Renting laws

noddynoo

Hi We are currently renting a house which we took at short notice as we sold our flat and couldn't find anywhere in time for completion.It is a real dump and the landlord has been difficult but we paid 6 months in advance in July and have been here a while now and after much maintenance ourselves are quite happy. I got a call from the agent today to say that he wants to take back the property in January even though he initially said a long let. I am disabled and my husband works and this threw me but I was just getting used to the hassle of finding somewhere else when agent rang back and said if we pay 6 months again in advance we can stay. This seems so unfair as we just don;t have it and now I would just like to buy and be done with it as this is so unsettling BUT I am worried we won;t find anywhere in time and with my health I could be homeless! Is it legal for him to do this I am assuming it is although when we paid at the start I assumed from what the agent said we would go unto a rolling contract after the initial ran out We don't have another 10k upfront!!

Guest101

well three points


1: you should have it, as you have had 6 months to save the equivalent in rent. So if the flat is beyond your means then that is unlikely to change


2: You wont be homeless in January, but if you don't agree you may be in march /april. Eviction takes a long time.


3: yes it is legal

noddynoo

Does everyone have 6 months rent 10k in their bank account or do they pay monthly from salary? Don't be so ridiculous

Pixie5740

Is this in England or Wales?

What does your tenancy agreement say about the frequency of rent payments? Monthly, 6-monthly? Weekly?

noddynoo

I don't want to be tied for 6 months The agent said they have never encountered this before and if we leave they won't re market on his behalf as its so unfair

noddynoo

Hi The tenancy agreement says monthly after January but he wants to serve a section 21 now unless we agree to another 6 months rent in advance We are in England he def needs the cash I think so if we go he can specify 6 months to new tenants I assume

Guest101

noddynoo wrote: »

Does everyone have 6 months rent 10k in their bank account or do they pay monthly from salary? Don't be so ridiculous

No of course they don't, but that's usually because they pay rent monthly and thereby saving it would be difficult.


Let me explain:


Before you moved in, you agreed to pay £1,666 (or there abouts) per month, 6 months in advance.


So in Month 1 you paid £0
Month 2 £0
3 £0
4 £0
5 £0
6 £0


In those months, why were you not saving your rent payments?

Guest101

noddynoo wrote: »

I don't want to be tied for 6 months The agent said they have never encountered this before and if we leave they won't re market on his behalf as its so unfair

As it's so unfair = Because it's difficult to market to people....

Guest101

noddynoo wrote: »

Hi The tenancy agreement says monthly after January but he wants to serve a section 21 now unless we agree to another 6 months rent in advance We are in England he def needs the cash I think so if we go he can specify 6 months to new tenants I assume

Look it's not nice, but it's perfectly legal, so instead of arguing the morals, lets look at practical options

noddynoo

Well we didn't have 10k just to hand and with overdraft and some savings we paid it We have now repaid all that and we can afford the rent from husbands salary and that is what we and the agent assumed would happen. I don't want to hand over another lump sum and be tied in to 6 months as its not the usual I suppose. Agent and myself assumed he wanted to sell up or something but he doesn't and we are really good tenants etc it just seems he needs cash come January and if we don't pay it he wants us out I am definitely going to look for somewhere else just was settled and seems strange

noddynoo

We are in an ok position if we stay with the same letting agent as they have said they won't charge us fees etc if we rent again with them I do think its unusual but as you say not illegal I will return it to the state it was in on the inventory and move on It was empty for 8 months before we took it so really he is shooting himself in the foot but thats his issue