I need help regarding my tenancy situation. I have already emailed my landlord explaining that I can no longer afford the rent because I lost my job and me and my partner have separated. I gave around 10 days notice and informed them that we would need to move out and end the tenancy early due to my financial situation.
However, the landlord is not agreeing to end the tenancy even though I am unable to continue paying the rent. I would like advice on what my rights are and what I can do in this situation, as I genuinely cannot afford the property anymore.
I also do not feel comfortable with the landlord anymore due to previous issues during the tenancy. I have always paid my rent on time and looked after the property properly. Recently, when our baby was only 2 months old, the boiler stopped working and we had no hot water or gas in the house for around 4 weeks. During that time, the landlord did not seem interested in fixing the issue promptly, which forced us to stay in hotels and with family members while caring for our newborn baby, who is now 5 months old.
The landlord also keeps emailing us regarding rent payments, even though I have already explained multiple times that I currently have no income and cannot afford to pay. I have tried asking family and friends for financial help, but unfortunately nobody has been able to help me.
This whole situation has caused a lot of stress and I no longer feel comfortable continuing the tenancy or dealing with the landlord. Please can you advise me on what I can do and what my rights are in this situation?
@Valentin3
Sorry to hear your situation
get advice from Shelter and/or Citizens advice.
If you want to end the tenancy, just give notice in the normal way but do it properly with a valid notice. Following the renters rights act this is by default 2 month or more to end on the day before a rental period unless youve agreed something shorter with LL
Try speaking to the LL to explain your situation. Take a friend for support. Be business like. Explain that you dont want to live beyond your means nor occupy a property with no prospects of being able to pay the rent. Explain its not in LL interest to get no rent they will be better off getting new tenants in than you getting into many months of arrears after which theyd have to spend many months more to evict you if you chose not to leave. Offer to show statements to prove you have no income coming in and no savings to fill the gap.
Good luck
What does your contract say about you notice requirements? As @David240 has said, there is a default notice period now under RRA, but if your contract says less notiuce is required, that will likely still be relevent, as it has been agreed.
You cant just end a tenancy with 10 days notice, whether you have money or not, so your notice would have been invalid. You need to serve valid notice with the correct date, which the Landlord cannot then refuse to accept.
In the meantime, if you can’t pay the rent, it will go into arrears and you will owe it back.
The contract can only be ended sooner than the notice requirements by mutual agreement, so if the Landlord does not agree, you have to respect that. You did sign the contract and agree to the notice period. You would not have been happy if the Landlord had finanncial difficulties and had asked you to leave in 10 days instead of giving you the correct notice.
Speak to Shelter. As a Homeless charity, they dont house anyone, so are practically useless, but they do give advice.
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