Ending Tenancy and Landlord has changed but we have no contact details...what are our options?

onthemend88

Sorry everyone, I am in work at the moment and only having chance to quickly scroll through the comments. I will reply properly as soon as I can. 

greatcrested

investin1 said:

Apologies section 47/48 

s.47 is very relevant as it gives name of landlord to follow up (most LLs live close to their rental). 

It’s an offence to not supply S.47/48 prior to a rent demand and has penalty of up to £2,500 if convicted. 

The OP did not mention a letting agent, but sometime do not think or it helps someone else. 

Contact the last LL and they should have details

Where are you getting your information from?

Breaches of neither S47 nor S48 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1987 are an offence.  There is no penalty "of up to £2,500 if convicted" as there can be no conviction. However, where a LL fails to comply with Ss 47 or 48, rent is not due.

You may, of course, be thinking of S1 or S3 of the Landlord & Tenant Act 1985 which is a completely different Act. 

Furthermore, as I said earlier, S47 seems irrelevant since the new landlord has apparently (subject to OP confirming) not 'requested rent'.

Suggest you read my earlier post!

investin1

You may, of course, be thinking of S1 or S3 of the which is a completely different Act

I wasn’t think I was specifying a section 1 which is the tenant can request the landlord’s details. It is still in force now, my office still gets them. 

A section 3 notice is totally and related to freehold purchase and notifying the leaseholder. Totally irrelevant to this whole post. 

I suggest you involve a solictor in any action (or inaction) you take in letting property. 

I suggest you Google ‘section 48 notice offence’ and I long list comes up specifying that it is an offence. (I am unable to post links).  

 You specified the 1987 but this was an update to the 1985 act. You did miss out the landlord tenant act of 1963 - which the 1985 act is a consolidation of. 

But they are all laws and relevant

Madmel

Investin1, apart from being rather rude to established posters who have a track record of offering sound advice, you yourself are guilty of not reading the OP in your quest to assert your "knowledge".  The OP clearly stated that they had tried to contact the previous LL and were unsuccessful.  

I have never been in the OP's position, but I do think that on this occasion, withholding of the rent is the most logical thing to do.  Apart from the fact that as the OP has not been informed of the change of LL, so therefore, rent is not payable, it gets around the issue of the deposit return.  It may also flush out the elusive new LL's contact details.

investin1

What I cannot stand is that advice given ‘as is’ is then challenged by another person as a sense of superiority. Irrespective of how many times a person posts, does not afford that person the right to denigrate helpful advice from another (even if they see it wrong). 

As to the mileage the OP gains form any post is unknown as their current situation and how it fits in to their situation, is only known to the OP. 

greatcrested

Madmel said:

Investin1, apart from being rather rude to established posters who have a track record of offering sound advice, you yourself are guilty of not reading the OP in your quest to assert your "knowledge".

Cheers. Myself I refrained from responding as a) there was so much inaccuracy mixed into the poorly expressed claims it was hard to know where to start and b) it was clearly simply going to lead to a further response and and ongoing and frutless debate....

My own posts included links to the relevant legislation so OP could refer to those and draw their own conclusions.