Advice needed on a business rental

pop37

Our group rent time in a school hall and have done for over 20 years (leaders of the group have changed over the years) but we have never signed a new contract with the school. Recently the school raised our rent to almost treble what we had been paying. They did this by letter stating the date of the raise was eight day previous to when the letter was received and one day after the letter was written. Upon asking to see the original rental agreement we were told there was not one. We are obviously going to move to another location. What I'd like to know is this. Can they raise the rent like this or do they have to give us notice of a rental period before they raise it. Trying to work out whether to pay them the rent level previously paid or whether we have to pay the new expensive rent for the short period it has taken us to find a new home.

Thanks for the help, being vague about what sort of group we are to stop identification of the school.

princeofpounds

There IS a contract. Even if it is not written there will be a verbal contract.


In a business letting, it's typically much more about what was in the contract rather than the statute book, as in residential lettings.


I am no lawyer, but I am pretty sure that in the absence of any written information a court would look at the frequency of payment to determine what the rental period was, as they would do for a residential tenancy without a contract.


Of course they cannot charge you higher rent retrospectively, that is total nonsense.


So my suggestion would be, move venue and refuse to pay the higher amount. If they want it, they can take you to court. They won't.

pop37

Thank you, our rental period is termly. Well that's how long we pay for. They request payment within the first half term for that whole term. I think I will pay the old rent. I am waiting on a start date for our new venue.

jjlandlord

If you had a contract for the whole term then they cannot change the fee (I wouldn't call it 'rent') until the end of the term.

How come you don't have any written document?

pop37

Twenty years ago I was not with that group, so don't know what happened then. They are only now writing one to stop this issue going forward. The letter came during the holidays at Easter, so we owe half a term rent upto now if we can start after half term at our new venue.