rented home up for sale

cupcake-queen

All makes sense.

I've been trying to pay off some debt which is why saving hasn't been done. I have a couple of credit cards and an overdraft so saving doesn't seem to make sense when there is money owed that is costing me. I realise this may sound irresponsible or like an excuse but few years back something beyond my control happened which has lead to this situation.

cupcake-queen

franklee wrote: »

No need to have suspicions about the deposit, you can ring all the schemes yourself to see if the deposit is protected. Even if it is was it done within 30 days of receipt? Also were you given the prescribed information?

Read up on the deposit protection to make sure you understand it.
http://england.shelter.org.uk/get_advice/tenancy_deposits/tenancy_deposit_protection_schemes

If the deposit wasn't protected in time any section 21 notice served isn't valid unless the deposit is returned first.

Viewings now, unless to an investor, are pointless as the usual advice is the evict a tenant before exchange on contracts. Having a tenant in-situ puts many buyers off. Also it's normal to have viewings in the last one or two months of a tenancy, seven months of viewings is bonkers. I hope you've kept a log of them all to show you have already been reasonable in giving access.

Eventually you will have to move so start saving towards that now as a priority. Really you should have saved enough over the last seven months.

Going through an agent isn't necessarily any better than going direct and can be worse. It all depends on the individual.

Time to toughen up, get more business like and spend your energy on sorting your future out and not on being the landlord's selling assistant.

In future get any agreements made in writing.

I will definitely be reading the above info regarding deposits thank you

Pixie5740

I know the general advice is to pay off debts rather than saving but you always need something put away for a rainy day. There's a "£1000 emergency fund" challenge on the debt free Wannanbe board that might be worth checking out.

Sooner or later you'll need that £900 to move so you need to do something about it. At the very least, once you've moved you'll get the deposit for this property back to put towards debt repayments or back in the emergency fund.

I agree with franklee that going through a letting agency next time does not mean that you'll receive a better service than dealing with a landlord directly so keep an open mind whilst looking for your next home.

fishpond

I can only talk as a LL not a tenant, but if I were a tenant I would prefer to deal with the LL direct, not via a 3rd party (agent).

Guest101

franklee wrote: »

Can we have that in English?

I was in a rush

U = you

Coe = come

Sry

Peter333

Wot R U like Guest101? :rotfl:

cupcake-queen

fishpond wrote: »

I can only talk as a LL not a tenant, but if I were a tenant I would prefer to deal with the LL direct, not via a 3rd party (agent).

I have experienced both equally. My first rental was with an agency who were fab. My next experience was with a LL and when they came to do some work on the property that left the house in such a mess it took hours to clean up after them, they damaged our furniture when doing another DIY project and there various other incidents but at least they were never rude, always gave us at least 24 hours notice and I even trusted them to do work on the property when we were on holiday. 3rd time an agency, and never heard from them, the house was a cardboard new build but at least we had privacy. Our landlord here is constantly parked outside our house, he's a builder and is contracted to look after many properties around here so I guess he has a reason but he reckons he was working on the house next door the other day and told us the garden is a mess, it is a mess but it was when we moved in. At least it has some grass now. I just feel like he's breathing down our neck constantly.

Point taken on 'emergency fund'

jjlandlord

Perhaps worth mentioning again that an agent is just in effect an employee of the landlord.
Therefore the issue is that they are often not the decision-maker. They might also be looking for their interest before the one of their employer...

cupcake-queen

Both occasions that I have rented through an agency I never heard from the landlord and the agencies also left us alone but were available if we needed them. The only time we heard from was for routine checks.

I get home from the school run and shortly after our return he's parked outside our house again. He wasn't there long but why park there.