Advice on how to best deal with landlords

HappyMJ

cts_casemod wrote: »

The agencies never disclosure details from the landlord and I had my fair share dealing with private time wasters.

I talked with some neighbors before moving to see how the area was. No one mentioned this. There's a chance they weren't aware (?).

When we signed the contract (after paying all the non refundable deposit, fees and waiting for the checks to come back it was a shock to us, but nothing that could be done.

In all honesty, he's a man on his 70's. Sometimes I get puzzled if he does it intentionally or not...

You don't hand over any money until you've read the tenancy agreement and signed the contract. After you sign the tenancy agreement you pay the deposit and rent in advance and the agency hands you the keys. The landlord's address must be on the tenancy agreement. You might lose a small holding fee and I'd take that loss and find somewhere else to live. You should not have paid any rent in advance or deposit at this point.

G_M

cts_casemod wrote: »

Point taken, but what excuse do I give him as to why I haven't filled in the DPS papers handed in on Friday? One thing is not agreeing to sign because they were handed blank, just refusing to sign for no other reason than to protect my tenancy is a different matter.

Thanks

I'm unclear what these papers are.

There is nothing from DPS that requires your completion, or signature (and certainly nothing blank).

If you read the link provided earlier, you'll see the obligation is on the landlord to

* register the deposit within 30 days (no tenant involvement other than paying the deposit to the LL) and
* give the tenant the 'Prescribed Information' within 30 days (again, no tenant involvement except to receive)

* Deposits: payment, protection and return

Hmmm... perhaps this is a part of a blank 'prescribed Information'. He wishes you to sign. He adds a date (30 days from payment of your deposit), attaches it to complete 'Prescribed Information' and hopes to get off any penalty.......

Drachenfach

I doubt your tenancy agreement can prevent you nailing that damn fence panel into place.

grab a hammer and put an end to that nonsense for starters (by securing the fence, not murdering your landlord)

Arklight

cts_casemod wrote: »

Update: He came the same day as the letter reached his mailbox.

My wife was caught by surprise: asks what they're doing on the back of the house: the leak is on the front, accessible trough the street. Some excuse he wanted to check another leak we haven't complained. Didn't fix the actual problem (yet).

We are terrified the way he acts. Being our neighbor, he simply removes the backyard fence from his side and has access to the property whenever he wants to do some 'checks'. No notice. It's like a police raid!

Weeks ago, we had a unexpected boiler check. He calls me and I'm at work. So the logical thing is to get his keys and do it anyway... Can he actually do this?

We're renting since the last week of August. I came to confirm no deposit was protected by calling the three companies and complained about this on the letter.

He gave my partner a blank DPS printed paper to sign. I'm obviously not signing anything until values, dates and what not are correctly filled.

This is all a bit awkward. Any advice?

.....................

Man up.

Vectis

Perhaps we ought to concentrate on the op and not the several tangents (fences, boilers, locks, keys etc) that this thread has wandered off to?

Did you follow up his visit with a letter concerning fixing the guttering/roof? I assume this was your major concern as it was what you posted about originally? It's probably best to get one issue sorted at a time.

If the guttering/roof leak is a major problem, consider giving him a date to get it fixed by, after which you will get a tradesman in to do it and bill him.

cts_casemod

Drachenfach wrote: »

I doubt your tenancy agreement can prevent you nailing that damn fence panel into place.

grab a hammer and put an end to that nonsense for starters (by securing the fence, not murdering your landlord)

The fence is well secured, he removes it from his side. I guess it must have a bracket or lock he removes at will. I arranged to have another CCTV camera installed on the back. That should calm him down.

Tried to replace the lock for the back door today, found a bodged job with a mechanism that shouldn't be there. Some DIY enthusiast must have done it. I'm probably going to fix one of these:





Vectis,

Yes, he got my letter and said hes going to fix the gutters tomorrow or Friday.

G_M,

These are the papers I've been given. Zoom the page if it is too small.

G_M

Well, as I guessed in post 23 above, this is the 'Prescribed Information' that a LL must give to the tenant within 30 days of the deposit being paid.

By giving it to you blank, the LL is clearly planning to fill it in later, almost certainly back-dating it.

The solution is simple.

1) don't return it. No need to. But if he gives you pressure, then

2) complete it as fully as you can, including, most importantly, dating it clearly with the date of signature.

He cannot complain if you fill it in accurately. Nor can he complain if you date it accurately.

Take a copy yourself to keep.

and if you can get him to sign it (with the accurate date already inserted) before taking a copy - even better! You then have proof which you can use any time in the next 7 years that he provided the PI late.

Plus of course you can always get the depoit schemes to confirm the deposit was not registered or was registered late.

cts_casemod

G_M wrote: »

Well, as I guessed in post 23 above, this is the 'Prescribed Information' that a LL must give to the tenant within 30 days of the deposit being paid.

By giving it to you blank, the LL is clearly planning to fill it in later, almost certainly back-dating it.

The solution is simple.

1) don't return it. No need to. But if he gives you pressure, then

2) complete it as fully as you can, including, most importantly, dating it clearly with the date of signature.

He cannot complain if you fill it in accurately. Nor can he complain if you date it accurately.

Take a copy yourself to keep.

and if you can get him to sign it (with the accurate date already inserted) before taking a copy - even better! You then have proof which you can use any time in the next 7 years that he provided the PI late.

Plus of course you can always get the depoit schemes to confirm the deposit was not registered or was registered late.

Thank you. Can he actually backdate it? Surely the DPS would have a mismatch in the deposit and tenancy date, despite whatever he writes on the paper?

Bit confused, in a previous tenancy my landlord actually brought two copies and ask me to sign. He kept one copy and I kept the other one, all with the correct details previously filled (including the deposit number) and a large (separate) leaflet with the T's & C's.

Could he have protected the deposit before the papers were signed?

G_M

I really don't understand your problem with the DPS.

* is the deposit protected? Yes/No? If yes, what date? Who with? Have you checked? See post 16 above

* You've not been served the PI. Either in time or out of time. But you've been asked to sign a blank PI. Whatever the LL's reasoning, you'd be mad to just sign it blank.

I suggested you ignore it. You seemed concerned the LL would take offence /put you under pressure and you'd need an 'excuse'.

so I suggested you sign and date it (and complete it too). You seem unhappy with this option as well.

I'm out of options!

cts_casemod

G_M wrote: »

so I suggested you sign and date it (and complete it too). You seem unhappy with this option as well.

I'm out of options!

I'm not unhappy. I asked how the landlord could backdate if the deposit would be registered not sooner than the date he actually put the money there (3-4 months late).