Rent arrears and very unhappy landlord

amberleaf123

Thank you everyone for your input

pinkshoes

Speak to shelter.

G_M

Have you discussed with the LL? Silence will just escalate his concern.

However:

* The S21 is invalid if the deposit was registered late.
* He could serve a S8 Notice (surprised he has not!) - possession for arreares
* Harrassment is a criminal offence. (Protection from Eviction Act 1977 ) If intimidated, call the police.

The best solution though is to either

* pay the rent or
* discuss with him a payment plan and pay part of the rent now, the rest later or
* move out

BitterAndTwisted

Financial difficulties or not, your rent is an absolute priority. Rent, Council tax, utilities. Everything else can wait. If you're not earning or on a low wage you should apply for LHA (Local Housing Allowance). Have you done this?

amberleaf123

G_M wrote: »

Have you discussed with the LL? Silence will just escalate his concern.

However:

* The S21 is invalid if the deposit was registered late.
* He could serve a S8 Notice (surprised he has not!) - possession for arreares
* Harrassment is a criminal offence. If intimidated, call the police.

The best solution though is to either

* pay the rent or
* discuss with him a payment plan and pay part of the rent now, the rest later or
* move out

I have kept the landlord informed of our situation via email.

The main problem is we currently have no money at all. No benefits, no income, nothing.

So paying anything at this stage is not an option nor is moving out as we have nowhere to go or the money to secure another place. I told the landlord this and it was at that point we had the banging, shouting etc.

I do understand his point of view and I feel very bad for him, but I have to be selfish and try to protect us.

moreofthegoodstuff

If I was your landlord I would be just as mad. You do not know what position they are in, they might not have any other way of paying their mortgage and rely on the rental income. They are not your friend, they are providing accommodation at a cost and if you have no way of paying the rent then you have to do the right thing and leave.

You are paying for the internet so surely you need to look at where priorities are.

Takeaway_Addict

So you've only been there 9 months and are already 3 months in arrears....no wonder they are hacked off.

However, this doesn't excuse what they are doing. They should be doing it professionally and getting you out via the proper methods (which they seem to be doing now).

As has been said talk to Shelter.

johnbusby

moreofthegoodstuff wrote: »

If I was your landlord I would be just as mad. You do not know what position they are in, they might not have any other way of paying their mortgage and rely on the rental income. They are not your friend, they are providing accommodation at a cost and if you have no way of paying the rent then you have to do the right thing and leave.

You are paying for the internet so surely you need to look at where priorities are.

The LL is out of order, if they cant absorb a few months of missed rent payments then that is terrible business practice and they deserve to go bust. At the end of the day the LL is a business no different from any other....

Of course the tenant should do there best to pay the rent but harassment and downright bully-boy tactics are never warranted. You cant blame the T for looking after number one and the LL should now do the proper thing and go through the courts to regain possession in a legal manner.

theartfullodger

Keep a handwritten, timed & dated, log of all harassment or questionable action by landlord in case this ever gets to court.

Stupid, criminally-illegal landlord.

agrinnall

G_M wrote: »

The best solution though is to either

* pay the rent or
* discuss with him a payment plan and pay part of the rent now, the rest later or
* move out

Actually, in your circumstances I feel your best option is to ask your LL to issue a valid notice seeking possession so that when possession is granted by the court you can request that the council find housing for you. What I'm not sure of is whether eviction through S8 would qualify you with the council, so although it would probably be quicker for the LL it may be better for you not to mention that and instead ask him to have a valid S21 issued.

Actually, thinking a bit further, we really need to know what your tenancy status is at the moment, are you in a AST, and if so when does it end, or are you in a periodic tenancy?

yoyoegg

Once the S.8 is served and Court orders the eviction you will be homeless and the Council has a statutory duty to house you. Probably in a B&B.