LL of no fixed abode?

[Deleted User]

justworriedabit said:

Lover_of_Lycra said:

lr1277 said:

Terrabithia said:

lr1277 said:

Terrabithia said:

lr1277 said:

If you can' contact the landlord, I don't know how the agency is going to contact them.

Say you want to leave early, to which address do you serve notice? The agency's address? I suggest you google "serving notice to landlord" to see what you are liable for if you don't serve notice correctly.

There are quite a few threads on this site, with tenants having problems other than required repairs. The advice is usually to write to the landlord at their address.

Say the state of the flat is not what you expected when you move in, and no inventory report has been done. How do you let the landlord know about broken appliances, poor incomplete decoration etc

Also regarding the boiler, for instance, is the landlord going to give you the account details so you can contact the insurance company to sort out repairs?

The landlord may be insured up to the hilt, but what if something happens for which he is not insured. For example, I was a landlord of a flat with a balcony and it got very windy up there. One day the tenant left the balcony door open in such wind and it opened or closed and smashed the double glazing. So had to get an emergency handyman or glazier out. So you would have to pay for such emergency repairs and reclaim from the landlord. Now it is always possible there will be emergency repairs which you need to sort out and reclaim from the landlord, but I suspect it is just that bit harder without a landlord or an agency nearby.

Just some thoughts.

lr1277 Thank you for your inputs
True, in the middle of the ocean, there will be no way to contact him. I will go through threads here about serving the notice. Tenancy mentions that LL will contact tenant via emails and it will be considered received next day. But is silent on how to contact LL, does mention LL's address as Agency's office address. This warrants some digging around for me.
About boiler insurance: I will ask LL if they will share insurer's details so that I can directly connect with them, if LL is MIA
About the glass shattering: Wast that tenant's negligence or act of omission? Surely they should have to pay for it? My tenancy contract mentions this. 

Regarding the borken balcony door, it was 18-19 years ago, so I don't remember the details. Sorry.

If you do go ahead with this tenancy, you need to think of all the things that go wrong and find out if the landlord is insured. Now it is possible that some landlord insurance will cover all situations. Let me help by starting a list:

boiler

Plumbing / leaking pipes, especially not close to the boiler (so you can't use the boiler insurance)

Replacement appliances. As a tenant, I once had an electric cooker stop working. The landlord replaced this for me. If a similar large appliance stopped working, would you source and get fitted said appliance

Windows / glazing

Replacement control unit (fusebox). Other electrical items. The flat I rented out did not have enough water pressure to make the shower usable. So an electric pump was installed (under the bath). Depending on their quality they stop working between 3 and 5 years.

Just some thoughts.

lr1277  this list is indeed very helpful. Thanks for this.
If any of the appliances stopped working, I dont mind finding a good one and getting it replaced, I just want the assurance the LL will later reimburse me for it. Dont know how do I ask LL this!

Yes you are right about asking, I don’t know either. The problem for me would be that he might be incommunicado for a few days or weeks. Unlikely but then so was the Indian Ocean tsunami.  So how long do you wait to hear from the landlord you can replace an essential appliance and how much he is willing to pay? Tricky one.
Not wishing to be morbid (but thinking of the tsunami again) you could ask for a contact who can authorise spending limits and reimbursement.
You could also ask the landlord about the arrangements should he be incapacitated or die. Another tricky question. Unlikely I know but most landlords aren’t sailing for a few months of a tenancy.
Perhaps I am over cautious and as you say everything will work out fine. But then unless there was some compelling reason, I would have walked away from this property.

The landlord isn’t necessarily responsible for replacing any white goods. I realise there are other compelling reasons to want to contact the landlord quickly though such as a leak or if the heating packs in. 

OP, it is much simplier to determine who does what by reading the rental agreement.
The LL has obligations under the law more so than the T re property but the rental agreement declares all of it if it is a good one.
Also seek contact details for emergencies via phone/email etc and you know the world traveller can take the same phone and email around the world.

You as a T have rights, ie cH goes wrong and not repaired you can repair and recover costs
So read the contrract get, ensure worldwide contact details.

Under Section 11 of the LL and Tenant Act 1985, you have the right to expect your LL to carry outrepairs in a 'reasonable time'. If it's an emergency repair as you've got no heat/hot water, your ll should fix this in 24 hour

NB - I'm no expert so please DYOR as rules/etc do change

Just in case you missed it.

SpiderLegs

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justworriedabit

Lover_of_Lycra said:

justworriedabit said:

Lover_of_Lycra said:

lr1277 said:

Terrabithia said:

lr1277 said:

Terrabithia said:

lr1277 said:

If you can' contact the landlord, I don't know how the agency is going to contact them.

Say you want to leave early, to which address do you serve notice? The agency's address? I suggest you google "serving notice to landlord" to see what you are liable for if you don't serve notice correctly.

There are quite a few threads on this site, with tenants having problems other than required repairs. The advice is usually to write to the landlord at their address.

Say the state of the flat is not what you expected when you move in, and no inventory report has been done. How do you let the landlord know about broken appliances, poor incomplete decoration etc

Also regarding the boiler, for instance, is the landlord going to give you the account details so you can contact the insurance company to sort out repairs?

The landlord may be insured up to the hilt, but what if something happens for which he is not insured. For example, I was a landlord of a flat with a balcony and it got very windy up there. One day the tenant left the balcony door open in such wind and it opened or closed and smashed the double glazing. So had to get an emergency handyman or glazier out. So you would have to pay for such emergency repairs and reclaim from the landlord. Now it is always possible there will be emergency repairs which you need to sort out and reclaim from the landlord, but I suspect it is just that bit harder without a landlord or an agency nearby.

Just some thoughts.

lr1277 Thank you for your inputs
True, in the middle of the ocean, there will be no way to contact him. I will go through threads here about serving the notice. Tenancy mentions that LL will contact tenant via emails and it will be considered received next day. But is silent on how to contact LL, does mention LL's address as Agency's office address. This warrants some digging around for me.
About boiler insurance: I will ask LL if they will share insurer's details so that I can directly connect with them, if LL is MIA
About the glass shattering: Wast that tenant's negligence or act of omission? Surely they should have to pay for it? My tenancy contract mentions this. 

Regarding the borken balcony door, it was 18-19 years ago, so I don't remember the details. Sorry.

If you do go ahead with this tenancy, you need to think of all the things that go wrong and find out if the landlord is insured. Now it is possible that some landlord insurance will cover all situations. Let me help by starting a list:

boiler

Plumbing / leaking pipes, especially not close to the boiler (so you can't use the boiler insurance)

Replacement appliances. As a tenant, I once had an electric cooker stop working. The landlord replaced this for me. If a similar large appliance stopped working, would you source and get fitted said appliance

Windows / glazing

Replacement control unit (fusebox). Other electrical items. The flat I rented out did not have enough water pressure to make the shower usable. So an electric pump was installed (under the bath). Depending on their quality they stop working between 3 and 5 years.

Just some thoughts.

lr1277  this list is indeed very helpful. Thanks for this.
If any of the appliances stopped working, I dont mind finding a good one and getting it replaced, I just want the assurance the LL will later reimburse me for it. Dont know how do I ask LL this!

Yes you are right about asking, I don’t know either. The problem for me would be that he might be incommunicado for a few days or weeks. Unlikely but then so was the Indian Ocean tsunami.  So how long do you wait to hear from the landlord you can replace an essential appliance and how much he is willing to pay? Tricky one.
Not wishing to be morbid (but thinking of the tsunami again) you could ask for a contact who can authorise spending limits and reimbursement.
You could also ask the landlord about the arrangements should he be incapacitated or die. Another tricky question. Unlikely I know but most landlords aren’t sailing for a few months of a tenancy.
Perhaps I am over cautious and as you say everything will work out fine. But then unless there was some compelling reason, I would have walked away from this property.

The landlord isn’t necessarily responsible for replacing any white goods. I realise there are other compelling reasons to want to contact the landlord quickly though such as a leak or if the heating packs in. 

OP, it is much simplier to determine who does what by reading the rental agreement.
The LL has obligations under the law more so than the T re property but the rental agreement declares all of it if it is a good one.
Also seek contact details for emergencies via phone/email etc and you know the world traveller can take the same phone and email around the world.

You as a T have rights, ie cH goes wrong and not repaired you can repair and recover costs
So read the contrract get, ensure worldwide contact details.

Under Section 11 of the LL and Tenant Act 1985, you have the right to expect your LL to carry outrepairs in a 'reasonable time'. If it's an emergency repair as you've got no heat/hot water, your ll should fix this in 24 hour

NB - I'm no expert so please DYOR as rules/etc do change

Just in case you missed it.

Thank you. My sincere apologies!
Therefore "should" is not 'must' is what I should have said.
Trying to do my work, talking business on the phone, watching tv, listening to the radio and talking to mr J got me mixed up.
As I said, I'm big enough to apologise and just done that and thank you
I do however stand by the "should" is not must and I also mentioned "reasonable time" in my post.
x

Terrabithia

Lover_of_Lycra said:

@Terrabithia if the address for the serving of notices given in your tenancy agreement is c/o the letting agency then that’s where you need to write to in the event of reporting a repair issue, wanting to serve notice to end the tenancy or any other reason you may have to want to contact the landlord. It might be that whilst the agency is not managing the property they are forwarding messages on. Sounds a bit odd to me but could be perfectly legit. 

As an overseas landlord I have a letting agency managing the let and that’s who the tenant contacts. If I was using a tenant finder only service I’d use a different address and ensure the tenant had my email address and an emergency contact number. 

I am registered with HMRC’s non-resident landlord scheme and was issued with a document confirming this which I passed to the letting agency so they know not to deduct tax from the rent. Without such a form from an overseas landlord assume you need to deduct tax until you see something issued by HMRC saying otherwise. 

Yes, it seems the communication has to go to agency. I will seek the clarifications on details of this from the agent tomorrow.
I have to pay rent to the agent and not LL. Is it safe to assume the agent will be responsible for NRL scheme deduction as per HMRC rules?

Terrabithia

lr1277 said:

Terrabithia said:

lr1277 said:

Terrabithia said:

lr1277 said:

If you can' contact the landlord, I don't know how the agency is going to contact them.

Say you want to leave early, to which address do you serve notice? The agency's address? I suggest you google "serving notice to landlord" to see what you are liable for if you don't serve notice correctly.

There are quite a few threads on this site, with tenants having problems other than required repairs. The advice is usually to write to the landlord at their address.

Say the state of the flat is not what you expected when you move in, and no inventory report has been done. How do you let the landlord know about broken appliances, poor incomplete decoration etc

Also regarding the boiler, for instance, is the landlord going to give you the account details so you can contact the insurance company to sort out repairs?

The landlord may be insured up to the hilt, but what if something happens for which he is not insured. For example, I was a landlord of a flat with a balcony and it got very windy up there. One day the tenant left the balcony door open in such wind and it opened or closed and smashed the double glazing. So had to get an emergency handyman or glazier out. So you would have to pay for such emergency repairs and reclaim from the landlord. Now it is always possible there will be emergency repairs which you need to sort out and reclaim from the landlord, but I suspect it is just that bit harder without a landlord or an agency nearby.

Just some thoughts.

lr1277 Thank you for your inputs
True, in the middle of the ocean, there will be no way to contact him. I will go through threads here about serving the notice. Tenancy mentions that LL will contact tenant via emails and it will be considered received next day. But is silent on how to contact LL, does mention LL's address as Agency's office address. This warrants some digging around for me.
About boiler insurance: I will ask LL if they will share insurer's details so that I can directly connect with them, if LL is MIA
About the glass shattering: Wast that tenant's negligence or act of omission? Surely they should have to pay for it? My tenancy contract mentions this. 

Regarding the borken balcony door, it was 18-19 years ago, so I don't remember the details. Sorry.

If you do go ahead with this tenancy, you need to think of all the things that go wrong and find out if the landlord is insured. Now it is possible that some landlord insurance will cover all situations. Let me help by starting a list:

boiler

Plumbing / leaking pipes, especially not close to the boiler (so you can't use the boiler insurance)

Replacement appliances. As a tenant, I once had an electric cooker stop working. The landlord replaced this for me. If a similar large appliance stopped working, would you source and get fitted said appliance

Windows / glazing

Replacement control unit (fusebox). Other electrical items. The flat I rented out did not have enough water pressure to make the shower usable. So an electric pump was installed (under the bath). Depending on their quality they stop working between 3 and 5 years.

Just some thoughts.

lr1277  this list is indeed very helpful. Thanks for this.
If any of the appliances stopped working, I dont mind finding a good one and getting it replaced, I just want the assurance the LL will later reimburse me for it. Dont know how do I ask LL this!

Yes you are right about asking, I don’t know either. The problem for me would be that he might be incommunicado for a few days or weeks. Unlikely but then so was the Indian Ocean tsunami.  So how long do you wait to hear from the landlord you can replace an essential appliance and how much he is willing to pay? Tricky one.
Not wishing to be morbid (but thinking of the tsunami again) you could ask for a contact who can authorise spending limits and reimbursement.
You could also ask the landlord about the arrangements should he be incapacitated or die. Another tricky question. Unlikely I know but most landlords aren’t sailing for a few months of a tenancy.
Perhaps I am over cautious and as you say everything will work out fine. But then unless there was some compelling reason, I would have walked away from this property.

lr1277 Yes not being able to get in touch with them when needed is an inconvenience.
I get your point about a tragedy striking LL but thats an awkward alley I guess I wont venture in. 
Any one of us could breathe their last any moment. Probability is different for different ppl, but nonetheless. I dont think its prudent to broach this subject. 
Also, I dont know what i should expect, its not like tenant's welfare will be high in the priority list of to do list in case LL crosses over. 

[Deleted User]

Terrabithia said:

Lover_of_Lycra said:

@Terrabithia if the address for the serving of notices given in your tenancy agreement is c/o the letting agency then that’s where you need to write to in the event of reporting a repair issue, wanting to serve notice to end the tenancy or any other reason you may have to want to contact the landlord. It might be that whilst the agency is not managing the property they are forwarding messages on. Sounds a bit odd to me but could be perfectly legit. 

As an overseas landlord I have a letting agency managing the let and that’s who the tenant contacts. If I was using a tenant finder only service I’d use a different address and ensure the tenant had my email address and an emergency contact number. 

I am registered with HMRC’s non-resident landlord scheme and was issued with a document confirming this which I passed to the letting agency so they know not to deduct tax from the rent. Without such a form from an overseas landlord assume you need to deduct tax until you see something issued by HMRC saying otherwise. 

Yes, it seems the communication has to go to agency. I will seek the clarifications on details of this from the agent tomorrow.
I have to pay rent to the agent and not LL. Is it safe to assume the agent will be responsible for NRL scheme deduction as per HMRC rules?

If you’re paying rent to the letting agent rather than directly to the landlord then the NRL tax issue will not concern you at all. 

Communication has to go to the agency, rent is paid via the agency. This sounds very much as if the letting agency is managing the let to some degree. It might not be a fully managed service but it’s certainly not a tenant finder only service. This whole thread appears to be a mountain made out of a molehill.