Flatshare issue...

TBagpuss

It sounds as though you efectively moved in on 3rd even of the tenancy didn't officially start until the 11th so I think there is an argument that you nd to pay your share of the bills etc from that date.

However, it's completely reasonable to sak for a break down ofthefigures, and equally reasonable for you all to see all bills and proof that they are being paid.

In relation to council tax normally this is paid over 10 months, by way of monthly payments from April-Jan , with no paymetns in Feb or March. This does mean that the actual monthly payments may be higher than £110 if that figure was arrived at by divding the total annual bill by 12, but again, it is reasonable to ask for clarification and to see how it has been worked out.

You should not be paying any rent to anyone othe than the landlord and unless they have asked you for money for 3rd-11th june I don't see that you need to pay anything.

Bills - if these are in the name of the 'lead tenant' then it may be reasonable for you to pay them, but always do it via bank transfer so you have a paper trail (and give it a refence to show what it is - e.g. Electricity) and don't be shy about asking for sight of the bills / print off of the account to show the amounts being charged and that the bills are being paid.

Coucil tax I don't thinkthere is any reason why you can't pay your share direct to the council by standing order as long as you have the accountdetails and reference number.

DigForVictory

The Lead tenant sounds like a complete hazard to shipping &, in your shoes, I'd try to ensure a chaperone was present.

Perhaps not the other tenant who may also be bewildered but primarily after a quiet life.

JayRitchie

The lead tenant sounds very , erm, unusual. Heavily in debt? Been left lumbered with bills from previous tenants?

I'd get everything in writing, check the council tax on the council website. insist on opening and closing readings for electricity and gas bills etc.

Oh, and you probably need to look to leave when the lease term expires.

george4064

You should give your 'lead flatmate' a bit of paper with an invoice on it, broken down very vaguely with items such as :


- Labour £X
- Household £Y
- Miscellaneous £Z


Kindly inform him/her she can pay be MoneyEscrow.india or by MoneyGram, and if he/she asks for a breakdown say that you can't provide it.


Give her a bit of him/her own medicine!!

G_M

Under no circumstances take any cash with you on Sunday.


Make clear you will be happy to pay what you owe, via bank transfer, once it is clear what each amount being claimed has been explainedand agreed - payment will not be dictatd by her deadlines, but by her explanations.


Personally I think using email was a mistake. These things are far better done face to face - email is so easy tomisinterpret and she may have just reacted to what she perceived to be you being awkward.


TEA CAKE AND BEER!!!!!

Marvel1

ryanm8655 wrote: »

Slight update re: rent.

Contacted landlord who wasn’t aware but it was because she was paying the rent for that week. Though it actually worked out at £138 not £150.

I followed up my request for a breakdown on Wednesday night with a polite email asking for a breakdown and copies of bills so that we could work out what I owe based on my move date. I also said we need to get an updated council tax schedule to reflect my move date. Even offered to contact the council and arrange it to save her the hassle.

The response was a torrent of abuse saying she doesn’t like how I deal with things, can’t believe I went running to the landlord etc. And refusing to give her workings saying she’ll show me the paperwork on Sunday.

I responded politely again saying I wasn’t sure what the issue is. Sunday is fine but can she send me a breakdown anyway as then I can take a look in advance and it’ll be easier to resolve on Sunday. I also requested her details to pay the rent and offered to do so immediately.

Again I got a strange response...again refusing to break things down, ignoring my point re: council tax and asking me to bring cash on Sunday as her bank account is Australian and she doesn’t want to pay fees.

Very confused but there is no way I’m paying her cash and not sure how I’d know how much cash to bring anyhow...

Personally, all of the above says they are ripping you off.

Does she work? How does get paid? I smell BS. Stuff paying cash with no evidence. and certainly not to them for the rent.

oystercatcher

Very weird. I wonder if this is the reason previous tenant left so quickly ?

ryanm8655

Thanks for the replies.

Happy to pay the rent due, though do feel a little aggrieved it was never mentioned as I could have moved in later. I do think she’s pulled a bit of a fast one there but hey ho. Plus then adding £12 on top.

Without disclosing her job I don’t think it would pay that well and she has a mortgage back home she is paying. Doesn’t seem to live a frugal lifestyle either. Certain she is ripping us off and thought I was a soft touch. The other tenant barely speaks English so would have no idea...plus works about 18 hours a day, 7 days a week so isn’t there anyway.

My alarm bells started ringing when we were talking about deposit stuff with the landlord and she was saying that she paid the previous tenants deposit so should be entitled to it...just didn’t sound right given the landlord scrutinised bank statements to make sure of affordability.

She mentioned a previous tenant was fine until she got a boyfriend and then became difficult...I imagine he picked up on the bill skimming too.

The next tenant moved out after a day and went back to Australia according to her, I wonder if that was a fall out when she started demanding cash for unknown things.

She’s going to be even more livid as I’ve had to rush back home to family for a family emergency so am not around on Sunday now...

Re: council tax - monthly it works out at £86 each, it’s about £105 each a month for the ten months. I suspect two things here...1) she’s claiming the 25% discount and pocketing it, and 2) she’s pocketing the 2 months where you don’t pay as she made no mention of it to me...

I’ve had my own place before and also dealt with the bills at my previous flat, my job is also working with figures so it seems strange she thought I wouldn’t question. I am laid back and friendly by nature so perhaps that’s why...

Smodlet

G_M wrote: »

Under no circumstances take any cash with you on Sunday.


Make clear you will be happy to pay what you owe, via bank transfer, once it is clear what each amount being claimed has been explainedand agreed - payment will not be dictatd by her deadlines, but by her explanations.


Personally I think using email was a mistake. These things are far better done face to face - email is so easy tomisinterpret and she may have just reacted to what she perceived to be you being awkward.

TEA CAKE AND BEER!!!!!

If you choose G_M's nicely, nicely approach (which, under the circumstances, I am not sure I would) for your own sake, make sure you record the meeting on your phone, type up the relevant details and email it afterwards to this... Shafter?

I would approach with great caution. Likely scenarios seem to me to be either this lead tenant has been left holding the bills by previous tenants and is now (justifiably) paranoid or that she is a chancer.

I hope you manage to resolve this amicably and please ensure your safety. If this individual can fly off the handle so easily when you dare to question her, you need to be wary which in no way means giving in to her.

Please keep us updated if you can.

ryanm8655

Hello all,

A bit of an update...

We finally had a discussion re: bills. I got home at 11pm not realising she was back from her holiday. I was then awoken by a wailing banshee banging on my door. I got up to be presented with a slip of paper requesting a total of just shy of £500 for the three weeks I’d been there...her evidence was random scrawlings of invoice numbers.

She was asking for more than three months of council tax for a start...and was claiming I owed for the month before I moved in too.

This culminated in a blazing row...ultimately the next day I called the landlord and asked if I could move out. The upshot is he has agreed and I’ve now left.

Have a feeling she is going to try and get the bills deducted from my deposit (which the landlord has agreed to return with “agreed deductions”). I responded thanking him for his understanding and stating that me and the tenant that shall not be named still need to agree bills. I will pay the correct amount for the period I lived at the property only and only for things I had agreed to (not her shopping). He didn’t respond to this directly but did thank me for returning keys and said he’ll be in touch.

Can the landlord deduct bills from my deposit? It was due to be in the DPS but he hadn’t yet arranged it when I moved out...

Thanks,
Ryan