Renting: Monthly Rent raised by nearly 20%!!!

melli_2

Morning,

I am posting on behalf of my soon to be ex-flatmates as I'm really quiet concerned about this....
I'm moving out of my rented room on Saturday, my rent for this room and the other two rooms was £470 per person PCM. However I have just found out from my flatmates that our landlord and letting agents are raising the rent to £598 per person PCM. That's a raise of £120 per person and I think, nearly 20%!!

Is the landlord and letting agent allowed to do this? There is also only two weeks left on the contract and they've only just told my flatmates, which if they decide that is too much won't give them enough time to find somewhere else and move!
The flat is also a mess and it's taken the landlord 18 months to fix the leaking, mouldy bathroom!

I've told them that they need to contact the letting agents and negotiate with them but is there anything else they can do?

I'm shocked and appalled, as my new split level studio flat, which was re-furbished 18months ago is costing me £650 PCM and the LL and LA are taking the pee :mad:

Help!!

PasturesNew

Do they each have an individual AST?

melli_2

PasturesNew wrote: »

Do they each have an individual AST?

The last contract we signed was an AST but it was a joint contract (we all signed one contract), I am assuming the new one is going to be the same but obviously without me on it and the new person signing it.

IveSeenTheLight

I wont increase rent for my tenants while they are renting my properties, but will assess the rent in the market when I have a new tenant.
This has meant since Jan 2007 I have increased properties by 22% and 14%, so it is possible for rent to increase this much.

A landlord could increase the rent while the tenants are in the property but not within the AST agreement term.
If the tenants is on a periodic term, the LL could advise that the rent would increase on a date and the tenants would have to either accept or move on to another property.
Of course the LL would have to ensure that enough notice was provided of the rent increase (at least 2 full months from the rent due date)
The LL cannot give only 2 weeks notice

melli_2

IveSeenTheLight wrote: »

A landlord could increase the rent while the tenants are in the property but not within the AST agreement term.
If the tenants is on a periodic term, the LL could advise that the rent would increase on a date and the tenants would have to either accept or move on to another property.
Of course the LL would have to ensure that enough notice was provided of the rent increase (at least 2 full months from the rent due date)
The LL cannot give only 2 weeks notice

Thank you very much for this, I shall pass this on to my flatmates.

tbs624

Were you all served with a S21 notice at any time during the tenancy?

What if anything does it say in your Tenancy Agmt about rent increases/moving onto a Periodic agreement?

AFAIAA if there is no provision in the original contract for a rent increase immediately the Fixed Term ended, & he hasn't given sufficient advance notice now, then he would have to give appropriate notice t of the increase (to tie in with rent periods) with effect from the start of the Periodic Agreement, ie the bit that comes after the end of the Fixed Term.

Your housemates need professional/ legal advice on this and should seek an urgent appt with the Tenancy Relations Officer at the local council (private sector housing team) or a specialist LL & T worker at the CAB, or ring Shelter 0800 0808 4444. With a proposed increase of this size & an attempted short notice they are at risk of homelessness so must mention this when asking for an appt.

melli_2

IveSeenTheLight wrote: »

The LL cannot give only 2 weeks notice

Actually, does this even count when a contract is up? The contract I am on runs out on 4th July.

melli_2

tbs624 wrote: »

Were you all served with a S21 notice at any time during the tenancy?.

I have never come across a S21 notice during my time at the flat

tbs624 wrote: »

What if anything does it say in your Tenancy Agmt about rent increases/moving onto a Periodic agreement?

I know that the contract was a six month fixed and then if we wanted to move out we had to give a months notice (I think it's called a six month break contract...)
I read the contract through when sorting out my moving and as far a I remember there was nothing about rent increases (if there was was there was nothing about the % of increase and the notice period of giving a rent increase.

IveSeenTheLight

melli wrote: »

Actually, does this even count when a contract is up? The contract I am on runs out on 4th July.

The landlord must provide the tenant 2 months notice in writing (or serve you an S21 (still 2 months)) if requesting the contract to be terminated.
Because your AST has only two weeks to go, you would move on to a periodic tenancy, meaning the LL needs to give you two months notice from a rent date and you need to give the LL 1 months notice from a rent date

IveSeenTheLight

melli wrote: »

Actually, does this even count when a contract is up? The contract I am on runs out on 4th July.

The landlord must provide the tenant 2 months notice in writing (or serve you an S21 (still 2 months)) if requesting the contract to be terminated.
Because your AST has only two weeks to go, you would move on to a periodic tenancy, meaning the LL needs to give you two months notice from a rent date and you need to give the LL 1 months notice from a rent date

IveSeenTheLight

melli wrote: »

I have never come across a S21 notice during my time at the flat


I know that the contract was a six month fixed and then if we wanted to move out we had to give a months notice (I think it's called a six month break contract...)
I read the contract through when sorting out my moving and as far a I remember there was nothing about rent increases (if there was was there was nothing about the % of increase and the notice period of giving a rent increase.

There will be nothing in the AST contract about increasing rent, as you fix it for the term in the contract.
Once the fixed term is up, the rent can be increased if given due notice

It would be good for you to go and have a good close read of your contract so you are fully aware