My tenant has disappeared

DT12

tostaky wrote: »

Just a thought... As there is nothing in the bedroom... would it be wrong to AirBnB it for a few nights at time, say from January onwards.... so I don't make a big loss but at the same time I keep the room for her....

No. This would be a terrible mistake.

Until you have been through the legal process to reclaim possession of the room you don't have the right to do anything like this.

I_Can_Haz_Job?

Have you considered she has something going on in her life? Mum is sick and she has to run home for a bit, friend invites her for a jolly for a couple of days, she broke her leg and is in hospital. She probably made a typo on the rent standing order and just realised the rent didn't go out. She sorts that out straight away.

Life calms down and she comes back to the room -

Creepy landlord - who has no personal connection to her - has been through her stuff, been through her post, reported her as missing to the police!!!

I'd be doing a runner sharpish!!

RAS

Do you want to be sued for illegal eviction? Fines are HUGE.

You have yet to respond properly:

Have you let the room with shared access to the rest of the house or is it a joint tenancy?
Did you take a deposit?
Did you protect the deposit correctly and supply the prescribed information within the time span?

Getting this wrong could cost you an awful lot.

Have you taken proper legal advice, at all?

tostaky

yes room with shared access to the rest.
yes for the deposit and yes for the protection.

I have a question, we are in the process to remortgage our BTL on this property... do you think if she has lots of debts and has given "my" address to banks and credit cards companies then it will somehow affect negatively our application? it was submitted on monday....

Pixie5740

Addresses don't financially link people for credit files. Having joint accounts with someone would financially link you. I assume you don't have any joint accounts with this tenant so her credit file will have absolutely no effect on your credit file and vice versa.


Which is just as well because if the tenant has really absconded and is going to fall further in arrears whilst you go through the correct legal process to gain possession of the room again, you might want to pursue her through the courts and get a CCJ awarded against her.

tostaky

and what if she is in jail? will that affect my BTL application?

RAS

Please take proper legal advice because you seem to understand very little about your responsibilities as a LL and less about basic financial rules.

To give you a clue a LL who entered and re-let a property rented out to someone who WAS in prison was sued by the tenant and ended up with something like a £20,000 fine and having to pay compensation.

Your tenant's financial situation has no relevent to my our financial standing. Unless you count the possibility of losing £20K in fines.

Jim_Jupiter

This must be a wind up thread?

EdwardB

I have heard of scams like this where they move in to try and create a credit record. Make a video of you dialing her number, leaving a message saying it is urgent she contacts you. It will help if you have to go to Court, get the other tenant to sign a statement that she has not been there.

She does still have rights and you can't just let it, you need a S8 and the non payment of rent are grounds. It will cost you to go to Court, but they will assign the costs to her, however you will never get that or your rent.

If no response to the call make a video of another one saying you will be taking her to Court.

If the lock should develop a fault you could change it just leave her a message telling her so and to contact you to get a copy.

Sorry news is not more positive, you could take a chance and rent the room a night at a time on the web but the other tenant may not be pleased. I doubt she will be back.

Check your tenancy agreement for clauses of abandonment.

DT12

EdwardB wrote: »

I have heard of scams like this where they move in to try and create a credit record. Make a video of you dialing her number, leaving a message saying it is urgent she contacts you. It will help if you have to go to Court, get the other tenant to sign a statement that she has not been there.

She does still have rights and you can't just let it, you need a S8 and the non payment of rent are grounds. It will cost you to go to Court, but they will assign the costs to her, however you will never get that or your rent.

If no response to the call make a video of another one saying you will be taking her to Court.

If the lock should develop a fault you could change it just leave her a message telling her so and to contact you to get a copy.

Sorry news is not more positive, you could take a chance and rent the room a night at a time on the web but the other tenant may not be pleased. I doubt she will be back.

Check your tenancy agreement for clauses of abandonment.

This is terrible advice.

Go through the proper legal processes before you think about changing locks and re letting the room, even "just for one night at a time". The consequences of it doing it wrong can be v. significant for you.