Is this legal?

paris2927

hello everybody! this is my first post here. i owe a lot of money to my bank and other credit cards. but what i would just like to know is are door step debt collectors LEGAL? one came to my doorstep and said that i should make an agreement with him or else he will take it to court. i asked if i could make a direct debit with his company, he said no. he said he will come every month to collect the money. i'm getting confused and stressed out. please help! thank you very much!

Lotta_Littlies

paris2927, I think perhaps you should post separately on the Debt Free Wannabe board as someone there may know.
Argh, wrong name lol, I mean Pandapants, don't let this go. This man sounds very odd to me.

Lotta

lynzpower

paris

you need to post this on the DEBT FREE WANNABEE part of thje site , we can help there

Guy_Montag

By entering without getting your permisison & giving 24 hours notice, I'm almost certain he is breaking the law. He certainly has no right to go through your things.

He sounds like a right dodgy character, unless the rent is very cheap, I would get the f'k out. I would also tip off HMRC once you get out of the place.

fimonkey

hmmm, and if he's as shady as he sounds then it's unlikely you'll get your deposit back either! (I had a HUGE effort getting mine back from a letting agency with legal contracts)!

How about NOT paying your last months rent and keep it back as your deposit (I presume it's a months rent you paid as deposit). Write to your landlord explaining what you are doing and that you'll agree to meet him and go through the flat together the day after you've moved out, and you will pay for any damage/repairs etc that you and he agree to and which is confirmed in writing. (I successfully used this technique once with a dodgy landlord even though i know witholding rent is illegal).

Technically speaking withholding your last months rent is illegal, but he doesn't sound like the kind of guy who bothers too much with the law. If he did bother you with a claim from the small claims court for the last months rent then you could counter claim for return of your deposit!

Mrs_pbradley936

Your landlord cannot enter your home and go through your belongings. You might have let it go in the past because you did not know any better, now you do. So tell him in no uncertain terms that if he enters your home uninvited again you will call the police.

It sounds like you have a “Sham tenancy” that means it contains clauses which are not legally binding. People put all sorts of things in them but you cannot have less rights than the law gives you. The only time this gets a bit risky is if the landlord lives in the same house and you are sharing kitchen and bathroom facilities with them. Then you are a lodger and not a tenant. That means you will have less rights but in terms of security and Notice to quit rather than privacy. There will be someone at your local council who is being paid to sort this sort of thing out, make sure you let them earn their money.