Landlord refuses to provide reference for tenants

Tiggyspencer

You could try getting a character reference and an employers reference from someone else and being upfront with the new landlord/Agent? I'm a Landlord and I wish I had tenants like you!!

jcn1977

The landlord is not capable of proving the state of the property at the start of your tenancy as they have no documentary evidence. They could try and wave around one that was prepared a couple of years ago but without your dated signature on it, it would be worthless. So, not deductions from your deposit are possible. Good for you!

They used the fact that there was no inventory or proof of what the property was like as evidence to get out of providing us with white goods when they failed which is incredibly stupid as we could do damage far beyond the cost of white goods and they'd have no comeback. At that point I actually mentioned that to my girlfriend I was actually inclined to add the coffee stains back to the flat(!) They appear to be liable for all the things wrong with the flat like the damp, exterior wall or sanitary appliances and have no comeback against us.

Tiggy, Homelet is not interested in character references. They are a very impressive bureaucracy, Sir Humphrey would be proud.

princeofpounds

In other words, free management of a construction contract by someone who in my case er... does it for a living.

Yes, they do get that benefit. But it provides a reasonably effective mechanism for getting repairs done when the landlord is not-cooperative, and so it boosts the right of the tenant to look after themselves.

In this instance, you would not be repairing things for the benefit of the landlord. You would be doing it to make your own living conditions decent (bearing in mind it may take you some time to find a new rental) and also to deprive the landlord of the rental income stream for a period of time (which might pressurise them into releasing you with a reference, if they are desperate for ongoing cashflow).

Whilst I would not spend a lot of money on repairs given the short notice period you potentially have, it would be quite possible to organise it so you spend only one month's rent at a time and so would always be able to count on having the occupation due to you for the money you have spent.

And it was just one of a number of suggestions.

jcn1977

Whilst I would not spend a lot of money on repairs given the short notice period you potentially have, it would be quite possible to organise it so you spend only one month's rent at a time and so would always be able to count on having the occupation due to you for the money you have spent.

this is actually a great idea I'll ring round later about getting the exterior wall fixed (we are four floors up, penthouse flat overlooking the sea in a well known seaside city) and go from there... and hit them with the repair costs one set at a time.

What happens if the repair costs exceed the rent? Does the landlord owe you money? They are a reasonably large company owning a lot of property and have good cashflow according to companies house. The fact I have been able to check that is another cost, I took this week off so I could sort out moving... a week's holiday has been wasted.

Of course the other thing is the landlord could then evict us with two months notice couldn't they? We still wouldn't have references and would be evicted.

DVardysShadow

jcn1977 wrote: »

.... Of course the other thing is the landlord could then evict us with two months notice couldn't they? We still wouldn't have references and would be evicted.

I could be totally wrong, but I reckon you are more likely to get a reference out of this Landlord stating that you paid your rent on time if you stopped paying any until he provided said reference.

[Not to be construed as advice to do this, of course]

princeofpounds

Of course the other thing is the landlord could then evict us with two months notice couldn't they? We still wouldn't have references and would be evicted.

Yes, they could. But at a certain point you have to stop putting up with things like holes in the wall even if it's a risk. It's up to you how you feel about that balance.

As for what happens if the money is more than the rent, read the process in detail. Whatever you spend, you deduct from future rent, so potentially the budget during any 'phase' of repairs is as open-ended as your security of tenure (in your case, about two months, or one month if you are prepared to leave the property as soon as you find a new place). As long as you don't spend more than you know you can recover, you won't have problems.

Also, document, document, document. You may be asked to justify your actions in front of a deposit protection scheme or small claims court.

jcn1977

Thanks for the advice guys.

Just to add a few more things we have

• faulty fire alarms
• no fire extinguishers
• no fire blankets
• it is impossible to get out of the front door without a key

My understanding is that all this alone is actually a breach of fire regulations.

Further to this, none of the gas appliances have been tested in the last 12 months.

Yorkie1

jcn1977 wrote: »

Thanks for the advice guys.

Just to add a few more things we have

• faulty fire alarms
• no fire extinguishers
• no fire blankets
• it is impossible to get out of the front door without a key

My understanding is that all this alone is actually a breach of fire regulations.

Further to this, none of the gas appliances have been tested in the last 12 months.

What is your source for thinking that fire regs apply to your particular situation? You are not in an HMO from what you've said before.

Write to the HSE and report the LL for the lack of gas certificate, then. I assume you've reported that in writing to the LL / agency too, without response?

tbs624

Yorkie1 wrote: »

What is your source for thinking that fire regs apply to your particular situation? You are not in an HMO from what you've said before.

hi Yorkie - in an earlier post the OP said " the other people who live here own the leasehold to their flats and the freehold owner (our landlord) ......" so the OP's LL would presumably have overall responsibility for managing fire safety for the building and there should of course be evidence that a fire safety risk assessment has been undertaken.

butler_helen

OP - we rented after uni with no references required - twice. We were never asked for one either.