Troubles with the landlord regarding electricity meter. Please help us!

DVardysShadow

verginicu wrote: »

I think 30 pounds a week for Council Taxes it's much money. He came here earlier and asked aboutthe weekly money for rent + Council Taxes because we haven't paid it yet. My fiance is not going to pay this money in cash. He is going to give him a ceque. This might be our proof we pay him 80 pounds a week. He also said to us we haven't paid any rent for living here.
Excuse my English but I am Romanian. My fiance is English. He says that I am the brainy in this family. Thank you very much for your support. I love this country because there are many nice and kind people ready to support the ones in need.

Thanks for including me as one of the nice people. Now, don't be stubborn. Take the problem of your tenancy to House Buying, Renting & Selling where you will find more people who take an interest in this type of problem. Please. Do it now.

It is no good paying council tax to this man by cheque - you can prove you paid him but you CANNOT prove it was for council tax. You will have to pay again. But you will not get the best help from people who are only interested in Utilities type problems.

Cardew

He came here earlier and asked aboutthe weekly money for rent + Council Taxes because we haven't paid it yet.

Your fiance has lived in the cottage for 10 or 11 months. How much has he actually paid the owner in that time?

How much for electricity?

Andy_WSM

DVardysShadow wrote: »

It is no good paying council tax to this man by cheque - you can prove you paid him but you CANNOT prove it was for council tax. You will have to pay again. But you will not get the best help from people who are only interested in Utilities type problems.

If the Op is living in an annexe of the Landlords property then there will be no separate council tax bill, but it is not unreasonable of him to expect them to pay their share of the council tax for his properties.

DVardysShadow

Andy_WSM wrote: »

I think a lot of people are missing the point here. It sounds like the Op IS already living as a lodger, the Landlord just wants to formalise the situation. £50 a week does NOT rent a cottage, 1 or 2 bedrooms, anywhere in the UK in the normal way, so something is not adding up here. I think if the Op doesn't like the situation, then look elsewhere and see what £50 a week gets them. They might not LIKE the fact that they ARE living in an annexe of his property, but that appears to be the facts. They are not in a separate property so don't have exclusive use of it.

If they want somewhere with separate council tax bills, separate water bills and separate utility meters then I think there is going to be a HUGE reality check needed with regards the cost of living in the UK.

Whatever. At this point, it looks like they are being scammed over utilities and over council tax. It needs sorting on the other forum.

zzzLazyDaisy

I am sorry for your plight, but if you have rooms in the landlords house, you are a lodger with a mere licence to stay, in which can be revoked at any time.

If you are a lodger, then the landlord has the right to enter the rooms at any time, that is the nature of being a lodger, you don't have exclusive access to any part of the property (although it would be prudent to lock the door when you are using the bathroom)

I have to say that I have some sympathy for the landlord, he appears to have been trying to do your fiance a favour by letting him live in the cottage at a very cheap rent, which doesn't appear to have increased with the arrival of you and your son. The cottage hasn't deteriorated to this extent over-night, so your fiance must have been aware of what the place was like. And presumably you knew exactly what the state of the place was when you moved in with your son.

Clearly the landlord made a stupid mistake thinking that he could let someone live in his property on an informal arrangement, and no doubt he is bitterly regretting it now. But as the property is up for sale, you'll be looking for somewhere else to live anyway, so hopefully you'll get some help from the council.

Good luck, sounds like you need it.

Clear_Sky

Cardew wrote: »

Your fiance has lived in the cottage for 10 or 11 months. How much has he actually paid the owner in that time?

How much for electricity?

Nothing yet. The landlord hasn't allowed him to read the meter and he hasn't ever read it. We just want to sort out how much we have to pay.

DVardysShadow

Andy_WSM wrote: »

If the Op is living in an annexe of the Landlords property then there will be no separate council tax bill, but it is not unreasonable of him to expect them to pay their share of the council tax for his properties.

At this point we are only speculating on the OP's exact tenancy.

Clear_Sky

Andy_WSM wrote: »

I think a lot of people are missing the point here. It sounds like the Op IS already living as a lodger, the Landlord just wants to formalise the situation. £50 a week does NOT rent a cottage, 1 or 2 bedrooms, anywhere in the UK in the normal way, so something is not adding up here. I think if the Op doesn't like the situation, then look elsewhere and see what £50 a week gets them. They might not LIKE the fact that they ARE living in an annexe of his property, but that appears to be the facts. They are not in a separate property so don't have exclusive use of it.

If they want somewhere with separate council tax bills, separate water bills and separate utility meters then I think there is going to be a HUGE reality check needed with regards the cost of living in the UK.

The trouble is that he denies that we have paid him the rent. We are not complaining about how much we pay and how much we get.

Cardew

DVardysShadow wrote: »

Whatever. At this point, it looks like they are being scammed over utilities and over council tax. It needs sorting on the other forum.

I thought this might be the case initially but, from a subsequent answer from the OP, they haven't ever paid for electricity.

One cannot help feeling sorry for the OP, but everything points to the fact that the owner has done nothing wrong.

He has lodgers, albeit in an annex.

If in 10 months they haven't paid for any electricity, haven't paid any water charges and been charged £80 a week(for rent and contribution to Council Tax - and not even certain if this has all been paid?)) it would appear they have had an unbelievably good deal.

Yet the whole thrust of their posts(and some replies) is they are are being exploited.

DVardysShadow

Cardew wrote: »

I thought this might be the case initially but, from a subsequent answer from the OP, they haven't ever paid for electricity.

One cannot help feeling sorry for the OP, but everything points to the fact that the owner has done nothing wrong.

He has lodgers, albeit in an annex.

If in 10 months they haven't paid for any electricity, haven't paid any water charges and been charged £80 a week(for rent and contribution to Council Tax - and not even certain if this has all been paid?)) it would appear they have had an unbelievably good deal.

Yet the whole thrust of their posts(and some replies) is they are are being exploited.

The reluctance to explore the tenancy issue is pointing that way. However going back to the OP on this thread or the other thread, it seems too that LL has attempted to put the OP's name on the Electricity bill.