Viewing 18 posts - 1 through 18 (of 18 total)
  • Landlord is increasing rent, effective as of next payment!
  • turtleheading
    Free Member

    I got an email off my landlord last night saying he was increasing the rent for the property (per room) from £300 to £325 per month! Effective as of next payment!

    Can he do this? My contract ran out a few months back, and we have kind of a verbal agreement that as long as I keep paying rent, hes fine with it.

    Ive arranged a meeting with him for wednesday. Anything I can do to stop the increase, or can he just ask what he wants for the room?
    He has hardly done anything to the house within the last year. And we pay all the bills. So I cant see why hes increasing the rent, unless hes just greedy, or wants us out?

    Any Landlords/tennants out there with any experience/advice?

    Cheers

    thehustler
    Free Member

    you can challenge the increase and the landlord needs to be able to show the justification for increase.

    ebygomm
    Free Member

    No, he has to give you more notice than this

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    Albanach
    Free Member

    If you don’t have a contract then I think you can’t do much about it aside from talking to him.

    MSP
    Full Member

    If your paying by room, are you a stoodent? Most uni’s/student unions have a housing officer who would be able to advise and give support if required.

    5lab
    Full Member

    its perfectly legal to raise rent for any reason. The most likely is that he wants more money, and realises people are normally too lazy to leave. Depending on when the ‘next payment’ is, he might have to give more notice, but thats it.

    if you’re renting a room in a house where he lives (ie a lodger) he’s within his rights to do what he wants, there is *very* little protection for lodgers (but it doesn’t sound like this is the case)

    CaptJon
    Free Member

    Albanach – Member
    If you don’t have a contract then I think you can’t do much about it aside from talking to him.

    I’m not sure that is true. I think after a contract has formally run out, but continued tenancy is agreed you keep the same T&Cs as before (although the notice limits on moving out etc might change).

    thehustler
    Free Member

    http://www.tenancyagreementservice.co.uk/rent-increases.htm

    information here, as said he can do it, but you can challenge it and he has to show just cause

    thisisnotaspoon
    Free Member

    IIRC he has to give you as much notice as if he were evicting you. And you can take him to court to keep the same rent. In the meantime you only have to pay the original rent, which could be for a while and not be worth the hastle.

    How much hastle you want to be might depend on how much of a deposit you paid.

    BigJohn
    Full Member

    A verbal contract isn’t worth the paper it’s written on.

    uwe-r
    Free Member

    In practice the landlord can do what he wants unless you can find somewhere else and threten to leave.

    Have a look around and see what your options are.

    Kit
    Free Member

    I suggest:

    http://www.shelter.org.uk/

    Lots of good info and advice, depending on where you live, as your rights can differ.

    ebygomm
    Free Member

    If turtleheading had a contract for a fixed term initially which has rolled over into a periodic tenancy (which I suspect is what he means by agreed verbally) then he still has the same rights as the initial contract awarded him. And that will mean at least 1 months notice of any rent increase.

    midlifecrashes
    Full Member

    As above, you haven’t really told us enough to judge. Assuming you are in England/Wales I think ebygomm has it right above, month notice to vary rent after initial assured shorthold tenancy rolls over to periodic, which it would be assumed to be in the absence of evidence to the contrary (no written agreement or notes to the contrary taken at the time of start).

    Renting by the room, are you a student paying by the term? If so giving a full term notice would seem fine, if paying monthly you’d expect notice to be served by or on the date your previous payment was due. All of the above could be greatly complicated if you get more for your money than just rent, eg elec, gas, water, sky, broadband etc included.

    Olly
    Free Member

    i would ASSUME several things.

    the notice of such a rise should be equal to the notice he would give if he wanted you out, or if you wanted out.
    NO shorter. End of.

    I would also assume that while its a bit inconvenient for you, he can do what the hell he likes, but if you think you can get a place elsewhere for less, up and move, and he MAY change his mind and realise he has been greedy.
    If its to do with bills and him making enough money, then you shouldnt find anywhere cheaper anywhere else.

    Iver never met, nor heard sight nor sound from our landlord, and the estate agents he goes through appear to not really give two tits whats going on, so until we need something off them (and struggle to get it) i’de like to keep it that way.

    nonk
    Free Member

    tell him you honestly cant afford it and offer him half of the increase.

    xiphon
    Free Member

    Contract ran out? Doesn’t sound like you have a leg to stand on – especially when ‘verbal contract’ these days means diddly squat.

    McHamish
    Free Member

    How long have you been living there, and what were you paying when you moved in?

Viewing 18 posts - 1 through 18 (of 18 total)

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