Advice Please Re Ex Landlord

bobstheboy

We rented a bungalow from a friend and spent about £3500 improving it with decorating, fitted carpets, blinds etc. He assured us it was long term and was an investment. We trusted him, yes I know, and all was well until the central heating system played up and the conservatory roof leaked. He then decided he couldn't afford to keep it and would sell.

After some haggling he agreed to give us the final months rent free (£600) and £1000 when he sold the bungalow, this we have in writing. He has now withdrawn the bungalow from the market and rented it through a local agent. I have written to him asking for the £1000 because of his sale withdrawal and offered to accept £200 for 5 months in full settlement, we haven't had a reply.

If he doesn't agree to pay do have have any case against him through the Small Claims Court ? It cost £60 which is fine, but if I have no chance I don't want to throw it away.

anselld

bobstheboy wrote: »

We rented a bungalow from a friend and spent about £3500 improving it with decorating, fitted carpets, blinds etc. He assured us it was long term and was an investment. We trusted him, yes I know, and all was well until the central heating system played up and the conservatory roof leaked. He then decided he couldn't afford to keep it and would sell.

After some haggling he agreed to give us the final months rent free (£600) and £1000 when he sold the bungalow, this we have in writing. He has now withdrawn the bungalow from the market and rented it through a local agent. I have written to him asking for the £1000 because of his sale withdrawal and offered to accept £200 for 5 months in full settlement, we haven't had a reply.

If he doesn't agree to pay do have have any case against him through the Small Claims Court ? It cost £60 which is fine, but if I have no chance I don't want to throw it away.

Assuming the written agreement states what you have said then no chance as he has not sold the bungalow.

G_M

As above.

The bottom line is that it is foolhardy to invest your own money into someone else's property without either
* a guarantee of staying therw to reap the benefit ie a 3 year tenancy or
* a cast-iron written agreement on how/when you can/will be re-imbursed.

Renting to/from friends and family is riddled with risks. For both landlord AND tenant. My advice to others reading this post: don't do it without carefully assessing the risks.

Landlords too beware: if your friend/cousin loses their job and stops paying rent, will you feel able to evict them/make them homeless......? Esp if you still have a mortgage to pay.

Turnbull2000

Nothing you can do. Lesson = don't spend money on someone else's investment.

bobstheboy

Thanks for the replies, which were as I expected.

The words of advice to others are well founded, which is a pity because you would like to be able to trust people you know.

bitsandpieces

Presumably he'll want to sell eventually... Maybe you could go after the money then? You may even be able to put a charge on the property - though I don't know whether this would make financial sense, given the amount at stake (£1k certainly isn't insignificant, but you'd be amazed what legal costs can eat up)