Letting agent used wrong entry date

ripple34

Hello there
I'm about to find myself homeless for three weeks as the letting agent did not check the entry date with the landlord. It's actually 5 July but they agreed my date of 14 June and told me it was in the diary to sign the lease, pay full deposit etc.
I've booked removers and will at least have one more removal fee if I'm able to find a short-term solution. How do I find a 3-week let with all my stuff?

I only have a Letter of Offer signed three days ago, no tenancy agreement. I paid a holding deposit for them to take it off the market and the next day they tell me the date is wrong.
They're pressuring me daily asking 'do you want to drop out of the tenancy, if so you'll get your holding deposit back'. Why are they doing this and not trying to help, just get rid of me?
What on Earth do I do to make the letting agent accountable?

r34

G_M

Do you know why the date has been delayed? If for example, it is because there are currently tenants in occupation, who will not be vacating by your prefered date ( and indeed may not vacate by the delayed date!) then clearly you cannot move in.

Or perhaps the LL wants to do work/improvements before your tenancy starts. In this case you could perhaps negotiate to move in on the original date on condition that eg
* you allow his contractors free access for, say 2 weeks and
* he charges a reduced rent fo 2 weeks to compensate for the disruption.

Failing this, you could argue that a 'letter of offer' combined with 'acceptance' by yourself constitutes a contract. It does not create a tenancy, but does create a contract.

By changing the terms of that contract the LL/agent is in breach of contract and you could claim, and ultimately sue for your consequential costs eg
* removals
* hotel
* meals (as you can't cook)

etc


Make sure you have receipts.......!

ripple34

Thank you for that helpful reply
The flat is currently offices for the shop below. At the viewing on 17 May (the day I verbally stated my interest in taking the tenancy) the tenants told me the entry date was 'as soon as possible'. The agent accompanying did not query or dispute this.
I had no reason to believe at that time that this was probably only THEIR preferred option, not the landlord's who says their lease runs til 1 July and then he wants a workman to fix a couple of things until 5 July.
I didn't even know they weren't the landlord.

Probably to cover his back the agent is trying to force me to either a) take another more expensive and smaller place with no outside space which is stuck on the market, or b) he offers to negotiate my staying in the current (£233 more expensive) property where I have now packed everything up ready to leave (I'm actually away now not due back until 14 June, the day I planned to put it all in a van).

It's all starting to interfere with my sleep. And unfortunately has coincided with some other difficulties for me. So it's all become rather a nightmare and frankly my holiday is totally spoiled.