Landlord Harassment - Advice needed please

Badmac64

brianposter said:

Tenants often seem to have pretty daft ideas about what landlords think. In practical terms your position as a tenant at the present time is so strong that you might as well be nice to your landlady.

We have always been nice to her - like I said we haven't really had much to do with her in 4 years apart from couple of times when things have needed repaired and it has been problematic and she hasn't wanted to spend any money.  Every month until March the rent was paid early and as soon as we realised we would have an issue we let her know.

onwards&upwards

I wouldn't write any letters that will just wind her up.  React calmly.  Change the locks, there is no need to tell her you have done this, its well within your rights and she will only find out if she tries to enter without your permission! 

If she comes to your door, you can choose whether to open the door or not.  I don't think she will go back to your MIL's but if she does THEN your MIL can just keep the door shut and ignore her, or call the police if she feels threatened. 

If you stay quiet and calm and let her rage and dig a hole for herself, you are better off than if you've let yourself be drawn into a row. 

HampshireH

If you can afford a locksmith you can afford to pay more off your rent

https://www.toolstation.com/era-6-pin-euro-thumb-turn-cylinder/p12588?store=A2&utm_source=googleshopping&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=googleshoppingfeed&gclid=Cj0KCQjwhb36BRCfARIsAKcXh6HSbciPhDVMvSKiPJXfoxzzlmT7n2gSHjU89c9UI9H3uI-0-bR9B4oaAm_BEALw_wcB

Couple of these will do you (depending on your lock). 1 screw, slide it out and replace. Easy and cheap.

greatcrested

Change the locks yourself. A locksmith will cost £50 - £100 which you'd do better to use towards your rent arrears.

Buy a lock yourself. See

* how to change barrel of latch lock

* how to change mortice lock

It helps to see both sides. Landlady is worried by the arrears, and then sees/hears you may have moved out. Let's be honest, tenants do sometimes 'do a runner' in these circumstances.

I'm not saying this justifies abusive language etc but it explains her thinking, and why she came to your MILs to find out if you've abandoned the property.

The alternative would be to enter your property to see if you've left, which could be even worse for her legally.

Communication is always helpful where there's a problem. Contact her (phone? a letter?) and apologise for the arrears. Frankly, you should have done this as soon as the arrears started. Burying your head in the sand about the arrears has resulted in.... this situation.

Explain the reason - politely. Reassure her you are doing everything you can to pay her back. Tell her how much you will be able to pay, and when.

If you do this by phone and she responds abusively or does not let you explain, hang up and write a polite, clear letter.

Jumblebumble

Badmac64 said:

Good Evening All,
Hope we are all well.
I am looking for some advice - myself and my wife are renting a 2 bed flat currently - I have had my hours cut so only earning 30% of my normal wage and my wife has been 
made redundant.  We have put a claim in for housing benefit but what we are entitled too does not cover our full rent so we are in arrears over the last 3 months.
Anyway we don't have much contact with our landlord at all - but tonight she came to the flat but both of us were not home as we are staying with my wife's elderly mother who has not long been discharged from hospital this week.
My wife was in the kitchen at her mothers house around 6pm tonight when the doorbell went - her mother went to the door and our land lady was at the door, she asked if my wife was there and attempted to enter the property.  My mother in law managed to close the door over slightly to stop her making entry - my wife went to the door and the land lady was abusive towards her - She said that she had been told by the neighbour at our flat that we had left the flat and moved out as they saw us with suitcases last week - my wife explained that is not the case we had only left for a week to care for her mother who has been sick and is also recovering from the death of her husband suddenly a few months ago.  Anyway the landlady was rude and my wife felt threatened when she started demanding to know when the arrears would be paid - we will be approx. £900 in arrears on Friday when we pay this months rent.  She told my wife she wants it this week or she will be coming back.
My wife is now panicking that now she knows we are not at our house she is going to enter and she is also worried she is going to come back to her mums - her mum is almost 90 and has a heart condition and doesn't cope well with stress.
 Where do we stand on this?  Can she come back to my mother in laws home if we don't clear the arrears this week?  Any advice would be gratefully received because I now have a stressed wife that my landlady will return to her mothers house or that we will be evicted.  We are in Scotland if this makes any difference to the advice given.

I suggest that you inform the Landlady that if she turns up at your mother in laws house again you/she  will be calling the police immediately as you mother in law is frightened of her aggressive behaviour

Badmac64

greatcrested said:

Change the locks yourself. A locksmith will cost £50 - £100 which you'd do better to use towards your rent arrears.

Buy a lock yourself. See

It helps to see both sides. Landlady is worried by the arrears, and then sees/hears you may have moved out. Let's be honest, tenants do sometimes 'do a runner' in these circumstances.

I'm not saying this justifies abusive language etc but it explains her thinking, and why she came to your MILs to find out if you've abandoned the property.

The alternative would be to enter your property to see if you've left, which could be even worse for her legally.

Communication is always helpful where there's a problem. Contact her (phone? a letter?) and apologise for the arrears. Frankly, you should have done this as soon as the arrears started. Burying your head in the sand about the arrears has resulted in.... this situation.

Explain the reason - politely. Reassure her you are doing everything you can to pay her back. Tell her how much you will be able to pay, and when.

If you do this by phone and she responds abusively or does not let you explain, hang up and write a polite, clear letter.

Hi There
thanks for your reply - just to clarify we have communicated fully with her about the rent arrears way back in March when we realised there was an issue with paying the rent in full.  We never buried our head in the sand we have always been open and honest with her and I did advise that above.
My MIL was actually going to pay for the locksmith as she didn't want her daughter feeling anxious in her own home but I will go out and get a lock and replace myself today.

I have a strong suspicion this has to do with Nicola Sturgeon announcement yesterday afternoon that in Scotland evictions are on hold for another 6 months and she panicked - I understand that but we are paying her rent we have been £125 short per month she is still getting £525 each month.

Badmac64

HampshireH said:

If you can afford a locksmith you can afford to pay more off your rent

Couple of these will do you (depending on your lock). 1 screw, slide it out and replace. Easy and cheap.

it actually wasn't me paying the locksmith my mother in law was going to do it - but I will look at getting a lock and change it myself today.

ace33

In a pinch, you may be able to swap out your front and back door locks if they are the same barrel. Highly unlikely she would have a back door key or think that you had done this.

onwards&upwards

greatcrested said:

I'm not saying this justifies abusive language etc but it explains her thinking, and why she came to your MILs to find out if you've abandoned the property.

The alternative would be to enter your property to see if you've left, which could be even worse for her legally.

That would never be an option.

Comms69

onwards&upwards said:

greatcrested said:

I'm not saying this justifies abusive language etc but it explains her thinking, and why she came to your MILs to find out if you've abandoned the property.

The alternative would be to enter your property to see if you've left, which could be even worse for her legally.

That would never be an option.

Well not a legal option, unless she previously served notice