the long term and we are also happy.... im just wondering what happens next... sign a new long term contract or go on a month by month basis one?

tbs624

mickym wrote: »

We were served with the s21 a week after we had moved in when we went in to the LA offices to sign off the inventory. I said that we didnt have to sign it, and the LA was insistant it was common policy for all their contracts... very weird that it was the last piece of paper they wanted us to sign....

Not so weird when they are hoping to be able to demonstrate that you received it after the other paperwork was dealt with - if issued before the tenancy agreement or before you have had your tenancy deposit registered it is *not* valid. How does that date stack up against when they actually registered your deposit ?(assuming that they have done, as required by law if property is in E/Wales and the deposit was paid after 6 April 2007).

You have to think about how much security of tenure you want, and whether you would prefer to have your rent at a fixed amount for a set period - if you go month by month, then the the terms of the agreement are the same as those contained within the original contract except that you can give one months notice tied in with the rentals period, and the LL has to give you 2.The LL can, however, raise the rent after giving due notice.

Jowo_2

mickym wrote: »

The landlord wishes us to pay our rent into another account to the one we have been paying in for the last year, i presume this is all ok to do?

Do you claim housing benefit and is it your account that's been asked to change? I've came across threads in the past whereby some landlords prefer the claimant to have a separate account to receive their benefit. I assume this is so there is a clear separation between their rent and their other expenses to help them budget (and to pass on the rent to the landlord, of course).

If its the landlord's account that it changing, it could be for a similar reason, that they are now dedicating a bank account solely for the income and expenses associated with the let which makes it much easier to keep records for the tax return. Or, like me, the bank introduced charges and minimum balance for the account and they've found an account without these restrictions.

My understanding is that the requirement to sign an S21 at the start of a tenancy is a common practice. I assume it makes it easier to evict problem tenants if notice is served at the beginning though its not surprising its not a popular gesture. One interpretation is that it shows no trust. Another interpretation is that it is a risk mitigation practice that shouldn't be taken personally.

tbs624

Jowo wrote: »

My understanding is that the requirement to sign an S21 at the start of a tenancy is a common practice. I assume it makes it easier to evict problem tenants if notice is served at the beginning though its not surprising its not a popular gesture. One interpretation is that it shows no trust. Another interpretation is that it is a risk mitigation practice that shouldn't be taken personally.

It may be "common practice" amongst some LAs/LLs to ask a T to sign for receipt of a S21, either early or later on in the tenancy, but that does not make it a legal requirement.It quite simply is not.