where do I stand in shared occupancey when landlords son uses spare key to steal £650

Jaypowell_2

Hi All,

Im not sure if you can help but I share a house with 2 house mates - shared occupancy in a 3 bed terraced house. One lad being the landlords son (his father owns the house and we all rent rooms) We all have our own locks on our doors.

On Sunday I sold my car for £650 and was due to buy a new car tonight, unfortunately I made the mistake of leaving the cash in my room tucked out the way. Neither of my house mates knew I had left the cash in my room and neither have access to my room as we all have our own yale key locks on our doors.

Now I went to work this morning, locked my door and went downstairs making sure the back door was locked and locked the front door behind me. My one house mate James had already gone to work leaving Tom (the landlords son asleep in bed) - he was only person in the house from 8am onwards.

I then returned from work at 17.15 and found James at home watching TV in the lounge, nothing out of the ordinary, we chatted and I went up to my room, used my key to open the door and went in to find my Money and my Iphone had been stolen, nothing else had been taken my laptop was still on the side along with the rest of my belongings just £650 that was in an envelope and an Iphone 4 along with the plug.

I called James upstairs straight away he reassured me he had not long himself got in from work so I called Tom and his phone was off so called his work and he had not turned up this evening. Straight away called the police who have been round and taken statements from me and James.

Now heres where I need your help, I called my landlord (Toms Father) asked him to come round and open toms room to see if he had taken any of my stuff and he came round but couldn't find the spare key for my room which was missing out of his key tin.

Now I knew straight away that Tom had take his key and been in my room as the landlords son he has access to this?

I should add Tom has drug problems and is also in a lot of debt, his phone has been off ll evening and he has not been into work today, I should also add that His father the land lord has offered no re compensation and not offered to changes locks anything..

Where do I stand with the landlord and my soon to be beaten up ex house mate Tom?

What do I do??

whitewing

I would update the police with the fact that the landlord was unable to find the key, exactly as you have described here.

I think you perhaps need to go into work late tomorrow because you can't leave until you know that your room/belongs are secure.

Nannycam?

Personally, I would move out; I wouldn't wait for it to happen again.

Jaypowell_2

Thanks whitewing, I have updated the police earlier.

I am off work tomorrow anyway just in case he comes home.

I wanted to see where I stand legally with the landlord, what can I do?

I am also moving out very soon too.

Werdnal

I would take advice from the police on your legal situation as theft is a criminal offense. Your LL has compromised the security of your room by allowing his son access to the key, but I am not sure whether that makes him an accessory to the crime and therefore allows you to press charges against him too. If so, he may just cough up the money and compensate you anyway.

However, its going to be very difficult to prove anything unless you find the items in the son's possession!

Fire_Fox

DO NOT beat your housemate up (I hope that was a joke) report the theft to the police and press charges. Since a key was used you cannot claim on your contents insurance, IMO claim against your landlord for breaching your security by allowing the spare key to be stolen, NOT as your housemate's father he is not liable with that hat on. Did you try locating the iPhone using the iCloud thing?

Jaypowell_2

Thanks Werdnal - I am taking advice from police but the LL has already denounced responsibility of my house mate as a son so legally looking at what my rights are as a tennant with my landlord i.e my house mate stealing his key??

Hi Fire Fox - yes was a joke im not a violent person at all, Iphone was water damaged - not working - and how would I claim against my LL for breach of security?

Fire_Fox

Jaypowell wrote: »

Thanks Werdnal - I am taking advice from police but the LL has already denounced responsibility of my house mate as a son so legally looking at what my rights are as a tennant with my landlord i.e my house mate stealing his key??

Hi Fire Fox - yes was a joke im not a violent person at all, Iphone was water damaged - not working - and how would I claim against my LL for breach of security?

Do appreciate this is a housing not a legal board. If the landlord has denounced his son I assume he will be serving this tenant notice to quit and changing all the locks? IMO this is the first thing I would be formally requesting. Read your tenancy agreement.

You probably need to take out a small claims action in the county court if you claim against the landlord, but likely need to hold off until the police are further along with their investigation. Do you have anything in writing about the landlord 'losing' the key or did your other housemate witness the landlord saying this?

ETA: has your room been fingerprinted, and has the tenant ever been in your room before?

maninthestreet

Presumably, Tom will be interviewed by the Police very soon, and will be confronted with the allegation and the circumstances surrouding the missing key. Maybe he will try to tough it out, maybe he will see the game is up and admit his guilt.

go_cat

Have you ever had nothing go missing before from your room?

Did Tom know you had sold your car?

Was your room ransacked..?

Trying to understand why chose that day to go into your room?

Jaypowell_2

Hi Fire Fox, yes I do appreciate this is a housing board and not a legal board, my queiries are around where I stand legally with the landlord and his son. I doubt he even has propper landlord insurance?

I was adiment yesterday when he came round that we no longer want his son there, we want all the locks changed and he has grumbeled about doing it and said he would make some calls, strange "and this !!!!es me off more" he said if i didnt like it to move out?

The situation with the landlord is a complex one, I get the feeling that he has totally denounced responsiblity of his son but is in a way protecting him. Its quite a messy situation for me to be in. Maybe I should just leave I dont know.

No I dont have anything in writing but the other house mate James witnessed him saying he had lost the key, as far as finger printing went they found nothing, I had a visit from CID who are treating it as a bugulary and will pinch Tom and arest him for bugulary when he resurfaces, thats unless I get my hands on him first

Hi Maninthestreet - that could well be the case but I doubt he will just hold his hands up, this could get quite complex.

Hi Go Cat - We have had stuff go missing before, this is not the first time, the previous tennant had 2 xbox games and a phone go missing, we also recentnly had 2 xbox games go missing and Tom is a renound thief having stolen from my other house mate James's friends previously.

We have told the landlord / his father on many occasions that we no longer want him there but he seems disconcerned.

No my romm was quite tidy, only the envalope and Iphone were taken and No he didnt know the money was in my room, sounds like he chanced an opportunity to pinch something small to fuel his drug habbit and stumbled across a right xmas cracker bonus.

Not sure why he chose my room maybe because my other house mate has an additional lock on his door along side the yale key lock so could be that he needed money for drugs who knows?

Jaypowell_2

** Quick update - Landlord has just called and is getting a locksmith out today at 4pm to change the front door, back door and all room locks, also whilst he is there putting a padlock on the back gate too so some progress??