Landlord causing problems. Please help.

crispsandwich

Hi,

This is not strictly a money issue but if anyone can offer advice I'd greatly appreciate it all the same.

Basically I live in a house with three other people, all students (as I am myself). The landlord and landlady own another property just down the road. We received a copy of a letter, courtesy of our 'handyman', addressed to their other tenants yesterday basically stating that while their bathroom is being replaced, they are to use our shower facilities for at least a week. It's already arranged so that they have a key to our house! We're all furious about this because not only is it a blatant intrusion of our privacy, we were not consulted at all about this arrangement.

We plan to write a letter back to our landlord and landlady pointing out their duty to obtain our permission for such arrangements and to also point out the problems that letting four complete strangers into our house will entail.

Can we reasonably expect any monetary compensation? The facts are that these people will be using the electricity and gas that we will be paying for, they will undoubtedly leave mess behind and should they damage anything, us tenants will be legally required to pay for such damage. Are there any other issues anyone can think of to put in this letter? Aside from the obvious security issues.

We're not happy at all but obviously want to approach this in the correct way, even if our landlord and landlady have not done so.

Cheers.

bathgatebuyer

You can certainly ask - a reasonable landlord will give you some sort of rental concession for having to put up with that as it's highly unlikely your lease made specific provision for that.

Guy_Montag

I would either refuse or ask for a 50% rent reduction for that week. Probably I would refuse - this is completely unreasonable.

drc

Wow, I wouldn't put up with that in a million years. What kind of LL does that? Surely as you are renting the place, you are not obliged to let anyone into your flat to use your facilities apart from the people listed on the tenancy agreement. I'm would phone Citizens Advice Bureau for advice as this doesn't sound like something the LL can do, especially as you say, it will mean letting complete strangers into your home without consulting you and using your electricity and gas. It's your LL's problem if he doesn't have alternative arrangements for them, not yours and you shouldn't have to suffer because he is fixing up another of his flats.

TJ27

Tell your landlord that your local pub is having the toilets renovated, so you've given the patrons permission to come over and wee on his front lawn.

Doozergirl

There is no way you should put up with that, of course it contravenes any legal tenancy agreement.

You need to change the locks. If you have insurance it would be completely invalidated by this, I am sure.

They are only taking advantage because you are students and they assume you don't know your rights. It is totally wrong. Totally! What if you were older with a family, children, and you rented a house - would it be okay if your LL said it was okay for some other random family to let themselves in to your house?

Generali

You have the right to 'peaceful enjoyment' (I think that's the phrase) of your property.

Change the locks (you can buy a barrel for a lock quite cheaply). AFAIK you are entitled to do this. I was once advised by the police that the LL shouldn't have a copy of the key to my house too.

If you're as broke as I was as a student then you might prefer to negotiate a fee for others to use your shower. Just try not to blow it all on booze like I would have!

thesaint

Generali wrote: »

You have the right to 'peaceful enjoyment' (I think that's the phrase) of your property.

Change the locks (you can buy a barrel for a lock quite cheaply). AFAIK you are entitled to do this. I was once advised by the police that the LL shouldn't have a copy of the key to my house too.

If you're as broke as I was as a student then you might prefer to negotiate a fee for others to use your shower. Just try not to blow it all on booze like I would have!

Their is no provision in English law for changing the locks.

The Police were talking out their :lipsrseal

custardy

must admit i would change the locks even in the short term.

totally unacceptable allowing perfect strangers access to your property(while you rent) coupled with no notice either.

IveSeenTheLight

Sorry, but there is no way they can do this.
Tell them and your landlords other tenants it is unacceptable.

BigDaddyBlue

AFAIK only the LL and anyone that he has asked to do maintainance on the property (i.e. electrician gas man etc) can enter the property but only at 24 hours notice.

Read your tennancy agreement CAREFULLY and look at what it says.

apart from that i personally think that sucks big time and i'd tell him where to shove it. I've had the gas inspection and the electric inspection done in the past couple of weeks, all arranged through myself and the letting agents and organised at times that were convient for me and for when i would be in.

My truthful advice would be to speak to the CAB about this. It's an invasion of privacy amongst other things.