Services in lieu of rent?

MovingForwards

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6187080/living-status#latest

Save your money, stop doing up a property which will never be yours, ignore the moving carrot and find something further out you can afford to buy. This is one huge mess you do not want to be a part of.

dimbo61

Does the property have a valid EPC ?
IE less than 10 years old and rating A to E.
Your Landlord ( aunt ) can't rent a property without a valid EPC.
If the house is F or G the LL can't rent it out.
The LL ( your aunt ) now also needs an EICR and the property should have safe electrics.
I am guessing that it does not have any gas ? No gas boiler or heating ? No gas fire or gas oven/ hob.
Your Landlady cannot serve a valid S21 to evict you without a valid EPC and EICR.
The council environmental health would also be very happy to prosecute a LL who rents out an unsafe property which does not have an EPC of E or better.
If the house have old wooden single glazed windows, no loft insulation, no modern heating system I am willing to guess it's F or G rated EPC.
Time to speak to shelter 
You could stop paying the rent and it might take 12/18 months before your LL could evict you.

caprikid1

"You could stop paying the rent and it might take 12/18 months before your LL could evict you."
Clearly not read the thread.... the OP is not paying rent

trex227

caprikid1 said:

"You could stop paying the rent and it might take 12/18 months before your LL could evict you."
Clearly not read the thread.... the OP is not paying rent

They’re paying the aunt £500 a month under the guise of the aunt “saving” the money for them

greatcrested

Legally it's pretty clear cut.

* you have received use of a property for use as your main residence

* in return, you are paying for maintenance and improvements to the property in lieu of a cash rent. I'm sure you could sit down and calculate the cash value to the landlord of everything you do.

* You are tenants, with all the protection provided by the Housing Act 1988 (and other leglislation).

* the aunt is a landlord and should be declaring the cash value of the benefits she's receiving to HMRC. If she has a mortgage on the property, she should have a BTL mortgage, or CTL

* she should be complying with all 87 pieces of leglsilation and regulations which apply to landlords (see link below)

* you are entitled to 'quiet enjoyment' of the property- so no, she cannot just 'come and go'. You can change the locks.

Of course, all this is complicated by the fact there is a family connection, so resorting to the law is probably not ideal - but you cn certainly use your understanding of your status to improve the relationship, set some boundaries, and warn her of her illegal activities...... eg tax evasion.

Post 7: New landlords (1):advice & information :see links in next post

Post 8: New landlords (2): Essential links for further information

I'd suggest as a starting point you actually quantify the cash value of everything you've 'paid' her, whether as one-offs (the imprved pathway) or regularly.

Aranyani

Why haven't you changed the locks yet?  

Regardless of whether you are a tenant or not (although you are) the house is your family's home, and everybody deserves privacy in their home.  

greatcrested

Just looked back at your previous thread where the same question was asked, and the same answes were given! Lucky for you I'm not charging for my time.......!

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6187080/living-status#latest

Mickey666

If at first you don’t get the answer you want, ask, ask again  

pennyalb

lika_86 said:

I thought this was going to be about something else entirely.

Haha same