Rental Advice

WeaponX

Hi there,

I'm looking for a room in Clapham Junction and have a question about the deposit situation in some of the places that i have viewed. See the below answer i received from the leaving tenant:

· The room is available on the 10th, I cant move out before or afford to pay rent after – so only come along if this date is appropriate.
· The bond is £615, and rent is paid in advance. I will pay £154 for the 1st ten days so you will need £306 up front for April rent – a total of £921 payable to me (your name won’t be on the lease, you leave - you fill the room!)

I wonder if anyone else has seen this situation before? I've viewed quite a few rooms so far and some have this rolling type of lease where you can leave anytime as long as you find someone who can take your place and pay you your deposit back. Apparently this is common place especially round Clapham.

Any advice will be greatly appreciated.

Fire_Fox

If your name is not on the AST, or at least on an addendum, then you have no automatic right to occupy the property, no right to your deposit returning and no responsibility to pay the rent!! This type of arrangement does happen but it leaves you wide open to being done over IMO. How would you even know the outgoing tenant had paid that months rent?

G_M

Walk away. Better still run.
The only person you should accept a contract from is the landlord.
The only person you should pay rent to is the landlord.
The only person you should pay a deposit to is the landlord.

You pay a deposit and half a months rent to this 'outgoing' tenant, and if you ever see your money again, consider yourself lucky. Landlord could evict you the next day.

WeaponX

Thanks very much for your feedback, my suspicions have been confirmed, will avoid from now on.