Looking for advice if possible, I missed my rent on March 1st which was totally my fault, I’ve been with landlord for 6 year and during that time if we missed a month we would pay double, so I was going to pay double on April 1st but my wife’s shop had to close because of Coronavirus so we have lived off my wage all month so couldn’t pay again which will put us 2 month behind, I also got the Coronavirus at the end of March but still get a basic wage, my landlord this morning asked what was going on and I told him I would give him £850 next Tuesday which is 300 more on top, he said he wants the lot which is 1650,he knows I haven’t got that and have 3 kids, I’ve offered to pay 850 for 4 months to get back on track but he said no and he would be serving papers, I know it’s mostly our fault but we always pay, does anyone know what I should do if papers are served ?
he is an idiot !!! pay the way you said and do NOT miss so that you do catch up. he cannot evict at present. When you have caught up he may have changed his mind. Thus he will not be able to evict on the grounds of non payment of rent.
I won’t miss, I understand why he is being funny but he knows we always pay, in six year he hasn’t put 1 carpet down or contributed to 1 paintbrush,he’s git about 4 houses and had trouble with a couple down the road from us where they wrecked his house,he is a bit of a tight arse, he knows fine well I had the virus and my wife hasn’t had a penny since lock down, but in his world he will be thinking how can’t they give me it in full
Hi Sophie you can’t be issued papers or any kind of eviction as the country is in a pandemic it is unlawful pay what you can afford but don’t leave your self short as long as you are showing you are paying or you can discuss with your landlord about the three month grace on paying rent but that will be added on to your rent after the pandemic it seems you have enough to worry about but I would not worry about getting evicted
keep a record of all you do and pay, any conversations etc and the dates
I will do,my wife will hopefully get some money in next week or so, I will say again it is mostly our own fault but the fact we’ve been here 6 year must show him he can trust us to pay, I don’t want it to turn into an argument because we want to stay, with every little thing over the six year that’s occurred in the house we have sorted because I know what kind of answer we will get, he’s a businessman and he likes his own way.
You are a sound guy .I would be happy to have you as a tenant
Cheers do need to grow up regarding money, he hasn’t been back in touch since yesterday fingers crossed he was in a one
You read like a good tenant to me, its very possible the Landlord is just squeezing you, and provided you are out of arrears by the time the eviction ban is lifted , i think you are safe enough . After all , if he goes for eviction ,he will get a void and then take a chance on a better tenant , and you say he already has a bad experience of one, and 6 years of smooth sailing with you. The advice you have had here about documenting interacting is good . Best Wishes
Cheers he has sent a letter through the post asking for the lot and to get in touch, basically saying what he said on the phone, no mention of him rejecting what I have offered,just saying to get in touch to discuss it, he already knows when I get paid
There are some lousy landlords about! As everyone else commenting has said no evictions proceeding can be started - for 90 days from 27th March (pretty sure that was the date!). Your landlord has now contacted you in writing - you should respond in writing to reiterate the repayment plan you have suggested. I would refer to the government Coronavirus guidance for tenants and landlords in your letter… and also read through it if you haven’t already. https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/876500/Consolidated_Landlord_and_Tenant_Guidance_COVID_and_the_PRS_v4.2.pdf This spells out the responsibilities on both sides - you are complying with your responsibilities, your landlord is trying to bully you, in the hope he gets away with it - but he is not completing with the current government rules. It sounds like you are trying your best here. Also I have a tenant who has lived in one of our properties for 7 years with no problems whatsoever - no decent landlord is going to risk losing a reliable long term tenant - without very good reason. It will cost him more trying to find a new tenant - if I was in your position and have been treated this way I would be planning to find new accommodation when you are back on track - as soon as possible. Remember the key thing here is keep all communication in writing - do not ring him as that will not provide the audit trail you need. All the best.
You are being more than reasonable. Put what you have said to him in writing (so long as you can afford it) and pay on that basis. Even once the courts are back in business, if he tried to evict you they would throw the book at him. It sounds like you have a very silly landlord.
Thankyou he is used to getting his own way I know that because he had one of his workers here fixing a radiator, I’ve emailed him back about 3 hours ago but haven’t had a reply yet, there was another couple in one of his houses down the road that wrecked it and pay for months, but I explained in the email we ain’t them and he doesn’t even bother checking our house because he knows it will be spic and span.
let him try and evict you now!! maybe get shelter to talk to him, they are aggressive little buggers. sit tight and pay something
Had an email back off him saying he has accepted our offer thank god, thankyou for all the advice I received, I can honestly say it has helped us.
good result maybe he has read the advice on here.
I’m just coming in a bit late on your subject. I’ve been a professional landlord for many years and have therefore have some experience. As per some of your other responses to your query, your landlord is being unreasonable especially in these extreme circumstances. If you have been a good tenant for some years and you were not in default before the COVID 19 outbreak then your cannot evict you under those circumstances. He will also need to issue a section 8 or 21 which would give you two months notice before he could apply for a possession notice on your property. If you were not in breach of your AST before the virus situation, if your situation escalated further then there’s a very good chance the court will favour your side. Do put your proposals in writing to your landlord with evidence and dates and you must keep to to the payment plan. Good luck
Hello Sophie…I hope your issue can be resolved amicably as what you propose to resolve your predicament is entirely reasonable. I am a small time Landlord and am surprised that any Landlord would treat a long standing Tenant in such a way. The advice above is sound IE put your proposal in writing to your Landlord; keep records of anything that is written or spoken or texted; and keep upto date with your payments. Good luck…
I feel you are being miss guided. If I was your landlord, personally I would evict you as soon as I could and as soon as was legally possible.
Landlords are not tyrants or the enemy of the people. Mostly we are hard working people. We provide a good service and a professional service. The profit margins are often extremely small and outgoings can be vast. Laws are constantly changing making landlords not only vulnerable to prosecution but also add to costs and work loads. If a landlord misses their mortgage payments or their own costs they are not told to pay what they can, they are repossessed. Many banks are not offering landlords exemptions. I know landlords who are in deep trouble. They can’t cope financially or emotionally with what is going on. They too are struggling, they too have families, they too are at their wits end, they too get unwell but in addition, they are being blamed and expected to carry others problems. Who is carrying landlords problems, no one.
I suggest you reach out to your own family for support or what you aught to be doing is asking for benefits, such as housing benefit. It’s there for this reason.
vincent you seem to be at odds with previous advice. Itr sounds as if you are stressed financially… This tenant seems like a good guy… P S I am a landlord with several properties and have great tenants. We have to be fair to both sides