Big Badger House (aka Noisy Lodger) HE'S GONE!

clutton_2

BL you are being manipulated very cleverly indeed - and she is appealing to your femininity and using her pregnancy as the "key" tool of manipulation - you really must "harden up" - if you want me to re-write your earlier letter for you so that it is a professional and clear and short statement/letter before action - then send me a PM and i would be delighted to help

jamtart6

i think everyones being a bit harsh on badger here! its all well and good to say "id do this, i'd do that" but only badger knows quackers and knows how she should be handled, and ranting and raving doesn't seem to be the way to go. Having 'known' badger for a year or more, I can say she isn't soft in the head, and can most likely see that Quackers is taking advantage, but until you are in that position and having to deal with the person you live with in a harsh manner then I think its hard to judge. So yeh, leave badger alone! lets just slate Quackers instead!!

clutton_2

i dont think ANYone is slating badgerlady - i think almost everyone on this thread has her very best interests at heart - else why would we all be writing after 64 pages of thread - it is really clear she is thought of very fondly by many many people - and so we should !!

i think my/our passion is about our respect for BL - that is why people want her to get rid of this leech of a tenant

jamtart6

clutton wrote: »

i dont think ANYone is slating badgerlady - i think almost everyone on this thread has her very best interests at heart - else why would we all be writing after 64 pages of thread - it is really clear she is thought of very fondly by many many people - and so we should !!

i think my/our passion is about our respect for BL - that is why people want her to get rid of this leech of a tenant

I agree, but there have been a few remarks which I've thought were unfair enough for me to feel that I had to say something!

Jowo_2

jamtart6 wrote: »

i think everyones being a bit harsh on badger here! its all well and good to say "id do this, i'd do that" but only badger knows quackers and knows how she should be handled, and ranting and raving doesn't seem to be the way to go. Having 'known' badger for a year or more, I can say she isn't soft in the head, and can most likely see that Quackers is taking advantage, but until you are in that position and having to deal with the person you live with in a harsh manner then I think its hard to judge

A forum of this type invites advice and opinions so that's what Badger Lady has got - conventional responses to help someone manage their issues.

The criticism she has received for the poor handling of Quackers (the consensus here) has been fairly good natured and members are generally rooting for BL, in my opinion.

It remains to be seen if Badger does know how to handle the situation with a vulnerable lodger with complex needs - neither party are very happy with each other and the various strategies she has employed to obtain the rent and refunds for purchases over a long period of time have come to little.

I don't detect many posts that demand that BL rants and raves at her lodger. Being business-like and professional in a landlord/lodger relationship should not be confused with ruthlessness. It is not evil to be polite and firm when reminding a lodger of their contractual obligation to pay rent.

Badger_Lady

Thanks all...

Well today's the day. I got a text message about half an hour ago asking "Are you home?", to which I replied, "On my way - are you?" but there's no sign of her here yet. The most significant change to note is a lot of packing - there's a large suitcase at the top of the stairs, a box of toiletries in the bathroom and a notable space in the kitchen. Oo-er!

Jowo_2

I assume there's no envelope there for you full of the promised cash from her boyfriend? I also assume that she has not left a note with her forwarding address?

Don't get into a discussion with her because you are a sucker for her highly developed guilt skills and sophisticated sob stories. Ultimately, for some months now she has failed to pass on her rent money to you and the reasons are an irrelevance to her obligation to pay rent. Whatever promises she makes to pay the arrears, tell her you will pursue her for the arrears in full and will commence legal action shortly, therefore if the arrears are paid in full by the time of the court action, you will withdraw the case. Just get the key back and then change the locks.

When the rent was both free and she enjoyed an income from her tenancy, she hung around for months. Within days of the suspension of the LHA, knowing that she will not be able to demonstrate to the LA that she hasn't paid her rent and she'll never get her mitts on it again, knowing that you will rightfully receive all the rent going forward instead of her, she is leaving. Computer says no, she's off.

Normally, when a lodger leaves without giving full notice, they are obliged to pay rent for the remaining period. However, I believe with LHA claims, occupancy is relevant and they will only pay a claim while a claimant resides there. I expect her suspended claim to you will be affected when she applies for LHA at the next address.

Check the position with the LA but it looks like you are only going to get back a small sum from them when she departs. You should be able to add rent due from the unfulfilled notice period to any subsequent court action to recover arrears.

Previously I puzzled why she did not move in with her boyfriend or family because of her 'pregnancy'. Does her boyfriend own his own place or is he on benefits himself? LHA is not payable when a claimants landlord is a partner or relative and benefits can be impacted by a partner's income or the benefits they get. If she was using your LHA like a cash machine, she would know that that living with a partner can affect entitlement and living with relatives would mean no entitlement to LHA.

clutton_2

let her go, move on, and set yourself a new computerised rental system - (a simple spreadsheet in Excel will do it) so that you dont let this happen again

chasing a debt she cannot pay will only cause you stress - and you have h ad enough of that this last year ....

xx

Jowo_2

clutton wrote: »

chasing a debt she cannot pay will only cause you stress - and you have h ad enough of that this last year ....

xx

I agree that this is the simpler path and that BL won't see her money again. However, to try and reduce the risks of the lodger from ripping off future landlords, it might be a good idea to get a CCJ against her name as a warning flag.

A claim through Moneyclaim online is quick and cheap and it shouldn't take long to prepare the supporting documentation, nor will the court case be lengthy.

Badger_Lady

A very productive evening

We took a look at the spreadsheet and agreed on a sum - it was just £22 less than I had estimated, so happy with that... then Quackers explained that she and BF had managed to secure their ideal home and that she plans to move there this Sunday, meaning she won't have to pay for any future rent (Sunday is the end of the current month).

Her next (and last) housing benefit payment is due in two weeks time, and her BF will be covering the difference... she even handed me a wad of cash towards it now.

We had a long chat over a cup of tea and ended as friends

So, I still have my rental advertisements ready to re-post this week, and will be booking appointments for next week! Quackers has promised to clean and organise everything ahead of that...