Please Help, Landlord refusing entry to get rest of our belongings!!!

furlong86

Is it against the law for the landlord to do this? our tenantacy ended on the 8th nov, but we have been coming and going for the past week to get our belongings with a small amount left to take, however when we returned to gain entry to the property yesterday the front door lock had been changed and we are unable to get our stuff, i phoned the estate egents and they said that the landlord refuses us entry, THAT IS OUR BELONGINGS IN THERE NOT THE LANDLORDS!!!! is there anything i can do????

I saw this link here does this mean they are breaking the law?

http://www.landlordlawblog.co.uk/2010/04/27/landlord-rights-over-tenants-possessions/

poppysarah

22nd Nov here.
Why didn't you take it all at once?

furlong86

lots of stuff, no car, manually hand moved everything. hard times. still what does that matter, that is OUR property

idristhedragon

But your tenancy ended on the 8th, whoch normally means you hand back the keys and it is no longer your property/storage unit

poppysarah

It's his property that he can't rent out from the day you left because of your stuff in it.

Did you pay for longer than the 8th?

You could ring the police and ask them to help but suspect you might not get far.

(if it was the day after then I might have some sympathy but it's 2 weeks!)

clutton_2

end of contract is just that... you LEAVE the property and take all your stuff with you... if you had no van why didn't you start moving sooner, or if that was impossible offer the LL rent for a week extra so that you could move your stuff. He cant let it out again if your clutter is in there can he ?

p.s. landlords do not run property storage businesses.......

purple.sarah

That is a long delay, I know last time we moved the landlord was annoyed we needed an extra couple of days to move belongings because he had promised it to another tenant, never mind a couple of weeks! Unless you paid for extra time to store your stuff there, it is not your property after your tenancy ends so you cannot use it as unpaid storage. You are not paying him for the property and you are costing him money because he can't let it to another tenant.

Contact the agency again and see if you can negotiate to collect the belongings at a time that is convenient for the landlord, he probably wants rid of them.

lovinituk

furlong86 wrote: »

lots of stuff, no car, manually hand moved everything. hard times. still what does that matter, that is OUR property

Sounds like you have been lucky! A lot of landlords would have billed you extra for storage or thrown all your stuff in the street/bin!

GAH

Legally, you don't have much of a leg to stand on. The landlord should be charging storage, and associated costs, as if he is trying to re-let he will probably be at least a months rent out of pocket.

As said above, contact agent or LL direct, make a time to come and collect all goods

Soot2006

I assume you are no longer paying rent and you surrendered the property to the landlord?

theartfullodger

Landlord is illegally withholding your property.. suggest you write (yes, WRITE!!) a calm & polite letter (and email if possible) saying you wish to recover your property .. but recogmise LL/agent may try & be difficult and suggest if you are still using the place you still owe rent until it is cleared..

They can't have it both ways.. if you are still liable for rent they may not change locks,