We Can't afford to go !

paul2468

Booked a holiday flat in Devon some 2 months ago, £50 deposit needed but i sent £70 leaving a balance of £200..Just got finished up at work and i know that we wont be able to go at the end of August as money will be tight.
Rang them up today to explain , but they said that if they could not re let the flat that i would need me to pay the balance, ...this is stated in small print on the bottom of the invoice they sent me...I thought at the most i would lose the £70.....can they make me pay the balance as i am going to find it hard to pay.

PolishBigSpender

So - you agreed a contract with someone, yet now you think you should be released from the contract because of a situation of your own making? That's not how things work.

paul2468

Thanks..thats just ( not ) what i wanted to hear.

PolishBigSpender

paul2468 wrote: »

Thanks..thats just ( not ) what i wanted to hear.

As I understand English law, they have an obligation to attempt to re-let the property for that time. If they don't succeed, then they can chase you for the money - equally so, if they manage to rent it for 100 pounds, then they can chase you for the remainder.

Nukumai

paul2468 - if by "got finished up at work", you mean you have lost your job...then I'm sorry to hear this. Losing your holiday on top of this won't be making you feel any better.

If the flat-owner at least understands that, despite any good intentions on your part, you simply won't have the money to pay him, then that might provide him with an additional incentive to find another tenant for the period in question - thereby letting you off the hook.

Good luck.

whamfanuk

cant you 're let' the flat? where abouts is it? i may be interested

maggiesmummy

Hi,
Had exactly the same problem for exactly the same reason, but the company we booked with worked hard to relet it and we actually got the deposit back minus an admin charge. I explained the situation at the time and they were really helpful and I think worked quite hard to help by marketing the week so could you ask the company to do the same? But I do agree that it might be work asking friends and family etc if anyone wants to take the week, or posting on your facebook etc.
Best of luck - I hope the work situation gets better too.

PHYTHIAN

Nice answer from Polishbigspender....just what people come here for when they are at at a low ebb.....a bit of petty sarcasm to rub salt into the wounds. And how being laid off at work counts as being of the OP's 'own doing' is beyond me. I can only assume everything in your own life is rosey and wonderful but hopefully, when you need some help yourself, you won't be met with such pettymindedness.

Anyhow. Paul, really sorry to hear of your bad luck at the moment. The only course of action really open to you is to write to them, explain your circumstances and hopefully the people your are letting the flat off will have a heart.

northwest1965

Sorry to hear about the job Paul but if it was me and I 'had' to pay the balance I would tell the person renting it to me that I would be going. If you pay in full and he does re-let he wins both ways

malkie76

PHYTHIAN wrote: »

Nice answer from Polishbigspender....just what people come here for when they are at at a low ebb.....a bit of petty sarcasm to rub salt into the wounds. And how being laid off at work counts as being of the OP's 'own doing' is beyond me. I can only assume everything in your own life is rosey and wonderful but hopefully, when you need some help yourself, you won't be met with such pettymindedness.

Anyhow. Paul, really sorry to hear of your bad luck at the moment. The only course of action really open to you is to write to them, explain your circumstances and hopefully the people your are letting the flat off will have a heart.

I don't think PBS was being sarcastic or particularly unkind - his post was blunt but reasonably accurate - ie that the situation the OP find themselves in is not the concern of the company with which the holiday flat is rented.

The OP signed the contract and is unfortunately liable for the consequences. To question if the rental company 'have a heart' is rather short sighted as they are a business with their own bills to pay and may themselves be struggling in the current economic climate. They potentially have recruited summer staff based on money waiting to come in for signed contracts.

However, overal I hope there is a good chance the flat can we re-rented and the OP won't be out of pocket too much. I doubt the rental company will want to take things to court, particularly if the OP is struggling financially with limited means to pay.

bcl999

malkie76 wrote: »

I don't think PBS was being sarcastic or particularly unkind

Maybe not but I, for one, am fed up reading his/her "tough love" replies.