Can't Contact my Landlord

bo.jangles

Hi everybody, I'm hoping that somebody can help us.

We are currently renting a flat, and have been for a little over four years. We've been renting privately through our landlord, paying him the rent directly every month and have never had any involvement with an agent.

We've never bothered our landlord, paid our rent on time etc and haven't actually spoken to our landlord for just over two years.

We will be moving shortly and of course now wish to give notice (we wish to move on the 31st January - we normally pay our rent on the first of each month). However, I have been trying to contact our landlord for two weeks now, with no success.

We have tried his mobile number (goes to voicemail without ringing - i've left lots of messages), home number (no longer in service) and work number (no longer works there).

I've tried to write to him and had no reply, and our building manager who lives a few doors away in the building has also been trying to contact him, with no luck (he had an e-mail address but e-mails keep bouncing back).

Any ideas what we can do? We're a little stuck!

Thanks in advance

anniecave

I would write recorded delivery to the last postal address you have for him?

I assume his previous work have no way of getting in contact with him? (just worth asking... if you phone and they say he doesn't work there, they may still be able to pass on a message?)

If you have bank details where you are paying, would the recipient bank be able to pass on a message? May be worth going into a branch of the relevant bank if possible and trying this?

You may have difficulties getting your deposit back if he has disappeared... (I might be tempted to deduct deposit off the last rent payment but that wouldn't be correct legally of course).

Cannon_Fodder

Miss a months rent, he'll come to find you, no problem...!!

(you want to move out anyway, so by the time he serves notice, you'll be out!)

Nitha

I would speak to CAB see what they suggest. There must be some sort of regulation in place for this type of incident.

jassco

Doesn't a landlord need to keep their tenants updated with contact details? If they do then sending a letter to the last known address and having evidence of this will be enough, whether the landlord actually sees it or not.

Or as others have said, just stop paying the rent. If the landlord is still alive / not in jail they'll soon be in touch!

bo.jangles

Thanks for your help everybody.

we pay £700 a month rent, and the deposit we paid 4 years ago was £500, so I was tempted to only pay £200 for the last rent that we are due to pay on the 1st january, but didin't know if this was ethical, let alone legal!

I'll send a recorded delivery letter to him today, and see what happens.

I ask his ex employers if they could provide any contact details, or pass on a message for me, but they said this wasn't something they could do unfortunatly.

They really should have kept us up to date with any changes. I spoke to our Building Manager agian last night, and he seems to think that there was a marriage breakdown, and the ownership of the flat (and thus our landlord) is not the ex wife of the man we've been trying to contcat. We've never even spoken to her on the phone, or met her, so I was quite shocked!

Thanks again.

Mike_turnbull

I would say with the lack of response leave the property as you found it and pay any moneys you feel are owed - post the keys and you can leave with a clear conscious.

zebulon

idem than above.

might be a bit tricky if no one can contact them if you need a reference for your next place though!

pinkshoes

Your deposit won't be protected as you moved in before the protection scheme started, so I would send him a recorded delivery letter (to the last address he gave you) saying that as required, you're giving him 1 months notice to move out, and will be vacating the property on 31st January.

Also go on to say that you've spent the last 2 weeks trying to contact him with no success, so because of this your last rent payment on the 1st January will be £200, which is the £700 rent minus the £500 deposit you paid in 2005 when you moved in. Say that if this is a problem, then he needs to get in touch with you asap.

RobertoMoir

I think Pinkshoes is right - aren't LLs obliged to supply an address they can be contacted / served notice at? If they haven't updated that address then thats on the list of things that are their problem, not yours. Especially as you appear to have made quite a considerable effort to look for them anyway, I don't think anyone can have any reasonable complaints about what you do now now, especially if you can prove the effort you went to.

Fire_Fox

Have you searched for your landlord on the electoral register?