If a previous landlord provided a reference to my new landlord in April, can they change this reference or contact my current landlord?
anyone can contact anyone else , there is no law against thatā¦
2 Likes
Why did you leave the flat in a bad state ?
2 Likes
I think you misunderstood my issue. We have 3 cats and they scratched wallpaper as they had polystyrene under them and were already in bad condition. There were bits peeling off and it made my cats want to fully peel them off. Myself and my partner both work everyday so cannot monitor our cats 24/7. We tried our absolute best when we were in the flat. I even installed cat cameras in each room so I could speak to them on my lunch break via the camera and see if they were scratching the wallpaper in any room. When my old landlord came to see the property in April, my partner showed her all the wall scratches and she said it was fine and that she would take a bit of money off the deposit but not to worry. Now that the time has come for them to rent the property to new tenants and to return the deposit to us, she is threatening to tell my current landlord about the cat scratches even though she knew about this and said we left the flat in good condition when she wrote our reference in April.
Yes she can contact your new landlord
She gave them a reference so she can contact them
This sounds like you rejected the deduction proposed by the landlord when the deposit scheme contacted you.
Is this the case?
No, this isnāt the case.
We are in a tenancy agreement for the property with the mentioned landlord until 25th August.
We signed a tenancy agreement with our new landlord in April, which the other landlord supported by providing a good reference for us.
We are yet to deep clean the flat because we have been moving and I have had a job change, two driving tests and am going through a really difficult time.
Another reason why Landlords donāt like renting to tenants with pets! Its āyour jobā to stop your pets damaging the property, and if you do not, to pay the money to rectify the damage. If you do honour this obligation, I cannot see why your old Landord would feel the need to contact your new Landlordā¦ but if you have already moved into the new property, you have already agreed a tenancy with the new Landlord, so it really doesnāt matter if they do.
2 Likes
I donāt know the ins and outs of your case
You need to read your contract
You gave permission to contact the landlord
They are giving a reference
It doesnāt have to be a specific point in time
If the relationship is evolving I donāt see why they canāt communicate
Iāve contacted referees after the fact if Iāve had issues with tenants
They are obliged to give accurate representation
If you are so concerned invite your new landlord to your old house so they can decide for themselves
It does beg the question though if your cars are house cats why get them if you are BOTH at work all day.
And if they are not specifically house cats then surely keeping them in all day is contributing to the issue
This is why ll dont allow pets
Just because the Landlord agreed to you having cats, doesnāt mean they agreed to them causing damage. Just sort the damage out or compensate the Landlord, then your problem goes away.
2 Likes
And why get indoor cats if you are not there to look after them
When you say threatening how are they worded as different people (different ages cultures etc) perceive threats differently
Maybe cover any personal details and post a copy
1 Like
Yep, Iād like to see an example of āthreatening messagesā as well, if possible
Sounds like a responsible landlord to want to warn others. A deposit is only a partial compensation. No-one wants the hassle of having to deal with cat scratches everywhere or the loss of income while the place is redecorated.
2 Likes
I will answer your question directly (without judgement on the catās issue)
-
Openrent does not provide a direct way for landlords to contact each other directlyā¦
-
Depending on the referencing process used by the new landlord - your old landlord may have your new landlords details. They should not keep that info without the new landlords consent after they have finished the referencing - but they may well still have.
-
You will have been required to provide a forwarding address to your old landlord - so he may well be able to obtain the new landlords address by researching that.
-
You have however posted the details on open rent so if your new landlord is also on these forums they may well have already read your message. as you have posted it in the discussion forum for landlords
If you have cats and you want to rent there are several ways to go about it. - most landlords wil want either a higher rent to allow for increased wear and tear with animals in the property - or will want an agreement about paying directly for any future pet related damage as it happens (rather than deducting it from the deposit at the end of tenancyā¦
It is possible that your landlord offered to discount it from deposit before they realised the cost of bring in a painter ad decorator in to fix it would be more than the money in your deposit.
Many landlords are happy to have pets in the house - but they donāt want to subside the cost of them. . .When letting to a new tenant a responsible Landlord needs to know
a) there are no animal hairs anywhere
b) carpets when provided usually need replacing after letting to some one with pets - if not they need a thorough deep cleaning disinfecting and shampoo - landlords will usually pay a professional to do this.
c) in furnished properties scratches to furniture need to be repaired and and repainted , varnished or polished - curtains may also need a complete wash or replacement.
d) scratches to wallpaper cant be patched up - where they happen the room usually needs redecorating
Landlords can decide to let with these defects in place but it will seriously affect the rent they can charge - and also be taken as ground for complaints from new tenants
Pet owners understand their are many hidden costs to owner a pet - (food, vet bills, pet sitting etc) - but damage to property and posessions are an important one - so pet owners should budget for that. It is becoming normal now for more and more landlords to have some sort of extra pet charge in their tenancy agreement to cover this so you need to budget for this.
A responsible landlord may also have a clause in their tenancy agreement requiring the pet to be properly cared for fed and not treated cruelly - not to be neglected and for the tenant to provide contact details of a person who has agreed to provide emergency care should the tenant be hospitalised due to illness or accident.
Replacement pets must also be agreed by the landlord. The agreement is usually only for the existing pet at the time the agreement started.
You can keep pets but it will cost in money time and energy.
1 Like
erā¦ thatās a massive fire hazard if true.
Polystyrene insulation under wall paper or as part of a polystyrene insulating wallpaper is not illegal in the UK
IT would not be taken as grounds for complaint against a landlord.
Polystyrene ceiling tiles are more of a risk but still not illegal and do not breach building regs. However they may well have to be removed for a landlord to get a local authority license for an HMO. However if the local authority does not ask the landlord to change this change or the property does not have to be licensed this the landlord (private, social, or council) commits no offense.
My advise to Landlords would be donāt install it if donāt have it - replace it with other insulatiion when the time comes. However for the OP this is not good news as it means the new expense of the her landlord replacing the prematurely cat-damaged wall paper would cost a lot more ā¦
1 Like
soā¦ I just looked some up on a well-known building supplier website and was surprised to read advice not to install it if Building Regs are applicable. As I suspected, it increases risk of fireā¦
Important Safety Information
Compliance with Building Regulations;
This product should not be used in isolation for projects such as new builds and extensions where Building Regulations are applicable. If used as part of a system that both adds to the insulation value and protects the surface from fire it may be compliant but expert advice should be sought.Fire Safety
When used in isolation this product is suitable as a localised āproblem solverā for cold external walls and is not recommended for use in fire escape routes or on ceilings.
this advice only applies to ānew buildsā and newly build extensions It would be a very poor new build that would benefit from this insulation as the insulation should be incorporated in to the build - but this advice it does not apply to existing prebuilt properties it is suitable as a problm solver for cold external walls but not fire escapes or ceilings .
It would not be my choice - but it is perfectly legal and a landlord commits no offence using it. A tenat remains fully liable fo any scratch damage their cat or dog does to it.
1 Like