Rent increased by 23% in 2 years.

LaikaS

My rent has been increased twice now, once last year by 7% of original rent price and yesterday I received a section 13 letter, increasing the price again by 16% of original rent price.

The agency that we rent with recently sold a house a few doors down for £135,000. This may have caused the landlord to believe that the house which I rent is of higher value, as all the houses have similar designs in this street. However the sold house has a conservatory which I do not. That house has been renovated and this house has not been renovated since its founding. Complete with old lady carpets and grandma's patterned floral raised wallpaper in every single last room.

To paint a picture, I live in a house with ALL of the landlords belongings, while clothing is removed, etc, there is a ridiculous amount of gaudy moulding furniture. The only place big enough to store it was the master bedroom, so we lost the use of that, along with the box room. So a 3 bedroom house is essentially now a 1 bedroom house. There is also the use of the garage, which again is filled with literal junk left by the landlord. Meaning the house has no parking. The house has many wiring issues, bakelite fuses burning and we've been told by the landlord's electrician, not to touch the light switches as they could administer an electric shock in the event of a fault. Although Surge fuses were installed, they're useless now that they've realised that no wiring in the house actually has earths.

- Will this be a good argument at a first tier tribunal?

- Will we be evicted if the tribunal is successful? 

[Deleted User]

For starters the landlord is breaking the law if he hasn't completed an EICR electrical safety test by 1st April of this year when it became obligatory for all existing tenancies.  Although I suspect millions of landlords are in the same position.

theartfullodger

Re-read s13 notice and it should indicate how to challenge this swinging unfair and un-gentlemanly (or unladylike) attempt at an increase by such a greedy landlord.

If unsure how look at Shelter website for guidance.

Best wishes to all.

GDB2222

@LaikaS Am I right that you rented a furnished property, even though you didn't like the furniture and had your own? If so, you can't really complain that you are having to store the landlord's furniture.  There may be lots of things wrong with the furniture. In particular it needs to have fire safety labels. However, the tribunal won't take the gaudiness into account. 

Stubod

..sounds like it's time to move out and find a better place?

moneysavinghero

Are you paying market rent now? Or are you paying below market rate? The best argument that you will have at a tribunal is that the increase will put your rent well above market rates.

If the place is so bad why not move out? What is keeping you at this place?

GDB2222

theartfullodger said:

Re-read s13 notice and it should indicate how to challenge this swinging unfair and un-gentlemanly (or unladylike) attempt at an increase by such a greedy landlord.

If unsure how look at Shelter website for guidance.

Best wishes to all.

I don't see how any of us can know whether this increase is excessive. The rent may originally have been at a low level. 

LaikaS

GDB2222 said:

@LaikaS Am I right that you rented a furnished property, even though you didn't like the furniture and had your own? If so, you can't really complain that you are having to store the landlord's furniture.  There may be lots of things wrong with the furniture. In particular it needs to have fire safety labels. However, the tribunal won't take the gaudiness into account. 

Actually GDB, I signed a tenancy agreement that was NOT for a furnished property. I was told that we could get rid of the furniture, it wasn't just bad but a lot of it didn't work. When it came down to it, there was only a hand full of things that I was approved for the removal of. of particular note, the beds that came with the house, did have a fire safety label.....From 1988! They're filled with hay/straw, no way they'd pass, I wouldn't recommend that anyone slept on them.

LaikaS

moneysavinghero said:

Are you paying market rent now? Or are you paying below market rate? The best argument that you will have at a tribunal is that the increase will put your rent well above market rates.

If the place is so bad why not move out? What is keeping you at this place?

It is pretty bad and I will moved but this is putting a rush on it, I was saving up for a deposit, which I won't have until the end of this year.

AdrianC

What does your original tenancy say about rental increases?
Or have you signed replacement tenancies at the new rent?

LaikaS

AdrianC said:

What does your original tenancy say about rental increases?
Or have you signed replacement tenancies at the new rent?

I have triple checked the tenancy agreement and there is no mention of rent increases.