Urgently need advice regarding my rental contract

gpdeath

Hi all,
If anyone can help I would greatly appreciate it as I am allowing this to stress me out so much that my health is taking a severe hit.

I am renting a house through an estate agent in NI. My current lease expires on 19/08/15. The estate agents have been hounding me since January to sign a lease for the following year (7 months in advance). I agreed to sign a new lease as I have done every year for the past four years (same house). They contacted via email on a Friday afternoon to say the landlord wishes to increase rent and I have to give them my final decision by the Monday. This was extremely distressing for me coming into a busy weekend. I rang on the Monday to say this was not possible-I do not know what situation my job will be in by the end of April. They said I have to sign by 13/02/15 (over 6 months in advance). If I do not, they will commence viewing by 1st March. I received a text from the estate agents today to say that if I do not sign by tomorrow morning they will commence viewings. (still over 6 months in advance)
The contract states they can put a sale or to-let sign up during the final five months...that the "tenant shall grant free admittance without any prior notice written or otherwise....for viewings between 9am and 5pm any weekday"
It also states "if the tenants and guarantors have not completed a new agreement....within four months of the termination date.....the agent may show prospective tenants the property without prior notice in the final five months" This completely confuses me, if I dont sign within the last four moths they can allow viewings within the last five? Am I missing something or is this completely illogical?

Ok so....
Does anyone have any idea what my legal rights are?
I feel like I am being harassed.
They asked for a final decision 7 months in advance.
They state they will start viewings if i don't sign 6 months in advance.
As I am female and live alone and have experienced burglary before I am extremely distressed by the thought of having strangers traipsing in and out of my home without prior notice, throughout half a year of my life. What if I fancy working from home/having an early bath, lounging about in the privacy of my own home in the buff, doing anything in my own home during daylight hours? I also dont feel comfortable when someone has been in the house not knowing whether they were supposed to be there or not (in the case of not ring the police!)
AAAArgh. Sorry, I am so stressed I cannot sleep and I am getting ulcers again. fantastic. Please help!

theartfullodger

http://www.housingadviceni.org/advice-private-tenants

pyueck

gpdeath wrote: »

Hi all,
If anyone can help I would greatly appreciate it as I am allowing this to stress me out so much that my health is taking a severe hit.

I am renting a house through an estate agent in NI. My current lease expires on 19/08/15. The estate agents have been hounding me since January to sign a lease for the following year (7 months in advance). I agreed to sign a new lease as I have done every year for the past four years (same house). They contacted via email on a Friday afternoon to say the landlord wishes to increase rent and I have to give them my final decision by the Monday. This was extremely distressing for me coming into a busy weekend. I rang on the Monday to say this was not possible-I do not know what situation my job will be in by the end of April. They said I have to sign by 13/02/15 (over 6 months in advance). If I do not, they will commence viewing by 1st March. I received a text from the estate agents today to say that if I do not sign by tomorrow morning they will commence viewings. (still over 6 months in advance)
The contract states they can put a sale or to-let sign up during the final five months...that the "tenant shall grant free admittance without any prior notice written or otherwise....for viewings between 9am and 5pm any weekday"
It also states "if the tenants and guarantors have not completed a new agreement....within four months of the termination date.....the agent may show prospective tenants the property without prior notice in the final five months" This completely confuses me, if I dont sign within the last four moths they can allow viewings within the last five? Am I missing something or is this completely illogical?

Ok so....
Does anyone have any idea what my legal rights are?
I feel like I am being harassed.
They asked for a final decision 7 months in advance.
They state they will start viewings if i don't sign 6 months in advance.
As I am female and live alone and have experienced burglary before I am extremely distressed by the thought of having strangers traipsing in and out of my home without prior notice, throughout half a year of my life. What if I fancy working from home/having an early bath, lounging about in the privacy of my own home in the buff, doing anything in my own home during daylight hours? I also dont feel comfortable when someone has been in the house not knowing whether they were supposed to be there or not (in the case of not ring the police!)
AAAArgh. Sorry, I am so stressed I cannot sleep and I am getting ulcers again. fantastic. Please help!

1) You don't need to sign anything. After the tenancy your tenancy will turn into a periodic tenancy on the same terms, although your landlord can give you a s21 to ask you to vacate within two months. If you don't he can apply for a court order.
2) The clause allowing free viewings without notice is an unfair term and therefore not valid. A landlord must give 24 hours notice which you can refuse. There is a long debate about the legal side of viewings, which I don't really want to get into. However all viewings must be reasonable (in their timing, notice given and frequency). 6 months in advance is not reasonable.
3) If anybody comes into your house with no prior permission call the police. Also feel free to change the locks. You can claim damages for harassment if it continues or it continues to be threatened. If you don't want somebody to come into your house do not be afraid to say no.

You need to tell the landlord that you are renting there and are currently feeling harassed. This is not acceptable as you have a right to quiet enjoyment of your home. The tenancy has six months to run, and whatever the clause says, it is an unfair term and you do not want anybody coming in your house, especially without notice.

I very much doubt anybody will look round anyway, it's six months before they could move in!

Please don't feel stressed, the law is on your side and you should never feel bullied into letting people into your home.

gpdeath

thanks artful dodger, although I have looked at this site before and it didn't really help me figure out what my legal rights are-like can I demand advance notice of viewings, can they force me to sign a lease so far in advance and so on. Im still in the dark and being in NI means there is of course no longer a switchboard for citizens advice to talk with someone that deals with the area.

gpdeath

Thank you Pyueck (that was hard to type). I think I'll keep re-reading your message until I believe every word, it certainly gave me some sense of ease. I think ill call them tomorrow and follow it up with a written letter (and try not to show my annoyance at their bullying tactics)

G_M

pyueck wrote: »

1) You don't need to sign anything. After the tenancy your tenancy will turn into a periodic tenancy on the same terms, although your landlord can give you a s21 to ask you to vacate within two months. If you don't he can apply for a court order.
2) The clause allowing free viewings without notice is an unfair term and therefore not valid. A landlord must give 24 hours notice which you can refuse. There is a long debate about the legal side of viewings, which I don't really want to get into. However all viewings must be reasonable (in their timing, notice given and frequency). 6 months in advance is not reasonable.
3) If anybody comes into your house with no prior permission call the police. Also feel free to change the locks. You can claim damages for harassment if it continues or it continues to be threatened. If you don't want somebody to come into your house do not be afraid to say no.

You need to tell the landlord that you are renting there and are currently feeling harassed. This is not acceptable as you have a right to quiet enjoyment of your home. The tenancy has six months to run, and whatever the clause says, it is an unfair term and you do not want anybody coming in your house, especially without notice.

I very much doubt anybody will look round anyway, it's six months before they could move in!

Please don't feel stressed, the law is on your side and you should never feel bullied into letting people into your home.

I am no expert on tenancy law in NI, but I do know that over there the LL must issue a Notice To Quit rather than a S21 Notice (England/Wales).

That may imply the other advice here applies to Eng/Wales and may/may not therefore be relevant.

OP - unless a NI expert comes along, rely on your own research starting with the link artful provided.

Pixie5740

There's a NI board elsewhere on the forum. You might have some more luck if you post there too.

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/forumdisplay.php?f=32

pyueck

G_M wrote: »

I am no expert on tenancy law in NI, but I do know that over there the LL must issue a Notice To Quit rather than a S21 Notice (England/Wales).

That may imply the other advice here applies to Eng/Wales and may/may not therefore be relevant.

OP - unless a NI expert comes along, rely on your own research starting with the link artful provided.

So sorry didn't see the NI bit, apologies my post related to England and Wales, sorry I don't know NI law.