How can I find out if the flat we are renting is an illegally sublet council home?

nightmareinnorthlondon

Is there any way I can find out if the flat we are renting is actually a council property being illegally sublet? Our landlord has been quite dodgy over a few things and this is what has made me wonder. I looked on the Land Registry to see if the property we are renting was listed but there is no data available. It says: Price Paid/Value Stated Data: No.

BitterAndTwisted

Phone up the Local Authority's Housing Dept and ask them?

csnann

Have you received a Council Tax bill? If you're registered as the occupant, its probably a legal tenancy.

RAS

nightmareinnorthlondon wrote: »

Is there any way I can find out if the flat we are renting is actually a council property being illegally sublet? Our landlord has been quite dodgy over a few things and this is what has made me wonder. I looked on the Land Registry to see if the property we are renting was listed but there is no data available. It says: Price Paid/Value Stated Data: No.

In which case it is either social housing or was last sold before land registration became compulsory more than 30 years ago.

G_M

Our landlord has been quite dodgy over a few things

Like.....?
Do you have a written tenancy agreement? Do you pay the council tax? Do you get receipts in the landlord's name for your deposit/rent? Is your deposit registered and if so in waht name? Is an agent involved? Does the landlord get mail at the property and does he collect it or ask you to forward it? Are any bills in the LL's name?

What do they council say when you ask? (of course it may be a Housing Association, not the council)

McKneff

Easiest way is just to go around a few neighbours and ask if the are council properties,

BitterAndTwisted

You could do several things like phone the Housing Dept and tell them you have been offered a tenancy at X address and believe that it might be a LA-owned property or phone them and tell them you have a repair issue you need to report and see what they say.

Pee

Before you phone the council, what will happen to you if it is? I wouldn't be telling them that it is until I had found somewhere else to live, which I would be looking for anyway due to the dodgy landlord. Neighbours wouldn't know, or may not be accurate about which council properties were sold off in the 80's. I think whether a sold property needed to be regsitered then depended on the area it was in, and certainly gifts of property didn't have to be registered until I think January 1997.

myhouse_2

McKneff wrote: »

Easiest way is just to go around a few neighbours and ask if the are council properties,

No, as the first poster said, the easiest way is to phone the council and ask.

amberjade_2

There was a programme on Panorama last night about this. If it is illegally sublet they will give you time to find a place.

Emmzi

they *may* give you time to find a place. they are under no legal obligation to do so, and may have done on tv last night because y'know.. on tv...