Non student living in a student house

Fire_Fox

Are you in a joint tenancy with the other residents or do you each have your own tenancy agreements? Did you send the council your university exemption certificate? Have you applied for council tax benefits (not sure you are liable or eligible but it might shut the landlord up)? Do you have to leave the course or can you defer or take time off? Will the landlord agree in writing to release you from your AST?

You MUST pay your rent or you are in breach of your tenancy agreement: do this by cheque by recorded delivery if necessary and retain the receipts. You can confirm online if these are delivered. If your landlord does not collect the recorded delivery cheques send two copies of a letter listing all your attempts to make payments from different Post Offices and get a proof of posting. Keep trying, maintain a paper trail.

The standard of the property is a separate issue, don't confuse the two. You are within your rights to report the landlord to Environmental Health or the HMO team if you believe there to be breaches of the legislation. You might also report his for tax evasion given he is asking for cash.

katiekat26

I understand that it is my responsibility to pay rent however the only receipt my landlord is happy to give is the one which I got for my deposit which was a handwritten note saying £200 and a signature, no mention of date or what it was for (he also won't take cheques only cash). My contract says the landlord shall pay all utility bills and there is no mention of council tax.

I contacted the council myself to find out the situation and they sent me the bill from the previous owner (I believe my landlord just purchased the property) and a new bill for the full amount.

I know I sound terrible for not wanting to pay but I'm on a low income and the landlord is already insisting we pay for two empty rooms in the house. I really don't have any extra money to budget for council tax as I wasn't factoring it in when I signed the tenancy agreement. I was still a student then and it was a struggle just to find a way to pay after I had to leave.

Fire_Fox

We are trying to help you but you are not listening and not answering questions, please reread the thread and do so.

As already stated you MUST make attempts to pay your rent or you are in breach of contract. It is the landlord's problem if he does not want to to cash a cheque, you need to send him them anyway and keep all the proof of posting/ recorded delivery slips.

Did you give the council your name and get a council tax bill in your name?? If so you need to deal with this urgently, the council will take you to court if this goes unpaid.

anselld

You need to answer FFox questions, ie is it a joint contract or individual. If individual the LL cannot hold you liable for the spare rooms.

You should advise the council that you are in HMO and CT liability is with the LL. You might still end up having to pay but at least the Council will be chasing the LL in the first instance. LL will then need to rely on the rental agreement to collect from you.

katiekat26

I have a joint contract I believe as it says that we are liable for the rent of spare rooms.

I call my landlord once a day, (he has not provided me with an address although I have asked) and I ask to be given details of where I can pay my rent to. I have told him that it is saved in an account and he does not seem overly bothered about chasing for it.

I have a council tax bill in my name but payment does not commence until November. We did not send any certificates off because I would not have one for this academic year and the other tenants have not received theirs from the university yet. I have deferred and had to get a job instead as you can only defer for a year and I will not be up to the required level of health in that time.

I don't know what an AST is.

I hope this is more helpful.

anniecave

Are you working at the moment? What income do you have?

You may be entitled to either housing benefit or council tax benefit.

katiekat26

I'm not entitled to housing benefit I don't think, I earn just above minimum wage.

Fire_Fox

AST is assured shorthold tenancy - your contract to rent the property.

Please deal with your rent situation by post/ cheque as advised by numerous people on this thread, you need a paper trail of your attempts to pay. Just because the landlord doesn't seem bothered now does not mean you are not in breach of the legally binding contract you signed. Are you saying there is no address on your AST? Have you only ever contacted your landlord by telephone, how did you find the property in the first place?

If you are in a shared house you are likely jointly and severally liable for the full rent and jointly and severally liable for the council tax but ask the council about HMOs and perhaps ask them to check your AST. If you are this does not have to be listed in the AST it is set out in law. You MUST pay the council tax whilst you are waiting for a decision on benefits if you do apply for them. All the other tenants need to get their certificates from the university before November, don't passively sit around waiting for them you are at risk of being taken to court.

katiekat26

I was referred to my landlord through word of mouth from a student, then I met him in person and his address is not on the contract. I am currently on the land registry website to see if I can get it from there.

I am trying to get certificates I just meant we haven't received them yet, I mean to pay the council tax for now using loans from family if I need to. I'm just wondering if I have grounds to query it?

Fire_Fox

As stated "If you are in a shared house you are likely jointly and severally liable for the full rent and jointly and severally liable for the council tax but ask the council about HMOs and perhaps ask them to check your AST. If you are this does not have to be listed in the AST it is set out in law."