Homeless disaster

desperatex

Hi everyone,
Im starring disaster in the face and i could use some help.

Been renting privately for the past year. Been asking the landlord for a gas check as i havent had one in that whole time and i think it has annoyed them because they just turned round and said get out because they want to sell the house. This was a couple weeks ago.

I have no money for a deposit on a new house, cant borrow, poor credit rating because of !!!! choices in my twenties. My job requires a car and guess what thats kaput so cant get to work.

Anyway cut a long boring story short was told by landlord the rent included council tax and for first 6 months all was well. Then i got council tax bill. Tried contacting landlord but they live abroad. In the end to not cause hassle i paid and carried on paying because i worried it would cause problems. Stopped doing this in january got a letter saying baliffs coming round.

The tenancy agreement doesnt exist. It was all verbal never signed anything because landlord was known to me. Stupid i know. Am i liable for this?

gazter

desperatex wrote: »

Hi everyone,
Im starring disaster in the face and i could use some help.

Been renting privately for the past year. Been asking the landlord for a gas check as i havent had one in that whole time and i think it has annoyed them because they just turned round and said get out because they want to sell the house. This was a couple weeks ago.

I have no money for a deposit on a new house, cant borrow, poor credit rating because of !!!! choices in my twenties. My job requires a car and guess what thats kaput so cant get to work.

Anyway cut a long boring story short was told by landlord the rent included council tax and for first 6 months all was well. Then i got council tax bill. Tried contacting landlord but they live abroad. In the end to not cause hassle i paid and carried on paying because i worried it would cause problems. Stopped doing this in january got a letter saying baliffs coming round.

The tenancy agreement doesnt exist. It was all verbal never signed anything because landlord was known to me. Stupid i know. Am i liable for this?

You are liable for the council tax. You *must* pay it. However, when it comes to the rent, and if you are intending on leaving in the near future anyway, would not be going to him. Put it into a savings account. Rent strike comes with risks. If you want to keep legit, and really pi** him off, carry on paying the rent. Without a tenancy agreement and no protection for deposit, you'll still be in the house for many months to come, he wont be able to evict you (assuming you pay your rent) without these things getting rectified.

So:
i) you must pay the council tax ASAP.
ii) If you plan on voluntarily leaving within the next two months, dont pay the rent and tell the landlord you are using that to fund the council tax that he said he was paying.
iii) if you are happy to stay there until he evicts you, pay the rent as usual. Youll be there for some time to come.

Better_Days

Oh dear. Lot going on here. Try not to panic.

Where are you - England & Wales, Scotland?

There are also rules about rent and tax for non-resident landlords. Is there a letting agent involved at all? (I suspect not from what you have said)

Have you paid a deposit to the LL and if so has it been protected within the correct timeframe?

If the LL wants to sell you are in quite a strong position regarding allowing viewings - possibly negotating a rent reduction equal to the amount of Council Tax to permit this? Plus I think LL will need to serve notice correctly, even if you don't have a written tenancy agreement.

Have you tried asking Shelter for advice? http://www.shelter.org.uk/

Pixie5740

Whichever part of the UK you are in, your LL turning round and saying, "Get out," does not end your tenancy. Only you, the tenant, or a court can end the tenancy and in order to successfully get an eviction order from a court your LL would need to serve notice correctly which he hasn't.

Regardless of whether you have written contract or not, you have a tenancy agreement which started when you paid rent in exchange for living in the property.

Has your landlord ever provided you with an address for the serving of notices?

desperatex

Thanks i can barely address these posts but thanks just so scared ive got two dogs cant get to work cant borrow in a right mess state of panic jesus thanks for your time

westernpromise

Failure to follow gas safety requirements is a criminal offence and the HSE can issue a formal caution and may prosecute your landlord.

http://www.gassaferegister.co.uk/advice/renting_a_property/for_tenants.aspx

He's on a very sticky wicket.

stator

Change the locks to prevent an illegal eviction