*Updated*Council billed me £6500 for work I didnt ask for? Rental house

System

I agree, just had skim read and find this all the more shocking because she was a friend of a friend. I would suggest getting shot of her as she'll likely cost you more in the future.

As for the local council, I've never had a positive experience of anything from any of mine. They can't use the DPA to excuse their actions as the council is a single legal entity and will have a single registration as a data controller e.g. an English council's registration

Eton_Rifle wrote: »

The law favors the tenant.

She can do far worse to you than you can to her. 6.5K could be a drop in the ocean by the time she's finished.

Evict her. It's the lesser of two evils.

System

I agree, just had skim read and find this all the more shocking because she was a friend of a friend. I would suggest getting shot of her as she'll likely cost you more in the future.

As for the local council, I've never had a positive experience from any of mine. They can't use the DPA to excuse their actions as the council is a single legal entity and will have a single registration as a data controller with a vague list of purposes e.g. an English council's registration

Eton_Rifle wrote: »

The law favors the tenant.

She can do far worse to you than you can to her. 6.5K could be a drop in the ocean by the time she's finished.

Evict her. It's the lesser of two evils.

patman99

Heng Leng there is no need to triple-post.
The op is lucky that her tenant isn't on a 'protected tenancy' like my friend is. His rent is also set by the 'Rates review Board' so his landlord can not increase the rent unless the RRB agree.

fed_up_and_stressed

missbiggles1 wrote: »

Is this the same property you posted about 5 years ago which had been empty for some time or do you have more than one BTL?

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/26918481#Comment_26918481

I'm genuinely interested as to why MissBiggles1 who joined this site recently (July) so obviously wouldn't have remembered this post looked to find it .... Hmmmmm

G_M

A Tenant can only be evicted when the tenancy ends (in England).

A tenancy only ends when either

a) a tenant gives valid notice to the landlord or

b) a court orders it to end.

A court will only order a tenancy to end on receipt of a (valid) S8 Notice or (valid) S21 Notice from the landlord.

Paul_the_Painter

Hi travelchick.

You are making a number of bad/incorrect assumptions about the tenancy, and the ability of agents to help you.
Generally they are useless in this short of situation, forget getting an agent involved.
You keep talking about 6 months notice, I think you are confusing a 6 month Assured Short-hold Tenancy (which you tenant probably has) with the notice period in that tenancy. Chances are that your tenant is now in the statutory periodic part of the tenancy, this means that the notice period is 2 months, not 6.
Of course the tenant can fight the eviction proceedings and so 6 months may be a realistic estimate of the time to get your property back.
My advice.
1. Go and see a property lawyer
2. Issue an annual rent statement to your tenant showing every payment received and every rent amount due, and the total amount outstanding.
3. Go and see a property lawyer
4. Issue a section 8 and a section 21 notice of intention to seek repossession
5. The property lawyer you have seen above will help with these
6. Re-let property through an agent on a fully managed basis at the current market rent, you'll end up about £100/month better off.
7. DO NOT GET THE TENANT TO SIGN A NEW RENTAL AGREEMENT. If you do, you will not be able to evict for a minimum of 6 months, and agents being agents they will possibly sign then up for a year.
8. Really - go and see a property lawyer - I mean it

[Deleted User]

I do have a fair amount of sympathy for the tenant. You don't seem to visit the flat very often, so didn't really have a way to check if the tenant had any problems. You expected her to contact you, and you may well have seemed like an absent LL to her. I don't know how you responded to any repair requests.

I have a LL who won't do repairs. The bedrooms were so cold the children couldn't sleep. The LL offered me a larger radiator in my then 6 year old's room which would still be like heating a black hole.., something I couldn't afford. He's refused point blank to do any other repairs. I suspect the rent reduction didn't begin to cover your tenants increased costs (benefits hardly allow for electrical heating costs).

In my rental house, to solve the problem, I had to put in insulation (don't ask what it was like, it wasn't good involving moving chimney rubble two months after a heart attack with asthma)) and lower the ceiling in my younger son's bedroom because it had no insulation at all AND an uncapped half removed chimney stack.., suddenly we knew why it was 'a bit breezy' in his room. I did it because I had to.., my kids were cold. The LL 'generously' paid for the plasterboard. I had to do the work and pay for everything else. Just to keep my kids warm. Oh and the LL came round while I was doing this and complained because the dining area was 'untidy' (it was where i stacked the insulation rolls, the place wssn't untidy otherwise.., and started telling me how to clear up. While I was covered in black dust, hardly able to breathe inspite of a mask, (masks aren't good with asthma). And then walked away leaving me to it.

This was just one of the many issues I have had.

And the LL seems surprised that I don't have an overly positive view of him. If I try to stick up for my 'rights' he threatens to evict me. Can't go that route.., however much I have issues with the house as I am having problems (even with strict budgeting) saving for a deposit and Private LL's who will accept HA tenants are like gold dust. And I rather suspect that I will have the same experience.., LL who accept HA tenants don't have to do repairs because they know full well the tenant has no choice but to stay.

If I find myself homeless me and the children (who have special needs) will be sent to B&B 12 miles away, scuppering their schooling. Its taken years to get my kids in schools that will help them.

You really have no idea OP.

patacake58

fed_up_and_stressed wrote: »

I'm genuinely interested as to why MissBiggles1 who joined this site recently (July) so obviously wouldn't have remembered this post looked to find it .... Hmmmmm

Hmmm. Maybe she's not a new user? Her posting style is very familiar:D

travelchick

deannatrois wrote: »

I do have a fair amount of sympathy for the tenant. You don't seem to visit the flat very often, so didn't really have a way to check if the tenant had any problems. You expected her to contact you, and you may well have seemed like an absent LL to her. I don't know how you responded to any repair requests.

OP.

Hiya
I do sympathize with your current situation however thats not my tenant problem, If she texts or calls me with any problems or repairs I have them dealt with the same day.
Then I let her know who is coming when and what their contact details are in case she isnt about and needs to change the appointment.
If it is something she needed it was ordered and posted direct to her.
So although it sounds like you had a rough time with the house I dont think you should tar all the LL with the same brush.
x

travelchick

patacake58 wrote: »

Hmmm. Maybe she's not a new user? Her posting style is very familiar:D

I just thought it was a troll to be honest? i mean who trails through someones posts from 5 years ago? gosh I dont have the time for that lol
x