Help regarding rent.

poorwanderer

I am renting a flat which the original contract ended Aug 15th and now its on a rolling contract where if the flat sells I will get 2 months notice (i really want to move and not sure I can wait 2 months).
The rent is due 15th of the month.
I have started a job where I am paid at the end of the month.

I am not in arrears as at the end of this month I am paying Sept - Oct (15-15) meanwhile my landlord has emailed saying...

Just for aide memoire, don't forget you are supposed to pay your rent in advance. Sept is ( as agreed) in arrears until pay day, - but October's should be due Oct 1 too.

I am not sure where he has plucked the 1st of October from as if I start to pay the 1st of the month he will be making an extra months rent in profit. On top of this he is trying to convince me my electricity usage is £120 (30 Units a day) meanwhile I live in a 1 bedroom flat?!

Not sure if anyone can help, someone at work was telling me that as long as the rent is received in that month they cannot argue as they are still receiving the money. Really stuck as I dont actually have the extra £1000 to hand him just like that.

Any advice would be welcomed...as im really getting stressed about it...

RAS

Um.. you have misunderstood the law re notice.

The land lord has to give you two month's notice. You can give him one month's notice anytime you want, as long as it ties in with a rent day.

And where is the electricity meter? When do you read it?

poorwanderer

Super about the one month, although I am sure he told me I had to give 2 months?!

The meter is downstairs, I have called the company who said I am using much less... which is fine althoug my landlord is trying to justify the meter reading he made...

Im more worried hes moved the monthly payment date from 15th of the month to the 1st.

RAS

Hi

It probably says two months in your contract, but by law, on a periodic tenancy, it is one month on the tenant's side.

HAs he regsitered your deposit?

And no he cannot just change the date of the rent payment.

vectistim

Presumably for the six months (or however long the original contract was) up until 14th August the contract has been running 15th-14th, and presumably 15th was the original date the contract started.

Therefore the statutory periodic version of your tenancy should be continuing in the same manner.[1] Maybe if you ask where the 1st came into things - play the fool and remind the landlord that its always been due on the 15th so far and you don't understand why its changed.

[1] I've come across cases where the payment date gets shifted about a bit, generally to fit in with tenant's income, so in those sorts of cases a tenant might pay say six weeks' worth of rent in one go to push the date back to a more convenient time of the month.

poorwanderer

He is not accepting change and well I am starting to think that him and his partners are not to organised ( i was recently handed electricity bills from February 10 to now..) bit of a shock to the system.
I am aiming to pay him all the money he wants and move out 1st November. Am I correct in saying if I give him my notice to move 30th Sept (When i pay the rent) I will move out 30th October...

docmaggiemay

No, because yiu have to give at least a months notice, and your notice has to end on the last day of a rent period. So if your rent is due on the 15th, the earliest you could end it would be the 14th nov. The landlord may agree something different with you but doesn't have to.

poorwanderer

fine with me either way, I just think I have to move out as they wont fix the window, install blinds... its just getting a bit hectic...

vectistim

Oh, I _think_ I've got it now.
My reading of this is that the contract began on the 15th of the month, but an agreement has been made between you and the landlord to pay the rent two weeks late.
ie: You will pay the rent from 15/9 to 14/10 on 30/9 or 1/10 with his agreement, and suddenly he has asked for the rent that falls due on 15/10 on 1/10.
Am I reading that right?
AIUI your 1 month's notice is meant to run from the tenancy date, therefore if you give notice next week that one month's notice would run from 15 October to 14 November (but if you pay the rent according to my understanding of his request you will have paid rent up to 14 November)

poorwanderer

Bingo... yes.... he landed me with "the rent october 1st thing" .... I replied... isnt it 15th - 15th?
I can cope with that gives me 6 weeks to find a new place!