Moving & rent arrears advice please

Sparky67

Most tenancy agreements specifically state that the deposit is not to be used in leiu of rent owed at the end of the tenancy - how does your Landlord know whether he will need to clean or repair the property after you've left? If he agreed to use the deposit for rent, the Letting Agent (assumption as you refer to the receptionist) might not be doing the same thing and could be calculating rent due without taking the deposit into account. Also, I agree with the earlier posters that just because your Landlord has agreed you can move out on a certain date, doesn't mean that you won't get charged rent until the notice period technically expires if that is later. Again, there could be a discrepancy between what you think you agreed with the Landlord and the letter of the law being applied by a Letting Agent?

janegresty

Sorry I am terrible at explaining myself!! Let me start from the beginning so that you have a bit more of an idea, why we are moving etc.

6 months after living her we started to get damp and mould in the bedroom and the bathroom. We also had water coming in the back door every time it rained, because it was not a proper back door. And the front door lock became lose and was a struggle to lock.

I phoned them daily for weeks and weeks, and finally had someone come round and have a look over the property. He gave his diagnosis and said he would be back the next day... I phoned landlord to confirm this as this was 2nd day booked off work as a holiday to get this sorted. They didnt turn up the next day... infact didnt come back for another 2 months!
The builder did something with the roof (which took 10 mins) then off he went... still we have damp and water leaking in on roof when bad weather.

I wont explain every time... but 6 months later nothing was any better. The mould got so bad we had to move downstairs and sleep on a sofabed... as a pillow resting on the wall for 1 hour would end up with a pillow full of mould even though that part of the wall had no mould showing.
We got environmental health involved which took another 6 months of messing about, and then finally with me being pregnant also... the builders came in to do work.

It turns out that the builders has cleaned the mould off the walls and painted over the damp.. as it is back a few weeks later and with it raining alot ifs not dripping down the walls. Phoned landlord and he said will send someone out... that was 2 weeks ago.
Baby is due in early aug and we want the best start for our baby... so have been looking to move elsewhere. so even though this bigger house is an extra £25 a month... we have worked out financies and can afford it.

Anyway the landlord knows of the damp problems and environmental health are now getting back involved. I gave 4 weeks notice of ending tenancy on the 9th april... rent was paid on the 2nd for 4 weeks.
spoke to the landlord asking how much notice was needed and he said 4 weeks. so i am paid up until 2nd of may... so have to pay rent from the 2nd to the 9th.

we owed a small amount of arrears already... which i was going to pay on the 28th when i next get paid and before tenancy ends (even though we are moving much earlier).

but he is now saying we have been paying rent for the month just gone ... rather than the month ahead. even though we paid a deposit and a month upfront when we moved it.

this is why i am getting confused. i have asked him to send me a statement or proof of all rent i have paid and proving the arears, and he has said he doesnt think he can?

he def said will take my £400 deposit as arrears. if he finds damage in the property (which he wont) then i would have no problems in paying for those aswell.

am i making even a tiny weeny bit more sense? x

janegresty

sorry also he is a private landlord who lets out many properties so has a receptionist who works for him

chappers

He or the agent don't have a record of your account detailing your payments to them .What's his name Clint Eastwood.

janegresty

Well when I spoke to him the first time, and asked him how it is worked out that I am paying for rent a month behind instead of a month ahead his response was "the system tells me this" which means he does have a record, he obviously is being lazy and does not want the hassle of getting it to me... either that or knows he is wrong. I have told him I am willing to pay the just under £200... will send him a cheque when I get paid so that I have record and reciete of it. But if he wants anymore he can prove it.

Also he has made a mistake with my reference, as on the reference it states "the house is in good condition, and the tenant will be fully up to date with rent at end of tenancy"... he hasn't even checked the property yet. So what would he do if I had wrecked the house like a minor number of tenants do? He would be gotten by the short and curles!!!
Luckily for him though the house is in good nick apart from all the damp and repairs that should of been fixed on his part. I was going to paint the whole house for him... but why should I when he is mithering me and being a g1t?
I think now I will just clean the carpets and clean the whole house etc... seeing as he will probably paint over the damp again anyway now summer is coming. x

clutton_2

he has to produce a statement of your rent account if he is claiming arrears

janegresty

oh good! so if he keeps calling my work I can tell him not to
only 7 more weeks anyway and I am off for maternity leave. He has my husbands mobile number, and my work number. So do I have to provide him with a forwarding address???

chappers

janegresty wrote: »

"the system tells me this"

Computer says no.

I only have one property at present, and as well as my bank statements i keep a spreadsheet of rent from my tenants so I can keep track as to whether they are behind or not, I could print you off a current statement of account within 30 seconds.
tell him you are demanding a current statement of your account then go back and reconcile it with payments from your bank.