Landlord thinks we have pets, even though we don't. May refuse to renew our tenancy?

Moon.cat

Hi I need some advice,
Me and my partner moved Into a property a few months ago, we had hutched Guinea pigs before we moved in, the agreement on this new property said no pets but we did ask if we could keep them outside the property in their hutch, we were told no by the agency, therefore we gave the Guinea pigs away.

We had our first inspection the other day, we tidied and cleaned and made sure the home was presentable.
The property suffers with mould which we try to keep on top of, this can especially get bad at the bottom of the stairs where it gets very cold.

The report back was the landlord assumes we have pets, accusing us of a wet patch on the floor, which I have no explanation of, he said it smells urine?? Only thing I can think of is its wet from coming in outside with wet shoes as the patch they claim was right by the front door.
He also says he thinks we have damp because we are keeping pets in the home. The agency is saying if we don't remove them they may not renew our tenancy.

It seems they are trying to find evidence of us having pets, even though we don't. I'm worried they will try and kick us out even though we aren't breaching the tenancy.

martinthebandit

Cold, on its own, doesn't cause damp.

ognum

Moon.cat wrote: »

Hi I need some advice,
Me and my partner moved Into a property a few months ago, we had hutched Guinea pigs before we moved in, the agreement on this new property said no pets but we did ask if we could keep them outside the property in their hutch, we were told no by the agency, therefore we gave the Guinea pigs away.

We had our first inspection the other day, we tidied and cleaned and made sure the home was presentable.
The property suffers with mould which we try to keep on top of, this can especially get bad at the bottom of the stairs where it gets very cold.

The report back was the landlord assumes we have pets, accusing us of a wet patch on the floor, which I have no explanation of, he said it smells urine?? Only thing I can think of is its wet from coming in outside with wet shoes as the patch they claim was right by the front door.
He also says he thinks we have damp because we are keeping pets in the home. The agency is saying if we don't remove them they may not renew our tenancy.

It seems they are trying to find evidence of us having pets, even though we don't. I'm worried they will try and kick us out even though we aren't breaching the tenancy.

This place sounds awful why do you want to stay.

AdrianC

You don't need to "renew" your tenancy, and the landlord doesn't need any reason to give you notice.

tacpot12

Heating and ventilating the property better will get rid of the damp, and control the mould. Perhaps a mat or rug by the door will also help.

Comms69

Moon.cat wrote: »

Hi I need some advice,
Me and my partner moved Into a property a few months ago, we had hutched Guinea pigs before we moved in, the agreement on this new property said no pets but we did ask if we could keep them outside the property in their hutch, we were told no by the agency, therefore we gave the Guinea pigs away.

We had our first inspection the other day, we tidied and cleaned and made sure the home was presentable.
The property suffers with mould which we try to keep on top of, this can especially get bad at the bottom of the stairs where it gets very cold.

The report back was the landlord assumes we have pets, accusing us of a wet patch on the floor, which I have no explanation of, he said it smells urine?? Only thing I can think of is its wet from coming in outside with wet shoes as the patch they claim was right by the front door.
He also says he thinks we have damp because we are keeping pets in the home. The agency is saying if we don't remove them they may not renew our tenancy.

It seems they are trying to find evidence of us having pets, even though we don't. I'm worried they will try and kick us out even though we aren't breaching the tenancy.

I don't know any landlords who choose to evict paying tenants. In the future refuse inspections.

Davesnave

Moon.cat wrote: »

I'm worried they will try and kick us out even though we aren't breaching the tenancy.

No point in worrying. The landlord doesn't need a reason to issue a S21 at the appropriate time, so whether he/she has a genuine reason, or its all in his/her head, is irrelevant.


If the place is cold, damp and you cannot heat it adequately at a sensible cost, I'd look for alternatives.

Norman_Castle

The property suffers with mould which we try to keep on top of, this can especially get bad at the bottom of the stairs where it gets very cold.

The report back was the landlord assumes we have pets, accusing us of a wet patch on the floor, which I have no explanation of,

Is the front door close to the bottom of the stairs? Is the door or frame leaking?
If its leaking that could be causing the damp.

pinkteapot

Have you told them you don't have pets?

Could it just be that they had a note that you have pets from when you asked about the guinea pigs, so assume you do and therefore blamed anything they saw on pets? Simple misunderstanding maybe...

G_M

Have you written formally reporting the problems with the property and requesting a timescale for repairs?

Damp and mould could be the result of tenant lifestyle (drying clothers indoors, no ventilation when cooking/bathing, pets, etc) or could be a defect in the property (leaks, failed dampproof course, poor pointing, etc)

As for the renewal, it is not needed. Just stay. Read
* Ending/renewing an AST: what happens when a fixed term ends? How can a LL or tenant end a tenancy? What is a periodic tenancy?

The LL can serve S21any time, fo no reason. Not worth worying about as nothing you can do really if he does want you out.

Having said that, once you report a (genuine) repairing issue, and if the LL ignores it, you'd be protected from retaliatory evicion by The Deregulation Act 2015 (S33). The S21 would be invalid. See
* Repairing Obligations: the law, common misconceptions, reporting/enforcing, retaliatory eviction & the new tenant protection (2015)

Moon.cat

The flat is quite small, obviously there is condensation when drying clothes indoors, we don't have a garden so don't have another choice, but we do open windows when cooking etc. The part of the flat with the mould never gets any heat and doesn't have any proper ventilation, (a window etc). It's the hardest part to control the mould. The landlord also says he can smell a pet in that specific area. All I can smell in that area is damp.... And that smell was there when we moved in.