Hello, Just wanted to gauge the thoughts on what people think to this situation i am in.
My tenancy was due for renewal on 10th July, around a month before the estate agents contacted me and said the landlord is happy to provide another 12 month contract but the rent would be rising from £700 to £800 per month. I went back to the estate agents and said whilst i appreciate everything is rising my wages are not rising! £100 extra is quite abit for me to find WHEN the landlord is not actually doing any work on the property (various issues main one being no heating! Other issues are mainly cosmetic BUT will lead to bigger issues if not resolved, I have also spent £££££ improving this property myself) I proposed to pay an extra £50 a month. 2 weeks later the estate agent came back to me and said the landlord now wanted £850 per month and was taking the property from them to list with another agent and they issued me with a Section21.
I went into panic mode and started looking for a new property to rent straight away (very hard in this climate) Im also not what the landlords on here consider desirable (pets and single income)
Luckily i found a property, viewed and have agreed to rent this (waiting for current tenants to leave till i pay deposit etc) This property is lovely but half the size of my current home! I have spent the past few weeks clearing out and basically chucking/donating half of my life so i can move into this new place.
Today i get an email from the estate agents saying the landlord wants to revoke the Section21 and will accept my offer of £750 PCM.
Now my first thought is no, They made it clear they do not want me there and whats to stop them doing the same next year, Carry on with the huge downsize and move.
Second thought is - ive been here 6yrs, very quiet area, Garden, Drive, everything i need.
What would others do? And if you are a landlord was this a scare tactic to make me pay more? Are they likely to try this every year now? Whats the likelyhood of the work being done on the property with me remaining?
I’d move now. It sounds as though you cant really afford this property if the landlord fixes the issues. Youd get another year at most. If youve got someone who will accept you with a pet then I would grab it quickly.
I have never used an agent. I have read about too many bad experiences. I read one post recently where the agent was increasing the rent by an extortionate amount and said to the tenant that they were acting under the LL instructions. When in reality the landlord was in Spain enjoying life and had no idea of what the agent was doing. The agent gets a percentage of the rent and so is incentivised to increase at every opportunity. Resulting in the LL always gets the bad press
TBH, I wouldn’t trust a LL like this. They can’t make up their mind and make one U-turn after another. And it’s only a matter of time till LL increases your rent again. Do you think it’s worth it for, say, another year?
Another problem is, by that time Rent reform has gone through, and more LL will be selling up. That means even less choice of rental properties. Think about it.
There is an issue with the boiler that i reported in March, man came to have a look, said the pump is gone? And turned radiators off manually upstairs. Not an issue in the summer but will be come winter. No sign of it being fixed even though ive chased it. Still waiting for a new bath panel 6 yrs on…
No issue with affording the rent (new property is more than this) issue is putting the rent up when there are repairs needing doing, i have done more than my fair share and cant keep paying out for things that lets be honest do not benefit me in the long run, if im spending money adding value to a property i dont own i expect the actual owner to at least sort out minor issues.
I have thought long and hard about it. Property i have found has no mortgage etc, landlady is (seems) very good and lives opposite. My current landlord doesnt even check the inspection reports, i have seen the emails etc from the estate agents asking them for work to be done etc. I know they will increase again in a year and i dont expect not to pay the increase, its increased every year as expected. I think my mind is made up, dont want to go through this again, just wanted other opions
The fact that LL refuses to fix boiler (pump replacement not a big or expensive job as it stands alone and just swaps out) tells me you are being exploited. It’s illegal to do this as property not habitable.
They have been informed, more interested in trying to ‘persuade’ the landlord to let me stay?! I have declined their help, no help with housing until at bailif stage, dont want to get that far as not fair on anyone and dont want it to affect my renting options in the future.
Think its a mix of the government and news scaremongering and bad tenants (in arrears etc cause they cant budget!) Causing that issue. Theres good and bad on both sides, this is the first time i have rented through an agent and probably the last. I have however had 4 private landlords over the years and 3 have been excellent! One the less said the better but he was unique lol
Seems that you’re better off away from your current landlord even though you’ve lived there for 6 years.
You should have stopped paying the rent as soon as he didn’t fix your heating.
You are an excellent tenant and he doesn’t deserve you
Dave1. Refusing to pay rent when the boiler wasnt fixed is not good advice!
Jodie, your potential new landlord sounds like the best option, expecially ss she lives opposite.
It sounds like your current landlord is losing a great tenant. Hopefully he’ll learn from the nonsense he has put you through and think more wisely in the future.
Enjoy your new home.
