Rent Increase - Can I Disagree?

Alias_Omega

A house 4 doors down from our property, of lower standard & quality was advertised at £430 a month. Going against the advice from the letting agent, we advertised our house at £390 a month.

Our house was let the next day.


Tactical rent reduction to get the tenant in place, then to increase the rent slowly 12 months on.

martindow

If the OP does nothing and never gets around to signing a new agreement would the tenancy not just carry on at the original rent with one month's notice for T and 2 months for LL? If the LA is inefficient this could continue for a long time.

Regarding the illuminated sign, you need to object to this but read up on your local authority's site and elsewhere before submitting something. You must object on specific planning grounds. Saying I don't want this to happen is no good.

Malicia_Crass

Wee_Willy_Harris wrote: »

LHA rates are based on average rentals for different property types. Your LA website will have a list of LHA rates going back monthly for well over a year. If that isn't available, just ask them what the 2 bed LHA rate is now, and what it was a year ago. That would be a good starting point.

Thanks. I have checked the LHA website, and found that the LHA for properties in my area has decreased by 4% since May 2009.

If the poor lighting makes the stairwell hazardous at night, inform Environmental Health and they will enforce the landlord's repairing obligations.

Do you think this will apply to outdoor stairs (only way of accessing the two flats)?

clutton_2

rental properties have to comply with HHSRS regs.. (enforced by the local authority housing department) and you need lighting on stairs.. its a safety feature... however i doubt this will endear you to this poor landlord.. and if you dont sign the new agreement it is likely he will serve you notice to quit.. perhaps it is time to move on to somewhere safer

N79

martindow wrote: »

If the OP does nothing and never gets around to signing a new agreement would the tenancy not just carry on at the original rent with one month's notice for T and 2 months for LL? If the LA is inefficient this could continue for a long time.

No - if the rent increase notice has been served correctly then the new, higher rent will apply from the expiry of the notice - normally 1 month. It is perfectly permissable for a LL to propose to raise the rent of a periodic tenancy. If the T continues to pay the lower rent and does nothing then the T will start to build up arrears and is, or course, liable to eviction under Section 8 and a court awarding the additional rent.

Malicia_Crass

clutton wrote: »

rental properties have to comply with HHSRS regs.. (enforced by the local authority housing department) and you need lighting on stairs.. its a safety feature... however i doubt this will endear you to this poor landlord.. and if you dont sign the new agreement it is likely he will serve you notice to quit.. perhaps it is time to move on to somewhere safer

I already tried to get the light on the stairs fixed but they denied it existed. Aren't HHSRS regulations just guidelines? Are they actually under any obligation to fix it?

I don't think they'll want me out - My neighbours in the other flat have just moved out, so I don't think they'll be wanting two empty properties.

clutton_2

""Aren't HHSRS regulations just guidelines? " -

once you have evoked Environmental Health they will look at the whole property and produce a list of works to be done by the landlord graded into different grades of risk... Grade 1 repairs are compulsory and LLs have to do them, if they dont, the council will do them and charge the LL .. lesser things are optional - but a Trip Risk on a staircase i would have thought would be Grade 1 as you could seriously injure yourself

Malicia_Crass

I've contacted them, the lady has put in a request for someone to fix the stair light and repair the gate.
They will also contact the store about possibly installing a light in the alleyway.
Mentioned HHSRS but I think the fact that someone got robbed at knifepoint down there a couple of days ago may be the real reason they are now listening.

The agency who manage the property weren't aware of the planning application but will be looking into it.

carolt

Re the rent, if you state YOU don't think it's worth any more due to the lighting, and that you don't wish to pay the extra, then the ball is in your landlord's court. S/he can either say 'OK then, you can have it for the old rent', or not.

Depends how greedy/desperate they are.

As stated above, they would almost certainly have a void period which any intelligent landlord can work out is going to cost more than they'd make from a higher rent (and that's if they could get anyone else to pay it, given what you've said about the sign).

Not everyone is aware that rent increases are open to negotiation. If you don't ask, you don't get - works both ways.