Tenant owes 9 weeks rent but I've no contract

nackynoo

Im a live-in landlord who until recently had a tenant living in my house, who has now moved out. I recently discovered that he hasnt paid rent for 9 weeks (I didnt check my bank account) and he has no contract with me, was on no bills and I cannot prove that he even lived there at all except that his address is registered as here on the electoral roll.

He has now left and I have no idea of his new address, only a mobile number which I have constantly left messages on to contact me. How can I reclaim this money?

ruggedtoast

nackynoo wrote: »

Im a live-in landlord who until recently had a tenant living in my house, who has now moved out. I recently discovered that he hasnt paid rent for 9 weeks (I didnt check my bank account) and he has no contract with me, was on no bills and I cannot prove that he even lived there at all except that his address is registered as here on the electoral roll.

He has now left and I have no idea of his new address, only a mobile number which I have constantly left messages on to contact me. How can I reclaim this money?

You'll need to hire a private investigator and then the best lawyers that money can buy.

jee

Do you mean you had a lodger?
I think the chance of reclaiming that money are pretty close to none. Sorry.

paddyrg

You did have a contract, just a verbal one. Not that it sounds like it's going to help

hazyjo

Agree with above - 'lodger' rather than 'tenant'!

Also agree it doesn't sound like there's much you can do. Live and learn, unfortunately...

Jx

agrinnall

hazyjo wrote: »

Agree with above - 'lodger' rather than 'tenant'!

Also agree it doesn't sound like there's much you can do. Live and learn, unfortunately...

Jx

And one of the things to learn is to check your bank account more often then every 9 weeks (for many reasons, not just this).

G_M

nackynoo wrote: »

Im a live-in landlord who until recently had a tenant living in my house, No you didn't - you had a lodger who has now moved out. I recently discovered that he hasnt paid rent for 9 weeks (I didnt check my bank account) Duuurrr! and he has no contract with me,Of course he has. He paid rent and received a bed. That's a contract! Just not a written one.was on no bills and I cannot prove that he even lived there at all except that his address is registered as here on the electoral roll.well, there's your proof then.

He has now left and I have no idea of his new address, so how will you sue him...?only a mobile number which I have constantly left messages on to contact me. Hmmm. Now why isn't he returning your calls....How can I reclaim this money?

Clearly the answer is to deduct the rent he owes from the deposit you took. (Don't forget to declare the rent on your tax return of course- or use the Rent-a-Room scheme!)r

You have learnt a lesson.
*Vet your lodgers
* take deposit
* written contract
* Clear terms
* References/employer etc

Now forget him and move on.

LODGERS (Licencees)
A lodger (broadly) lives in the same property with their resident landlord, and shares facilities. Unlike tenants, lodgers have few rights.

The Housing Act 1988 (above) provides definitions of 'Resident Landlord' and 'same property'.

There is advice for landlords considering taking in lodgers here:

LodgerLandlord (General information site)

Landlordzone (General advice on taking in lodgers)

Renting out rooms in your home (Government info)

Rent a Room Scheme (Government scheme for tax-free income from lodgers)

BitterAndTwisted

Bad luck, you've lost that money. The person sharing your home was a lodger and not a tenant with completely different rights and responsibilities and in the absence of a dual-signed, written contract you've no recourse even if you knew where they have gone. I hope you took a deposit from your lodger, in which case they have lost it forever.

Live and learn.

rentergirl

Pick your battles and learn your lesson. Sorry - not being harsh, but you have little chance of getting your money back without so much time and effort.

BitterAndTwisted

Little chance? Try none. What time and effort do you suppose the OP can expend to get the money owed to them? I can't think of how they could manage it, but perhaps you know better. Pray tell.

GDB2222

I have no doubt you can get a county court judgement in your favour (undefended), but it will be extremely hard to enforce. Two questions:
Do you know where your lodger works?
Do you have the bank details that he used to pay money into your account?

If you have either of those, you have a chance.