Bit confused about Advanced rent

Maraholly

So I moved in 2009 to a property and got my notice April this year. I paid £450 first months rent in advance when I moved in (I'm on dss and council won't pay in advance so it was my own cash). The 'deposit in form of a bond' was handled by a company who my landlord once worked with so I never actually paid a deposit. I got told that what it was at the beginning but now she's saying it was first months rent in advance (I paid 29/6 then she had a lump sum off the council come the 29/8 which was backdated money).

So I'm wondering what is first months rent exactly? Do I get it back? Does it cover me for my last month?
At first she claimed the council paid me back now she's gone back on her word. I'm just confused. Sorry for being a bit dim.

G_M

If the first months rent was paid in advance (which is normal), then you need to make a final payment a month before you leave, which will cover the last month.

Whether the rent is /was paid by you or by HB is irrelevant - so long as the landlord received the rent.

This assumes, of course, that there are no arrears and that rent has been paid up to date throughout the tenancy (again it does not matter whether it is paid by you or HB).

Do you have a record of what you have paid, and when?

If HB has been paid direct to the LL, do you have a record of what they have paid to the LL, and when? If not, why not ask them for a statement of payments?

Ultimately it is your responsibility to ensure the rent is paid one way or another to the LL.

If you did not pay a deposit yourself, then you can ignore this.

Maraholly

Yes I have records. The HB pay me and I paid her - which I top up as HB doesn't pay me full amount. Move out 11th this month. Paid her last week (I get paid fortnightly from HB) Now she's gave me a bill for £360 till 7th June saying I need to pay it before this date.

G_M

You say you have records, and you say you have 'paid her'. Therefore I assume there are no arrears.

* is your rent monthly? (your tenancy agreement will tell you)
* what date each month is it due? What dates does it cover? (ie what date did your tenancy start?)
* when you "Paid her last week" did you pay the monthly amount? What date last week did you pay it? What period did it cover?
* you are moving out on 11th June but LL is requesting rent till 7th June? How come?

WRITE to her (a letter, not email/text) asking for a full rent statement and explanation of the request for £360.

Maraholly

Yes - no arrears apart from this £360 she's now claiming we owe by the 7th which she is calling arrears though it isn't even the 7th yet. She's told us she'll have to let our new landlords know we are in arrears. I've had problems with her for a while tbh. She rang up to see if she could pop down tomorrow (Sunday) and get the money - I've said no which I think I have every right to do. Plus I can't get to a bank unless she drives me there and no banks open tomorrow or Monday as it's bank holiday. She tried sending me a rent sheet in email but it didn't open.
We are on a periodic tenency and paid her every two weeks (though on the rent sheet she gives us, she puts the dates down when the rent is due every month, we have separate bits of paper occasionally off her with the actual date on which is normally a couple of days before the date on the rent sheet). We are £450 up on the rent sheet (what I paid her at the beginning) but her £360 adds up, if that makes any sense.

That is what's really confusing me. If I paid till the 11th it will add up to that amount yes, yet we are £450 in credit.

Maraholly

It works out £450 up because the council actually paid her a lump sum backdated to the 29th June which meant my £450 I paid has carried over for the last three years. So if she took the £360 out of the overpayment, she would owe me £90 right? Or do I not stand a chance of getting it back/her deducting the rent from that?

G_M

It is impossible to advise if you owe rent or not.

You need to answer the questions in post 4.

Yousaid

The HB pay me and I paid her

but also say

the council actually paid her a lump sum backdated to the 29th June

so how much have they paid her and how much have you paid her?

Additionally you say

and paid her every two weeks

but also

the rent is due every month

2 x two weeks is not a month, so you might be acruing arrears every month?

It is impossible either for you, or for us, to know whether there are arreas, or what the £360 is, without knowing
* the date the tenancy started
* the amount due each month
* the amounts paid

BitterAndTwisted

Paying rent fortnightly isn't the same as the rent needing to be paid calender monthly in advance and if you do pay fortnightly the amounts will rarely match up to what is formally due. I can't see how your landlady has arrived at that £360 figure and neither can you as you couldn't open the email attachment.

I think you need to set up an Excel spreadsheet or have the landlady attempt to send you another copy so you understand her position.

Maraholly

Tenancy start date 29/6/09
Rent pcm £450
Amount expected so far £9,251.00
Amount paid so far £9,691.76

Maraholly

BitterAndTwisted wrote: »

Paying rent fortnightly isn't the same as the rent needing to be paid calender monthly in advance and if you do pay fortnightly the amounts will rarely match up to what is formally due. I can't see how your landlady has arrived at that £360 figure and neither can you as you couldn't open the email attachment.

I think you need to set up an Excel spreadsheet or have the landlady attempt to send you another copy so you understand her position.

Yeah I think I'm gonna go into her Monday with the rent sheet I have and see what she says. I'm not paying her until I know for sure (she's a bit dodgy). I might go to C.A.B but wanted to see first if I was right as I don't like wasting people's time.

G_M

Maraholly wrote: »

Tenancy start date 29/6/09
Rent pcm £450
Amount expected so far £9,251.00
Amount paid so far £9,691.76

I don't understand your maths.

In year one, from 29/6/09 to 28/6/10 you owed 450 * 12 = £5400
In year two from 29/6/10 to 28/6/11 you owed 450 * 12 = £5400
In year three, from 29/6/11 to 28/6/12 you owe 450 * 12 = £5400

£5400 * 3 years = £16,200

I am also unclear when the tenancy will end:

* the rental period ends on 28/6/12 but
* you are moving out on 11/6/12 and
* the LL is claiming rent till 7/6/12

so which date is the tenancy end date?