Thanks, That is a good idea, I will contact the deposit scheme today.
Can you explain what a valid notice would look like?
I am flexible with my move out date. Would it work in my favour if I said I could stay for longer/ Pay July?
Should I go back to the estate agent and ask if I would still be liable for these fees if I leave after then? It would be a three month notice then.
The notice of me moving out was initially given by my housemate not from me. As we were not allowed to have more than one of us contact them. Which is why I follow up after getting added to the email chain by my housemate.
Hope this helps.
Do you guys think it is worth all this? Its more the principle I am annoyed by now, But lawyers I have contacted for free advice haven’t picked up my calls/Replied to my emails. So I am wondering if I just pay and get gone.
I would advise that you do not pay. You can leave as soon as your notice expires without any penalty whatsoever.
If you do pay, then every single other person in the household will also be illegally restricted from leaving the tenancy without penalty whenever they want to because this LL and letting agent won’t have learned that what they are doing is not right.
Whether you leave after 2 months or 3 is irrelevant from the LL/agent’s POV. They mistakenly think that you are changing the tenancy agreement when in fact you are exercising your right in law to end it and walk away with 2 months’ notice at any point without penalty.
The problem you have with the lawyers is that you haven’t incurred any losses yet. If they do deduct the fees from your deposit, that’s the point at which lawyers will be interested in getting involved because that’s the point at which something has actually happened.
All you need to do now is clearly and calmly quote what the law says from websites like Shelter to the agent to show them that they are in the wrong and refuse to pay. Document every bit of communication. I would even get copies of messages that your housemate sent to the agents if they did so on your behalf. You need a complete paper trail.
Have you called Shelter for advice? That’s where I’d be starting IIWY.
Why not share the exact notice you gave (via another tenant) word for word, as requested and the exact date it was sent, Subject line date and everything.
Then @David122 and others here can advise if it was valid