Preparing for Winter

Confuzzled

well it looks like my plans for winter here have been scuppered, appearantly my landlord has let the letting agency send me a notice to quit!

i've no idea why, i always pay my rent on time , the agent said my house was in good order when she did the inspection, perhaps she's not happy that i've complained about things... the letting agent had just asked for new beds and they've been out here to fix broken radiators etc

humph! how dare i actually expect to live in a place that is liveable!!!

now the problem is actually finding another place to live! the big problem is the timing, the lets all get snatched up by students and many move in in sept but my lease is up for october 1st so i'm hoping they'll let me out of a few weeks here if that's what it takes to move me

i dont' know what i'm going to do now though, i can probably find a better flat then here but not sure i can get it in this time frame, it really is that tight for finding anywhere else to live... this has really put a damper on my day

missychrissy

sorry to hear your bad news. Where do you live? I've got empty bedrooms in North Yorkshire

Confuzzled

missychrissy wrote: »

sorry to hear your bad news. Where do you live? I've got empty bedrooms in North Yorkshire

aww bless thanks for the offer but i'm in st andrews and need to stay somewhere nearby because her father comes back montly (on the uni's money) because he's doing a joint ph.d. between here and amsterdam

he's just going to have to suck it in and travel a little further i think, i've spent 3hours looking and can find NOTHING in this area that isn't a student term let or way over our budget. however if i go 5-10 miles from here i can find stuff in our budget so he may just have to deal with it.

now the big problem is a deposit, they took 6 weeks of rent for this place and that hurt a lot! most only want a months rent as deposit BUT i won't get the deposit back here til after i've moved out (and a few weeks to months wait i've heard!) i shall have to call the council and see if they can help me with their discretionary fund. also i shall see if they can help with the cost of a mover too...

i will have the ability to actually get a good look at the properties this time to so i shall make notes of nearby facilities as well as how airtight it is, ask about heating bills and boilers etc etc

least i don't have to move til oct 1st though in some ways that's worse because i'm finding some decent ones (outside HIS comfort zone/area) now! i'm hoping to find something detached or semi detached in a somewhat rural area. as long as i can get deliveries there easily enough and i can walk a reasonable distance to a bus stop i'd be happy... would love to find a place with a working fireplace

wish me luck folks, i think i'm gonna need it

witchwoopiggy

asked oh would he use a blanket in frountroom if gets cold and to my supprise he said yea so i started crochet him a bright red one (his fav colour) in basic double crochet, a chain off 200 stitches, double crochet in 4th stitch then every stitch till end, 3 chain at beging of next row then double crochet in every stitch, keep doing this row for blanket. I used 2 100g balls of wool yesterday and have worked out that 7 to 8 balls will be enough as blanket is long enough with 200 chain just got to do width, and a slip stitch edging. Then im going to line with a soft single sheet (which i have in airing cubard) total cost will be £7 to £8 as wool is £1 a ball in local £shop. Hope this helps someone

Savvy_sewing

Confuzzled, if you havent found anywhere to go, Squat. It will take him a while to get a court order to get you out.! Thats what the council here told me to do.

Some councils will gaurantee your deposit, they do in Oxford, and Northampton, but not here in South Northants!.

If you are on some benefits you can ask for a grant from the social fund to help with moving.
I am not a benefits expert, but I am sure if you keep your eyes open, someone will come along and help you.
Good luck x

Confuzzled

Mooloo wrote: »

Confuzzled, if you havent found anywhere to go, Squat. It will take him a while to get a court order to get you out.! Thats what the council here told me to do.

Some councils will gaurantee your deposit, they do in Oxford, and Northampton, but not here in South Northants!.

If you are on some benefits you can ask for a grant from the social fund to help with moving.
I am not a benefits expert, but I am sure if you keep your eyes open, someone will come along and help you.
Good luck x

thanks mooloo

i believe that fife council does help out with their discretionary fund so i shall give them a call. i'm not sure how long i could squat here as they've given me so much notice BUT i do have it on my side that it is sooo hard to find a place to live around here. i do hope i can find somewhere else though, the 'glamour' (if there ever was any) here has worn off and i'm seeing that i'm overpaying for a rather dumpy house that just this morning had yet another thing go wrong!

the refrigerator seal is leaking water. every time you move it a spray of water comes out :mad: couple that with the long string of other issues and even the repairman yesterday telling me that i'm getting scr*wed with the type of boiler they have here... well let's just say i WANT to move.

last night whilst i was laying in bed, unable to sleep and somehow feeling like i failed because i got a notice to quit (i know it's not really my fault, i'm certain it's because i keep asking for repairs, but still it feel like i failed) i came up with a mental checklist of things to look for

-check all windows to see if i can feel a draught regardless of glazing

-same with doors

-check the boiler type

-ask about heat/energy bills

-if there is a fireplace check that it is in working order and if they aren't sure try to get them to agree (in writing!) to have it cleaned and ready to use

-find out about local amenities BEFORE the viewing if possible, probably go early so i can have a look around if i don'tknow the area

-ask about direction the house is facing so i know which rooms will get most sunlight

-check for a rooftop aerial vs an attic one... the one we have is in the attic and the freeview box i bought lies unused because it doesn't play well with those type of aerials... right now i'm ok but when everything goes digital next year i'll be out the cost of my tv license if i don't have a decent aerial. when you're poor tv and computers are important forms of entertainment!

-check the condition of all appliances very thoroughly

-check where the antenna socket, phone socket and electrical outlets are in the house so get a feel of house easy it will be to use my things there

-take a tape measure with me rather than guess if my items will fit

-check every nook and cranny of the place really taking my time to look at it regardless of how ansy the agent may be when i'm looking!


i'll probably come up with more later and if any of you can think of anything to add please do! basically though, focusing on what i CAN do made me feel a little better about life and myself. and now i'm starting to get a little excited about the idea of moving.

i must say i'm quite happy i saved a lot of boxes... i suspected that we may wind up moving from here (though i thought it would be MY choice initially) so i have quite a few large boxes. i realise getting free boxes is easy enough but i live 3/4 mile from the nearest big store so it would be a chore getting them home! i do have a corner store nearby that will do for smaller boxes, i'm sure i don't have enough boxes for everything and somethings you don't want to put in a huge box anyway!

sort of a mixed feeling day here... i'm going to go into pay rent tomorrow, ask WHY i got the notice to quit, ask about how long it will take to get my deposit refunded and if the owner will consider letting me move early without penalty if i can find a place etc. monday i shall call the council about the deposit scheme and possible moving assistance (i've heard rumours) and i shall also contact citizens advice about my options on this and a few other financial issues i'm dealing with

here's hoping that we can find a snug little place to settle into before the cold sets in.

Savvy_sewing

Thats the way to go!. We seem to buy/rent our homes on a 5 minute look, and then we are just looking at the estate agents selling points!.
You could also look on Google Earth to see what is around. i.e. if its a rundown area, you will tell by the junk etc in/outside peoples gardens etc. Also the nearest parks etc etc can sometimes be seen!.
Go to Citizens Advice with a copy of your Tenancy and see if there are any loopholes. I doubt that with such a calous landlord you will get your deposit back, so I would consider whether it is worth withholding your rent from them? It will take a while for them to get a court order to reposess afterall, and if your on notice to quit would it be financially worth it for them?
I realise that this is not necessarily legal advise, so ask. But its what the woman at our council told me to do not so long ago!!!!
You at least have time to search, think, get advise, and work out what is best for you.
Take care and keep your chin up. The old saying when one door close another one opens, is often more a state of your mind, and becomes true if you are positive.
I have moved over 19 times since I left home at 19years old.
I learned a lot in that time!.
I spent over 30 minutes looking at this house, its gardens etc. Was well aware that it was full of drafts etc, and the energy report was on the information. But I believe that I am still happier here in this old rickety cottage then the big "executive style" house we lived in. Which was lovely. But a money pit and didnt feel like my home.

Confuzzled

Mooloo wrote: »

I spent over 30 minutes looking at this house, its gardens etc. Was well aware that it was full of drafts etc, and the energy report was on the information. But I believe that I am still happier here in this old rickety cottage then the big "executive style" house we lived in. Which was lovely. But a money pit and didnt feel like my home.

ahhh the google earth idea is very good, i shall remember to do that and literally get a lay of the land! when in a new neighbourhood i always check the state of cars and front/back gardens. that says a lot more about the neighbourhood then the outside state of the buildings i've found.

as for teh deposit, i'm actually renting from one of the better letting agents in the area so THEY hold the deposit and i should be able to get most of it back from them. i will be taking photo's of everything before i go and they are dated when you upload them to the computer so i'll have proof that i left the place in good condition.

my depoist was nearly 900quid and i have no intention of letting them keep much of that, preferably not any of it! and on that one i will fight tooth and nail! i once left a flat so clean that i actually got my deposit back in full within 3 days AND a huge fruit basket with a big thank you from my landlords as they said it was so clean they were able to put an ad in to rent it immediately and already had a tennant moved in! so as you can imagine if that's the norm for me they are NOT keeping my money!!

today when i speak with them for clarification on possibly moving out early and what needs doing to get a full refund i shall ask that they put everything in writing... then when they look at me funny i'll smile graciously and say 'well, i hope you're not offended but it's not you i distrust it's the owner and it's always best to have these sort of things in writing just in case, i'm sure you understand' really, what can they say to that without looking like thieves *evil grin*

wish me luck! part of me would prefer to do this over the phone but i have to go into the office today to pay the rent anyway so it will be harder for them to wriggle out of anything or lie to me if i'm there in person muahahahaha :rotfl:

Savvy_sewing

You sound like you have it all worked out. Good luck.

Patchwork_Quilt

Perhaps a strange thing to say Confuzzled but when you're looking at houses, make sure they don't smell of damp too. I'm sure you're an expert but just in case ... We once bought a house with a strange bobbly effect on the wallpaper. We had it surveyed and everything but of course water was running down the wall from the valley gutter above and nobody had spotted it. Should have sued the surveyor. Also, make sure the taps and loos are all working. The shower in this house was leaking into the ceiling - look out for cracked tiles

I'm sorry. I could go on. Best of luck to you. I hope you get a warm, dry house with a productive garden