Hi all, I have a massive head ache ( I will explane more), Myself and my wife live next to the river, our home is now in the centre of what is major construction work by the Enviromental Agency, excavators,reversing alarms, flashing lights, concrete mixers, deliverys, work men shouting as they do, all about 4 meters from our once very peaceful home, this is important work though and i understand why, our home is the only access point for the river bank so it’s all day everyday… I’m pretty much house bound due to a stroke 5 years ago I suffer from PTSD brought on by noise and need a quiet place to recover from my brian injury. So the EA (enviromental agency) have offered to pay for a rental home while the work is going on, TBH it’s been a farce from day one with the whole situation…we found a Bungalow near by in June to rent for 12 months but the Agent and landlord have been very slow, get the property ready (it’s brand new) it’s been finished for over 9 months but the landlord is always on holiday, the agent has not once repled to emails, he said to our face “if we dont take it 50 others will” its advertised as £1500 pm, the landlord wants all 12 months upfront, the EA went to see him and he wanted a “finders fee” and the EA will pay him to maintain his lawns as im dissabled… all in all it works out at £1925 pm and he wants it all in one lump sum… we were due to move last week after signing the TA on 25th August to start the Monday 18th September, my wife booked the week off work to move us… the EA didn’t send us the money till the 22nd Friday afternoon and the Landlord wouldn’t give us a key till he had the money, but on wednesday the 20th I had an email stating the TA was now void due to mistakes where the money should be paid… and we would get a new agreement on Friday afternoon (this didn’t arrive) (I have lost all confidence with the Agent, Landlord and the Enviromental Agency we have been messed around for months it’s reallt stressful and im trying to recover from brian surgery myself and my wife have been in bits…) then we get a barrage of texts from the landlord on friday night to pay him the full amount £23400 and we can pick the keys up on Sat morning from the agent and work out the TA another day as the landlord was on holiday (out of the country) the girl that is my contact at the EA also wanted me to send the money on Friday night without any contract… we didn’t move we didn’t send any money as we have had enough of the stress… we have now sacked off the Bungalow, the Landlord and the Agent. So today I get a call off the Landlord asking for money or he would take me to court for some rent and his “finders fee” he was promised from the EA… We are stressed out and in bits…as it stands I have no contract with him as I have an email from the agent stating it was cancelled and i rufused to sign a new one, we feel bulied by all this… can he take me to court for missed rent and his finders fee ??, I have nothing as I’m on benefits, Pip and esa. (sorry about spelling mistakes I struggle typing)
What on earth is a finders fee and why should you pay it? This sounds fishy to me.
As for the rest, I would not move there. Sounds very stressful. Whether your contract is valid I don’t know, you might have to ask am actual lawyer about that. Don’t send them any money unless a lawyer advises you that you really have to.
Thank you, we have not moved, it is now back on Rightmove. I await the landlords legal action.
Thank you, my wife has had a text off the landlord
" I will be sending you a Letter Before Action which outlines the claim I am making. I am more than happy to come to an arrangement between us before I continue with this claim, so please do not hesitate to contact me regards Peter"
Bluff .you are being harrassed get a solicitors letter telling him to stop or you will sue him
Definitely sounds suspicious. The TA should always be signed before monies and keys are exchanged so that was one of a number of red flags. A couple of issues with what LL is telling you: 1) The tenant is not responsible for the “finders fee”, plus it’s not one of the permitted fees under the Tenancy Act 2019 so there’s no basis to LL’s claim. 2) Since you haven’t signed anything, there is no breach of contract and I can’t see how the LL can take you to court over missed rent and whatever other fees he is claiming. Since LL said “50 others” will rent the property and already back on Rightmove then what’s he complaining about? If any costs were incurred by you not signing the TA, then these need to reasonable and demonstrable and can only be deducted from the holding deposit, but you haven’t mentioned that you paid one. As Colin says, LL sounds like he is bluffing.
He did say he signed a T/a But he has an email saying the t/a is now void . This is a very greedy landlord
Surely the LL contract and therefor issues are with EA though as technically they are renting it from him and its them that you said went out to visit him as for the 12 months up front seems a little excessive how long is the let for (how long are the EA works going on for)
Thank you, I’m going to look into this
Well, news this morning… I have just spoken to the EA accounts lady that has been trying her best to sort the situation out and the LL and his agent ( can I name them on this forum ?) are trying it on regards claiming money from the EA for lost rent, and a finders fee… (exactly the same as what there are threating me with)?? I will find the texts and emails and put these up on the forum for you all to follow in real time…
The agent involved has been completely lax from the start in June and not answered any emails with valid questions like “who do i pay the utilities too ?” and “does it have broad-band ?” these emails where never answard. I asked the LL to his face and he just shrugged his shoulders…and said i would have to find out. The TA (which was cancelled just before move in date due to errors in the money being paid into another account) was just a copy and paste from a third party company and it was bares no resemblance to what was discused like payment to be made monthly, not in one lump sum and I had to cut the grass (although this was agreed the LL would do this as im disabled) small things I know but it’s just been a car crash from start to finish
The EA think it would have been 6 months, from July… I’m thinking this work will take 12 months at least.
Tonight at 5.30 (ish) the landlord came to my door with a letter in his hand (notice before claim) written by himself, and thrust it at me, saying " i want some money to make this all go away", I then told him I don’t accept it and to get his solicitor involved, he said “im not going too” at that point he went for me saying “read the letter” with keys in his left hand in a stabbing motion and stabbed me in the right arm, he drew blood, I have called 999 the police and reported an assault…
sounds like you need to set up a security camera right away. Press charges. open the door when you have somone with you This is what I call a bluff merchant. Heaven help the tenant who gets his place. Maybe the E A and he are in league?
I don’t think “bluff merchant” is the right term for someone who stabs and draws blood in an attempt to get money, I would call that a robber.
Of course, he’s not going to pay a solicitor for a lost case. TBH, the guy sounds like someone mentally unstable, someone who has serious anger issues. Don’t open the door again. It’s not safe. Sorry that you have to do through it. Attacking a disabled person - what a mighty feat.
Thank you all for the support, I’m still waiting for the Police to attend, it happend on Tuesday @ 5.30pm it’s now Thursday lunchtime, I wont go into too much detail but I’m extremely stressed and so is my wife who works full time and is my carer she has just turned 60 she had to push him off me, I feel so vulnerable now more than ever, I have had this stroke and a traumatic brian injury, I’m classed as a vulnerable person and I hate this title I now have (the LL knows this) The LL is nothing but a bully and a narcissist he puts on a false persona of being nice. I have a text from victim support at least, so I’m hoping they ring back, Adrian
I would be inclined to stay where you are and ask for compo fromthe Enviro Agency for all the disruption Then you get the money and not that landlord. Keep on at the police Maybe see a solicitor over both issues?
I will look into this, thank you
I see a cruise on the horizon !
I just want peace and quiet, I like the sentiment though