landlord has key???

prudryden

JanCee wrote:

Some useful information for the OP and her friends who are the tenants. There is a booklet available free of charge called ;

Assured and assured shorthold tenancies:a guide for tenants. From

Communities and Local Govt Publications
PO Box 236
Wetherby, LS23 7NB
Tel: 0870 1226 236
email: [EMAIL="communities@twoten.com"]communities@twoten.com[/EMAIL]

Also lots of information to be found at www.direct.gov.uk

There is also a free booklet for landlords, maybe you should order that as well so that you are also clear as to what the landlord's rights are. You could also order an extra copy and give it to him so that he knows not to overstep the mark. However I think any kind of confrontational approach should be avoided.

Good luck.

Very sound advice. Festina lente! (Go quickly, slowly)

Arm yourself with knowledge. My father used to say "when you go hunting rabbits (to eat), always carry a Bear gun on your other shoulder, just in case you find one".

deary65

My father used to say:

A man will never have the last word in an argument with a women but, if they ever do, it's the beginning of a new argument.

peter999

Hasn't the lock got a button inside to lock it & to stop it being opened from outside ??

Long time ago, gas fitter came to inspect boiler.
He had set of keys & opened door without knocking.

I now always use the button to lock it from inside.

I will not tolerate anyone coming into the property without asking me.

peter999

prudryden

peter999 wrote:

Hasn't the lock got a button inside to lock it & to stop it being opened from outside ??

Long time ago, gas fitter came to inspect boiler.
He had set of keys & opened door without knocking.

I now always use the button to lock it from inside.

I will not tolerate anyone coming into the property without asking me.

peter999

And that is how it should be, and how it works 99% of the time. (Figures just thrown out, no backup data, used for emphasis only)

peter999

You need to take action against Landlord to protect Tenants.

The fact that Landlord is harassing tenants is very serious.

All discussion regarding changing locks is irrelevant.

peter999

deary65

That is the problem peter these ladies have not the confidence to take action, if it were me, i would have no problem kicking his butt.

jamesd

LittleAngel84, beaniebaby,

I'm sorry that I must say this but the sad reality is that, if you have an AST as your tenancy, your landlord can give you two months notice and you will then be evicted if you do not leave. The eviction process will take a little additional time, but it will happen.

The only way to change this under an AST is to get a new AST with a fixed term in it and no break clause (a break clause can provide the option for one or both of the parties to end the lease before the fixed term ends).

In practice all this means that if you have a serious disagreement with your landlord, you're going to be evicted. Sad, nasty, but reality.

You can't stop that result if the landlord wants to do it. What you can do is document all the harassment which is going on so that you can subsequently win a harassment case against the landlord and be compensated for the routine harassment you appear to be suffering. This will not get you your current home back but may put money in your bank account to compensate you for the harassment.

Sadly, the ability to give you two months notice means that, in practice, you can't secure any better outcome than this if the landlord wants to be obstinate about harassing you.

However, what you can do that would better your position substantially is ask for landlords who want two stable female tenants who want to stay in the property for a long time. This may help you to find some of the decent landlords who exist both here and offline. Decent landlords should like you as tenants because it's likely that you will be long-term tenants and reduce the chance of them having periods without rent. The need to have adaptations done to the property is a drawback but the positive side for the landlord is the continued availability of tenants from a pool that's not served by most of the properties available.

If you don't have success that way, I suggest chatting with one or two of the local letting agencies and ask them to put you in touch with a local landlord who is regularly refurbishing properties and might be interested in refurbishing one for your needs to get a likely long-term tenancy. The additional costs during a refurbishment should be minimal but it does require getting in before the property is normally advertised as being available.

Once out of the property, do be sure to let social services and the local agencies know about the harassment. Don't expect to see any dramatic results but it may help to cause them not to offer the properties of this landlord to other vulnerable people.

prudryden

James's comments are very sound and a truism.

deary65

Quote

In practice all this means that if you have a serious disagreement with your landlord, you're going to be evicted. Sad, nasty, but reality.



Tenants at risk

Citizens Advice Bureau officer, Debbie Crew, believes that a loophole in the law is allowing tenants who make legitimate complaints to be evicted by landlords.

<snip>

Crosby, Formsby and District CAB is leading a campaign to change the law to provide more security for tenants, when trying to enforce their rights. A possible solution is an amendment to the Housing Act 1988 making the service of a Section 21 notice invalid in circumstances where the tenant has recently taken steps to enforce statutory rights regarding disrepair or health and safety issues.

It is a similar idea to the provision in employment law, which makes it possible to claim unfair dismissal if you are sacked for pursuing statutory employment rights.

<snip> (details of Australian and US legislation given)

The introduction of a similar reform in the UK would help improve property standards in the private sector and prevent tenants being evicted and replaced. It would be targeted only at those landlords acting unethically.

Bureaux around the country are recording evidence of the problem. To help produce ad nationwide picture, we have produced a short email survey, aimed at environmental health officers and tenancy relation officers. They will be sent out by Lacors and the Association of Tenancy Relations Officers.
<snip>
To have the survey emailed to you, contact:-

admin.crosby@cablink.org.uk

deary65

Quote

In practice all this means that if you have a serious disagreement with your landlord, you're going to be evicted. Sad, nasty, but reality.



Tenants at risk

Citizens Advice Bureau officer, Debbie Crew, believes that a loophole in the law is allowing tenants who make legitimate complaints to be evicted by landlords.

<snip>

Crosby, Formsby and District CAB is leading a campaign to change the law to provide more security for tenants, when trying to enforce their rights. A possible solution is an amendment to the Housing Act 1988 making the service of a Section 21 notice invalid in circumstances where the tenant has recently taken steps to enforce statutory rights regarding disrepair or health and safety issues.

It is a similar idea to the provision in employment law, which makes it possible to claim unfair dismissal if you are sacked for pursuing statutory employment rights.

<snip> (details of Australian and US legislation given)

The introduction of a similar reform in the UK would help improve property standards in the private sector and prevent tenants being evicted and replaced. It would be targeted only at those landlords acting unethically.

Bureaux around the country are recording evidence of the problem. To help produce ad nationwide picture, we have produced a short email survey, aimed at environmental health officers and tenancy relation officers. They will be sent out by Lacors and the Association of Tenancy Relations Officers.
<snip>
To have the survey emailed to you, contact:-

admin.crosby@cablink.org.uk