I just signed a contract for a flat, LL seems iffy

ryouga

First off after I signed he adjusted the rent from 200pcm to 260(didnt notice till after he left but it did say £200 on both before I signed) just by adjusting the 0 a little.

I think this is because I am on benefits and that is the monthly LHA rate.

I found out after I moved in from old letters lying about that the last 3 tenants did a runner, 1 still gets wageslips which seem to be from the army!(and that is 3 tenants ago!) saw a letter from council dated last week saying LHA is being paid to LL but the property has been up for rent for 3 weeks and last tenant did a runner over a month ago!

Also when I went into the meter cupboard I could not find any trip switches, is this legal(I took photo and may post it) and no way to cut power should something blow.

I also found out hes the same LL as my current/old place who has had no end of problems, has been there 2 years and repairs havent been done, a leak was sorted at their flat by extending a pipe out wall so the water pours into garden(happens everytime boiler is on)

So not looking good, and also the advert showed pictures of a nicely decorated flat, with sofas etc and when I got flat it was unfurnished and dirty(I dont mind hoovering and wiping down walls as it was meant to be cheap rent but not at the new higher price)

[Deleted User]

Too late to help now, but always make sure there are two copies of any tenancy agreement you sign, and that you take one away with you.

I'm afraid unless you can prove with a text or via an ad that the rent was stated to be £200 pcm (and if an ad, he could then claim it was a typo and you discussed the real terms before signing the contract).., you don't have much hope.

You could speak to him and say that you understood the rent was £200pcm etc.., but if he disagrees I'm not sure you can do much. You have also taken up residence since, so that might be taken to confirm your agreement.

I'd phone up the council and inform them that you are the new tenant, and LHA is no longer required if you want to stir the nest a bit.

I don't know about the meter. Gas Safety checks do have to be run on any gas supply/boiler in a rented property (and a certificate issued). Testing for electrical safety is not mandatory in the same way.

I don't know how long you have been in the property. If you paid a deposit, have you received notification of which scheme its in? Keep this information safe, just in case you need it when you move out.

Is there an inventory. Take photo's of everything in the property, and write a list of any damage or repairs needed and send it to the LL with a covering letter. Keep a copy. This will help if he tries to claim repair costs for damage that was already caused before you moved in (although how useful this is depends on how long you've been there). A letter will help though.

Hindsight is 20:20 unfortunately.

ryouga

I made sure to save the advert page from firefox so I have that as proof., and strangely the landlord puts a list of properties up daily and put a new one up today with my flat on it(at the £200 price)

benjus

Is it obvious that the contract has been altered with a pen? I would have thought that an alteration to the contract would need to be at least initialled (if not signed) by both parties to the contract. I'm not an expert though.

How did you manage to sign a contract without knowing that it's the same landlord as your previous flat?

Was it advertised as furnished or unfurnished? Photographs are usually taken while someone is living there, and people don't tend to live without any furniture. Whether the furniture belongs to the tenant or comes with the flat is something you should find out before signing any contracts.

ryouga

It did not mention anywhere about furnishing, I am less bothered by that in one way more that he gets people viewing properties because they assume they are furnished.

And you are getting confused, its not the same landlord as my last flat, its the same landlord as a neighbour where I used to live so thats how I heard bad things about them(was only when this landlord mentioned where I currently live I mentioned town and he goes "oh I have a flat there" but by then contracts had been signed.)

What he did was I signed both contracts then he altered them after signing by distracting me with talking.