Rented House advice

Jenniefour

Paul_Jones_1984 wrote: »

Vintage,
I'm in work this week, so that's why I can't do anything, apart from email, until the weekend.

Don't use that as an excuse - get work phoned up and explain you need a couple of days off to deal with an unexpected personal emergency. The longer you leave this the worse it will be. And better to have the element of surprise rather than behaving in a way that's probably entirely predictable to her. Talk with the agents/landlord after you have changed the locks (while she's out). Let her collect her belongings and give her the train fare to Leeds. I have to say you've been given some stupidly poor advice by your friend, but plenty of good advice on here. Just get on with it - you can't afford not to, this situation has the potential to seriously mess up your life for the next six years or so unless you take action. Man up.

And no need for a confrontation at all, get a nice mate to go with you, or your Dad.

Paul_Jones_1984

Cakeguts wrote: »

I just want to shut the door on the LHA and the ex girlfriend taking over the tenancy. The chances are if this is a nice house in a nice area the LHA won't cover the rent being charged so the landlord will not accept the girlfriend as a tenant. This is apart from the fact that she will fail all the checks.

All true.
I just thought the landlord MAY decide that this would be easier than trying to take me to court and evict ex girlfriend. The landlord is unlikely to get any money from me, even if he gets a CCJ. So he'd just be left with legal costs and the cost of finding a new tenant.

Slithery

Paul_Jones_1984 wrote: »

Well, I it looks like there are options here.

There are only 2 options. Either kick her out or be liable for all of the rent and council tax until she decides to leave.

mostly along the lines of, ignore it, not your problem, leave it to the landlord, don't cause a scene, there's nothing they can do, you don't have money, they won't take you to court, it's not worth their while.

All of this is either terrible advice or just plain wrong.

KICK HER OUT!!!!!

Paul_Jones_1984

Jenniefour wrote: »

Don't use that as an excuse - get work phoned up and explain you need a couple of days off to deal with an unexpected personal emergency. The longer you leave this the worse it will be. And better to have the element of surprise rather than behaving in a way that's probably entirely predictable to her. Talk with the agents/landlord after you have changed the locks (while she's out). Let her collect her belongings and give her the train fare to Leeds. I have to say you've been given some stupidly poor advice by your friend, but plenty of good advice on here. Just get on with it - you can't afford not to, this situation has the potential to seriously mess up your life for the next six years or so unless you take action. Man up.

And no need for a confrontation at all, get a nice mate to go with you, or your Dad.

Thanks for your advice. I won't get time off work. They'd sack me. But obviously I can email and phone call etc.
Lots of people (not here online) have given me such varied advice. Mostly along the lines of "just walk away and forget about your deposit" etc. So it's been good to get some different advice. Online people are very different to real life!

Paul_Jones_1984

Well, I'm off to bed now.
Seems very strange change of circumstances being back in my parents house and not with my girlfriend. But that's life.

Thanks for all the advice. It is appreciated, but I just need to get my head around a new situation.

Jenniefour

Paul_Jones_1984 wrote: »

Thanks for your advice. I won't get time off work. They'd sack me. But obviously I can email and phone call etc.

Who were you thinking of emailing/phoning? Hope it's not your ex. Do not give her any advance warning or any inkling at all. Get ready with the numbers of a few local locksmiths.

Will your work be willing to let you have a couple of days of annual leave? I think the chances of getting in out of normal work hours are very slim, little children go to bed early. You need to make sure the children are out with her.

Good luck and don't let your ex take you for a further ride - this all sounds as though it might have been her intention from the off.

Cakeguts

Paul_Jones_1984 wrote: »

All true.
I just thought the landlord MAY decide that this would be easier than trying to take me to court and evict ex girlfriend. The landlord is unlikely to get any money from me, even if he gets a CCJ. So he'd just be left with legal costs and the cost of finding a new tenant.

The landlord can get a CCJ and attachment to earnings.

Don't for one minute think that there is an easy way out of this situation which you have created.

DCFC79

Just get the locks changed, whether it's you your dad and a friend or paying a locksmith for a couple of hours work, even better if you know someone who can change locks.

Don't let it drag on.

seashore22

OP, do you even want to live in this rented house and pay the rent? It's coming across that you don't really want this house, would be happy to live at home with the parents and are hoping to push the problems on to the girlfriend and the landlord. This seems the most likely explanation for your apathy.


There's nothing wrong with regretting a decision, but it's just not that easy to walk away from commitments and that is what everyone has tried to tell you.

[Deleted User]

You seem to be making some assumptions that are making life difficult for you.

1) Have you asked work for a couple of days holiday (explain the situation) the worst they can say is no? Hopefully they won't. Holiday is everyone's entitlement but a company can say no when you need it.
2) You assumed wholesale that because you are a man and she is a women with children you should be the one moving out. As has been pointed out, she is not on the tenancy agreement, has little hope of being able to take it over or changed to her name so you are simply leaving yourself wide open to 9 months of rent and god knows what other costs. She had no right to change the locks, it isn't her house.
a) Prepare to prevent problems when you change the locks. Get the LA or LL to send you a copy of the tenancy agreement so there is no question as to who rents the house and that your ex's name isn't on the TA. Also get copies of utility bills in your name. If you can't remember account numbers, phone the utility companies and ask for help locating your account. Don't over explain, just say you need to track down your bills having lost them.
b) Go to the house, change the locks, with police in attendance to prevent a breach of the peace if necessary.
c) Give her train fare to Leeds. And an hour to pack up. No advance notice. if you have receipts online to prove you paid for the furniture that will save any disputes over furniture. But sort out if you can storage with a friend for stuff she can't take with her. It is a tough response to a very tough situation, but she isn't doing the right thing. You have to.
d) DO NOT be persuaded to give her more time. She is not a tenant, she is not a lodger. You know already she will just change the locks again and you can't be in the house alone together because there is a risk of her claiming harrassment etc. You do NOT have to give her more time and she has already demonstrated how she is going to play the situation.

And I am a women with children (older now). But what she has done isn't legally or morally correct. Moving from Leeds to Wales on a whim (which is basically what she's done) isn't clever either. Her home council will at least provide her with emergency accommodation (which admittedly isn't very pleasant normally) while they investigate her circumstances. It will give her a bit of breathing space to find something else. Give her a letter to explain the circumstances and your contact details so they can contact you to confirm what has happened. That is ALL you need to do. In fact its more than you NEED to do. Its what would happen if she was a tenant and being legally evicted. She'd be given an hour to pack and leave. Take some strong black bin bags with you, offer her a taxi to the train station. Anything to get her back home.