Can't get reference from landlord

Kipper84

Hi,

Just wondering if anyone can help.

I was living in a flat in London for the past 4 years, but have moved out and am trying to rend a flat in Birmingham now, staying with family until I find somewhere.

The flat I had in London was very much a good deal, low rent for an amazing area. The reason was I had no contract and paid the landlord cash in hand each month. It was rented privately, and the landlord lived out of London so just popped in once a month to pick up his rent and generally left us well alone.

The issue I have now is the landlord has said he won't provide any references, and I have no proof I have paid rent each month and on time as we had no receipts for our rent. In hindsight I now can see how this is not good, but at the time I was after a cheap place to stay in London and it served its purpose! I can provide the landlords name and phone number but to be honest I'm not sure what he would say, he may even deny I ever lived there, although I was on the electoral register and have utility bills for the address.

Just wondered how this could affect renting a place properly now? Will a letting agent definitely require a reference? I appreciate no reference may make me look like a bad tenant and they'd prefer someone with a glowing reference over me, but wondered what the best course of action may be? Should I advise the letting agency in advance?

I don't really have any other reference options as prior to that flat I was living abroad or staying with family.

Many Thanks!

Cheeky_Monkey

I don't have any advice for getting around your problem but I would 100% grass the landlord up to HMRC as he has clearly not been declaring your rent

theartfullodger

Any landlord is not obliged to provide a reference (of any nature) to a tenant, any more than a tenant is obliged to provide a landlord with a reference (now there's a thought... if tenants wanted landlord references before they signed up).

Yes, grass the little cheating toad up... Here is HMRC fraud reporting...
http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/reportingfraud/

Do you think he was getting any benefits?? If so report to DWP also.

Are you confident he owned the place & it wasn't, say, a housing association place he was subletting & taking the profit??

In future, rent only either with receipts or by cheque or bank transfer.

Guest101

Explain the situation.

I take it your deposit was never protected? An avenue to pursue if u really need a reference

Kipper84

The situation was, there were two people who had lived in the house for about 8 years, they knew the landlord well and basically arranged for people to move in and keep the place in a good state in return for cheap rent and to be left alone.

The deposit was paid in cash to the person whose room I moved into, and when I moved out the person moving into my room paid me the deposit, which I got back. It was very much a verbal agreement, but we also knew that at any stage and without any notice the landlord could turf us all out - but we paid very little for it that it didn't really matter so much.

To my knowledge, it with either himself or his son that owned the property and the shop underneath, but it wasn't housing association. As far as I knew the shop was rented legitimately so I think he was just after an easy buck on the rest of the property.

Voyager2002

Can you just tell a new landlord that you were staying with family?

Kipper84

I probably could, might be the easiest solution as prior to that I was on/off living with parents over a few years since University anyway.

Thanks!