I currently have a tenant who has withheld rent for 10 months. The flat roof of the property is allowing water to ingress into one of the rooms. Additionally, the tenant has caused damage to the boiler, necessitating a replacement. In an effort to address these issues, I offered the tenant an alternative property to temporarily reside in while the repairs are carried out. However, the tenant has refused our offer and continues to claim disrepair.
Get a solicitor involved and document everything
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You can serve an injunction on the tenant to get repairs done
Consider a s21/s8 while you can
Thank for the response, solicitor appointment this Friday! Cheers
Thanks for the reply, already served s21 & S8 but tenant is claiming disrepair.Cheers
Do you need to move the tenant out? This sounds unnecessary for a flat roof repair & boiler replacement.
If they have withheld rent for 10 months, why did they start to withhold rent? Presumably not for the flat roof/boiler issues that you have now. What communication has happened since? I’m assuming in 10 months there is alot more history to explain, as otherwise its difficult for forum members to provide constructive feedback.
Dear Karl,
I understand that my case is quite complex, and I appreciate your guidance in this matter. I acquired the leasehold property in question in 2019, and the roof has been a persistent issue. The other leaseholder had been unwilling to cooperate in getting a new roof installed, which has complicated matters.
Over time, I have funded multiple repairs to the roof, with the intention of carrying out a complete overhaul in January 2024. The last repair was conducted in mid-2023, and the situation seemed under control until the heavy rain period at the beginning of 2024. When the tenant notified me about the roof still leaking, I then decided to address the problem once and for all by planning to replace the entire roof.
Additionally, the property currently uses an electric boiler, which I intend to replace with a gas boiler to ensure a more reliable, long-term solution. Unfortunately, the tenant is a young male who, according to the information I have, suffers from anxiety, smokes cannabis, and has displayed confrontational and rude behavior.
The tenant was placed in the property via Lewisham Council, and they failed to set up direct payments for housing benefits. As a result, the tenant has been pocketing the housing benefit, leaving me without the expected rent payments. It appears there is little I can do in this situation.
Also, when organising for trade persons to attend the property, the tenant either forgets to allow entry and will not organise his belongs. Previous repairs where the tenant has accused tradesmen of breaking his tv and the items, forcing me replace his tv and other items.
The tenant although not granting access is now claiming disrepair!
Thank you for your assistance
This appears to have been your greatest mistake. Most Landlords would advise you never to trust a tenant introduced by a council.
Personally, I’d advise you consult an eviction specialist, whom you can provide the last 10 months or correspondence & problems too, and they will be best to advise.
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Karls cheers , thanks for the info!
You can apply to the council to send the rent direct to you after 2 months in arrears
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same here, tenant didn’t pay rent for over 20 months, couple of weeks ago Bailiff came and I got our property back,
DO NOT TRUST COUNICLs, in this case also council arranged deposit for the tenant and they didn’t support tenant stopped paying rent
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