Nightmare Landlady

Pixie5740

FatVonD wrote: »

In your situation I would tell her that, since your deposit hasn't been protected as per the law and she still has access to it you wish her to deduct your final months rent from the deposit.

You may still lose £200 but you will at least have £550 to put towards your next deposit.

I'm in the fortunate position that I'm not desperate to get my deposit back. I do want it back but I don't need in order to put down a deposit elsewhere.

Pixie5740

paddy's_mum wrote: »

I'd be minded to write her a long, detailed letter telling her what penalties she has set herself up for, change the locks and flippin' well stay there for as long as it suited me.

What can she do that won't end up bringing disaster down upon her own head?

Payback is just so satisfying, isn't it?

I just want away from the mad boot to be honest. There are lots of things I could do legally but me moving out in December is going to hit her in the pocket. I think she will find it very difficult to find someone to rent on her terms whereas I should be able to find somewhere else relatively easily.

PippaGirl_2

I rented my previous home from an independent landlord and I discovered that he hadn't placed my deposit in a set scheme, he admitted he hadn't and said it slipped his mind. I had a floating support worker at the time and they in conjunction with advice from the council advised me to subtract the deposit from my final months rent so I cancelled my standing order a month early. I emailed the landlord, said that as my deposit was not protected in a scheme as the law says that it must be that I would be deducting the deposit from rent owed so my final rent payment would be X amount on X date. I assured him I would be leaving the property as found and would be getting professional cleaners in etc. He knew he had no leg to stand on moaning about me not paying that final months rent therefore using my deposit to pay it, he could hardly complain as he had broken the law by not protecting the deposit in a scheme and in fact he had come off lightly as I could have gone to court and got it back x3.
So my advice would be to deduct the deposit from rent owed, tell her in writing this is what you are doing and why (deposit not protected as it should be as required by law) and assure her you will leave the property in as found condition.

Soot2006

I started this thread thinking you were mad, OP, to have let things escalate to this point, then remembered the flat OG and I used to rent. Landlady gave us reduced rent in exchange for use of the spare room. She used the room for storage and would usually come 1-2 times a week, always letting us know by text when she would be there. As far as I know, she never set foot further than the spare room - certainly she never commented on my kitchen mess or the stink of my pets in the living room! So easily this could have gone wrong but because it didn't I never realised how close I was to "nightmare landlady" myself ... Look after yourself and get out of there, sounds like impossible living!

Pixie5740

Thank you to everyone for all your kind words, at least I know it's just not me.

The main problem is that every time I give this woman an inch she takes a mile. Then when it was decided I would sign a new lease in December and that she would no longer use the flat I just kept my mouth shut and counted down the days. Now she has decided she wants to keep "sharing" the flat but doesn't think she has mucked me around.

I got home to find a typed letter left in the flat left at 12:30 today apparently giving me notice to quit the flat. It has been witnessed by someone I've never heard of, I wonder if they were both in the flat whilst I was at work?

Anyway, the good news is that I've been offered the flat I went to view yesterday subject to references. The letting agency are looking for a reference from my employer to prove how much I earn (no problem there), a financial reference from my bank (not sure exactly what that entails but I not worried about it) and a reference from my current landlord (eek!). I did explain, in the nicest possible way that she is a fruit loop and gave them details of the letting agency I used before moving into this flat but they insisted they want to contact my current landlady. I am really hoping she doesn't give me a bad reference. I have always paid my rent in full and on time and kept the place clean. Still there's no point worrying over things I can't control

bouicca21

I couldn't get a reference from my previous landlord (dodgy, didn't pay the mortgage etc). This nearly wecked my chances of getting another flat. Had to explain all to the letting agent, who was sympathetic, and the solution we arrived at was to show my bank statements to prove rent had been paid in full in a timely fashion.

Pixie5740

I can't sleep. This situation is clearly effecting me more than I original thought . I'll try counting sheep.

patanne

Better than counting sheep try counting charges that your current landlady will face if you decide to go that route. She is totally delusional & you should soon be able to ignore her. Good luck with your future landlord who I am sure will be a pillar of the community - well as close as landlords can ever be.

Some I have heard can be quite nice people - hope you get one of these.

Pixie5740

patanne wrote: »

Better than counting sheep try counting charges that your current landlady will face if you decide to go that route.

That's a great idea

moneyistooshorttomention

Pixie5740 wrote: »

I honestly didn't mind the original agreement for her to use the spare bedroom (although really it's the master bedroom) for seeing clients so that I got a discount in my rent but she clearly sees the flat as hers and I feel constantly under inspection. I pay my rent on time, the flat is clean (I actually pay for a cleaner to come in weekly who also cleans her room), I haven't trashed the place, I'm not a nuisance to the neighbours, I don't make excessive noise when she is seeing clients.............. I honestly don't know what else she expects from a tenant.

Re your last phrase I'd say "Jam on it......".

You could most charitably describe this arrangement as "unconventional". More realistically, if she wanted to still treat it as HER flat to all intents and purposes then she should have arranged a VERY much lower rent with you. You're getting treated worse than a lodger. She certainly doesn't regard you as a tenant at all by the sound of it.

Good luck with finding alternative accommodation.

EDIT: Instead of counting sheep you could try working out alternative ways to "describe" her. I've learnt something here, when I googled for "bampot". I'd never heard of that...and found its Glaswegian for "headcase".