Troublesome lodger

happyharry1

Thanks for the advice above.

My troublesome lodger did leave on Saturday. As a dramatic finale, she showed up at 2.a.m. Friday night to use the washing machine, and packed the only back door key with her belongings! She left no cheque or forwarding address. Doesn't answer emails or calls, but has a county court small claim to deal with. We have a locked back door.

Good riddance to her anyway!

If there is something to learn, its to trust your instinct in the face of being familiar with someone. In hindsight, noticed a change in her personality a few months ago, and understand now it coincided with a new boyfriend and a bad crowd. I don't know if there's a clause that says in a nice way 'I just don't feel comfortable with you in the house anymore' but in future, I'll add it to the list of reasons to give notice.

Debt_Free_Chick

happyharry1 wrote: »

Thanks for the advice above.

My troublesome lodger did leave on Saturday. As a dramatic finale, she showed up at 2.a.m. Friday night to use the washing machine, and packed the only back door key with her belongings! She left no cheque or forwarding address. Doesn't answer emails or calls, but has a county court small claim to deal with.

Sorry if I've missed something, but I assume you have a current address for serving the summons on her?

If it can't be served, you can't win :mad:

happyharry1

I filed the papers and had them stamped at the Court while she was still a lodger at the house, with the house as her address. She is on the electoral role here. In her notice letter, I gave her a deadline to pay or a county court claim would be made, and when she promised to leave a cheque last week, emailed her the final arrears balance and noted they included £75 court fee because the claim had been lodged.

The lodgers licence included a clause to provide the owner with a forwarding address at the end of the licence. There's not much more I could do. I have her work address and can probably find her parents address, if I need to forward anything on, though I'm not inclined to.

I was told serving at her last known address was sufficient.

clutton_2

but if you have no forwarding address for her she will not know she has been summonsed and will not appear and thus will probably not pay up !!! When you get to to court you may have to tell the court that she no longer resides at yours.