Despite between tenants

glynnwebb

Hi,

I’m living in a shared house with three other students. We’ve got a single tenancy agreement which states we’re each liable for £78 per week each in rent. One of the rooms in the house is much bigger than the rest, while another is much smaller, and is also downstairs and next to the kitchen. When we moved in one of the other tenants and I agreed that he would pay me £6 a week as a rent adjustment if he got the biggest room and I took the small one. The other two tenants also agreed to this arrangement. For the first term this worked fine, and he paid me with no problems.

Now, however, he has decided it’s too much and wants to reduce the adjustment to £4 a week and also backdate the change so that instead of giving me £162 over the remaining weeks of the tenancy agreement he will only give me £70.

I am on a very low income (I’m a mature student who is self-funding through medical school as I do not qualify for a student loan) and can’t really afford to just accept this.

Does anyone know if there’s anything I can do about it? I’ve got messages, emails etc. which document the agreement, and witnesses as well.

Thanks in advance,

Glynn

Pixie5740

If you have a joint tenancy between you then you each have joint and several liability for the whole rent not just £78 per week.

Your landlord isn't going to care what arrangement you have between the 3 of you. So what are your options?

* Take your flatmate to small claims court over £92. If you other flatmate is also going to be down £92 then perhaps you could file a joint claim.

* Speak with someone at the university if there's some kind of code of conduct for students. (I once had to go to a Student Union court for underage drinking as I'd only turned 17 when I started university - naughty Pixie.)

* Apply to go on Judge Rinder.

* Eat and drink £96 worth of his food?

Norman_Castle

Explain that you don't think £6 is enough and you believe £8 is fair and this should be back dated.

What do the other two tenants think?

Backdating the change is nonsense. How much would reducing to £5 for the remaining time cost you?

happyandcontented

I doubt you can do anything, this would appear to be a "gentlemans agreement" and he is clearly no gentleman.

bouicca21

Offer to swap rooms.

[Deleted User]

Did you mean 'Dispute Between Tenants' perchance for the thread title?

G_M

glynnwebb wrote: »

Hi,

I’m living in a shared house with three other students. We’ve got a single tenancy agreement which states we’re each liable for £78 per week each in rent.

This is not only unusual, but legally ambiguous.

Please quote the exact wording on your tenancy agreement. The section that describes 'The Tenant', and the section that describes 'The Rent'.

Does it also use the words "joint and several" anywhere, and if so what is the exact wording?

Hutchch0920

Pixie5740 wrote: »

* Eat and drink £96 worth of his food?

:rotfl: This would totally be my last resort option if he didn't come round. Man's got to eat