Broadband down on lodgers agreement - advice needed please!

Hjad

Hi Everyone,

Just looking for some advice on wording etc to contact landlord again –

I am currently renting on a lodgers agreement, and in the house until the 20th Jan which is when the tenancy is up.

From the 8th Jan the internet hasn’t been working – have contacted the landlord who advised that the provided apparently cut off the connection to the house and conveniently won’t be able to get someone out until the 21st Jan.

Where do we stand in terms of getting reimbursed or compensated for having paid for that time but not being able to have use of it? Have checked the agreement and does state all bills and services included, and found the original advert that states broadband is included etc.

Any help/advice is really appreciated – I understand that it is just under 2 weeks without, which isn’t a lot to some, but when it is something that we have paid for, it’s a bit of kick in the teeth!

Thanks in advance

Comms69

Hjad wrote: »

Hi Everyone,

Just looking for some advice on wording etc to contact landlord again –

I am currently renting on a lodgers agreement, and in the house until the 20th Jan which is when the tenancy is up. - Are you a lodger or a tenant? You say contacted, rather than spoke to. So presumably the landlord doesn't live there?

From the 8th Jan the internet hasn’t been working – have contacted the landlord who advised that the provided apparently cut off the connection to the house and conveniently won’t be able to get someone out until the 21st Jan.

Where do we stand in terms of getting reimbursed or compensated for having paid for that time but not being able to have use of it? - £10? Have checked the agreement and does state all bills and services included, and found the original advert that states broadband is included etc.

Any help/advice is really appreciated – I understand that it is just under 2 weeks without, which isn’t a lot to some, but when it is something that we have paid for, it’s a bit of kick in the teeth!

Thanks in advance

Who's we? Something smells fishy here

stator

Just ask the landlord to refund you the cost of a mobile broadband connection for two weeks. You can tether any wifi devices to a mobile phone

Hjad

My partner and I - don't worry all okay with the landlord as couples are accepted.

Comms69

Hjad wrote: »

My partner and I - don't worry all okay with the landlord as couples are accepted.

Im sure they are. I didn't think you were being dodgy; I suspect the landlord is though.


Does the landlord live there?


If not, did you pay a deposit? I suspect the landlord is evading tax as well

Hjad

So it is a lodgers agreement -
But the landlord hasn't stayed since we have been there in March, only for post etc.

Deposit was paid at the time.

Hoping I am replying to the comments correctly - sorry not sure how to use the site yet as very new to it!

Thanks :-)

AnotherJoe

Hjad wrote: »

So it is a lodgers agreement -
But the landlord hasn't stayed since we have been there in March, only for post etc.

Deposit was paid at the time.

Hoping I am replying to the comments correctly - sorry not sure how to use the site yet as very new to it!

Thanks :-)

Click on the little "speech bubble" which will put the comment you are replying to in your post ready for you to add your response (and highlight words if you want, like i did) , so its clear which post /words you are replying to,

AdrianC

Hjad wrote: »

From the 8th Jan the internet hasn’t been working – have contacted the landlord who advised that the provided apparently cut off the connection to the house and conveniently won’t be able to get someone out until the 21st Jan.

As with anything else, the general rule-of-thumb is whether you'd be able to get it sorted substantially quicker if you were an owner-occupier.

If this is down to a problem at the supplier's end, then so long as the landlord is on them and it'll be fixed as soon as the supplier can, there's no more that can be expected. Any compo from the supplier would come under the terms of the contract - and for a residential connection, that's usually minimal.



If broadband is so important to you, are there workarounds you can take to mitigate the outage? A 4G router or tethering to your phone, perhaps?

Comms69

Hjad wrote: »

So it is a lodgers agreement -
But the landlord hasn't stayed since we have been there in March, only for post etc.

Deposit was paid at the time.

Hoping I am replying to the comments correctly - sorry not sure how to use the site yet as very new to it!

Thanks :-)

if nothing else, you should ensure HMRC are aware of this income stream

thelem

Hjad wrote: »

So it is a lodgers agreement -
But the landlord hasn't stayed since we have been there in March, only for post etc.

If the landlord isn't living with you then you are a tenant and should have a tenancy contract (AST). Other's can advise what penalty the landlord could face for putting you on the wrong contract, but it's likely to be far more than a couple of weeks of broadband.

Comms69

thelem wrote: »

If the landlord isn't living with you then you are a tenant and should have a tenancy contract (AST). Other's can advise what penalty the landlord could face for putting you on the wrong contract, but it's likely to be far more than a couple of weeks of broadband.

Upto 3x the value of the deposit as compensation for the tenant.


Landlord risking also criminal convictions in respect of gas safety.


Additionally the LL can have property seized under proceeds of crime; if tax evasion is a factor.