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AIBU?

New landlord is upping my rent by £250pm

147 replies

Snoophoggyhog · 15/07/2018 20:45

My landlady passed away before Christmas and has left this house and a few others to her nephew. I'd heard nothing for months other than from a solicitor to say to now pay the rent to them which I've been doing. Yesterday I received a solicitors letter saying that my new landlord can't afford the inheritance tax and therefore proposes to raise my rent by £250pm! My rent has been a bit lower than other houses in my area because it is quite dated and the landlady wouldn't do any work on it. Over the 8 years I've lived here I've paid for a new kitchen, carpet and redecorated throughout, new windows, cavity wall and loft insulation, had a shower fitted, new radiators and boiler, new fence panels and other odd jobs. There's things that need doing but it seems he just wants to put the rent up and not maintain the house. It's never had gas and electric safely checks and I had all the fire alarms fitted. AIBU to say I won't pay more rent until the house is modernized and safety checks done or will he just hand me my notice? It says in the letter if I can't afford the extra money I will have to move out. There are no oother properties suitable nearby and my ds 5 is settled at his local school. TY in advance for any advice, experiences

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Report

SilverHairedCat · 15/07/2018 20:46

You need to contact Shelter.

SilverHairedCat · 15/07/2018 20:47

england.shelter.org.uk/housing_advice/private_renting/rent_increases

ichifanny · 15/07/2018 20:47

Why on earth did you replace the kitchen and windows etc at your own expense ?

99ProblemsHopeTheMailAint1 · 15/07/2018 20:49

Are you on a fixed term tenancy or a rolling tenancy?

Mousefunky · 15/07/2018 20:49

You shouldn’t have replaced most of that stuff at your own expense. This is sadly the downside to renting, when you move out all of the money spent on flooring etc is lost forever. When I was a child, the landlord decided to randomly sell the house basically evicting us entirely. It’s very rarely stable to rent long term unless it is council.

Agreed about contacting shelter and also citizens advice.

Candyflip · 15/07/2018 20:49

I assume you are on a rolling tenancy if you have been there so long? He really needs to sort out safety certificates, is there not quite hefty fines for LLs that do not do this? I agree with you that he should not raise the rent without improving your home. Is the proposed new rent in line with other rentals in the area? Or is it now higher?

HelenaDove · 15/07/2018 20:51

It needs to be made clear to him that he has inherited the well overdue gas safety checks as well.

Christ thats some rent hike!

LIZS · 15/07/2018 20:51

Renting without a gas safety certificate has been illegal for a long time. Is the deposit protected, do you have proof? Shelter or CAB could help you draft a response. He can give notice of an increase at renewal but you can decline and move on. He could opt to sell a property to pay IHT.

Snoophoggyhog · 15/07/2018 20:54

Thank you. I guess I just thought it would stay the same once she passed away as her brother owned other houses on this road and when he died he left them to his niece and she didn't raise the rent. I did work as the rent was a couple of hundred pounds cheaper than other properties in the area and I planned on staying here and wanted it to be nice for my son to grow up in. I haven't got a contract 😣. My ex's gp's lived here and when they were moving they recommended me and that's the only way you could get one of these houses. All the other neighbors have been here 20+ years

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Snoophoggyhog · 15/07/2018 20:56

I've been asking for safety checks but the landlady who was 94 was very dismissive. The new rent would be in line if the house was modernized

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RandomMess · 15/07/2018 20:56

I think there is a percentage limit as to how much the can increase rent each year?

Barbaro · 15/07/2018 20:57

Well, you upgraded someone else's house for them with your own money. You've made it more valuable, and it was already below market value. He needs to do the proper checks, but he is allowed to increase the rent, and if you've increased the value by that much, then yeah he can increase it that much. Next time, don't pay for all of that stuff on a house that isn't yours.

Snoophoggyhog · 15/07/2018 20:58

I think there is a % if it's the same LL but because he is effectively a new one then that's why he has raised it so much. Going to speak to CAB and a solicitor tomorrow

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trojanpony · 15/07/2018 20:59

What in God’s name were you thinking buying windows and a kitchen on a place you rent???

You need some legal advice pronto

MojoMoon · 15/07/2018 21:00

You should take advice from Shelter

But
The fact you have spent money on the flat is sadly irrelevant. It's not a good idea to spend significant sums on a rental property.

Yes, he can serve you notice if you don't want to to pay the extra rent assuming you are on a rolling tenancy. If fixed term, then can serve notice at end of term. It's rare to have more than a 12 month fixed term tenancy in the UK so even if you did have this (and it sounds like you don't) then he could still serve notice at 10 months.

You can't make a landlord let you stay just because there is nothing for you to rent nearby or because you have spent money on the flat. It might be morally right that he should do the flat up before raising the rent but he is under no obligation to.

The fact it is to pay inheritance tax is also irrelevant - he can just raise it because he wants to. If it's still at or below market rates for the area, given the state of the decor, then he will most likely find a tenant without a problem.

Sorry, but I think you should start looking at your moving options

It sucks to be a tenant in the UK.

He should do a gas safety check though and you could remind him there are hefty fines if he does not. But it's irrelevant to the rent hike really.

Snoophoggyhog · 15/07/2018 21:00

If I rent again I won't rent somwhere that needs so much work doing on it. I asked the LL for new cupboard doors as they were hanging off due to age and she said I should be grateful I have a kitchen as when she worked in India they had nothing!

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Redundancy1 · 15/07/2018 21:01

You do need to contact Shelter
My neighbours had to move fir the same reason, I don't think hefty rent increases have been outlawed, I think there was talk....not sure.

Snoophoggyhog · 15/07/2018 21:03

TY I will contact shelter tomorrow too

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MsSquiz · 15/07/2018 21:06

It's actually illegal to not carry out an annual gas safety check as a landlord...

Snoophoggyhog · 15/07/2018 21:09

I did mention the gas and safety checks to his solicitor when I rang up to sort s.o out for rent payments but nothing has been done.
I've only met him once and he didn't seem to know what day it was! He owned a farm and gave all his cows away because he woke up one day and decided to become vegan. Definitely need legal advice!

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MaverickSnoopy · 15/07/2018 21:16

I think you need to view this all as a big learning curve. You need to read up on your rights as a tenant. Landlords need to replace things that are broken due to age.

If you didn't have a contract, did you pay a deposit? I'm wondering if you did, whether it was protected or if the landlady just held onto it and if so what that means now she has died, ie if the person who has inherited is liable for it.

Snoophoggyhog · 15/07/2018 21:19

I didn't pay a deposit. It was a very informal handover because I was recommended. I didn't even meet the LL for the first 5 years and that was only because my kitchen ceiling collapsed and she came round to see if she could get out of replacing it. She did pay in the end but not for it to be decorated afterwards

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MsSquiz · 15/07/2018 21:20

@Snoophoggyhog if that's the case, can you speak to him (either directly or via his solicitor) explain how long you have been a tenant, explain the works you have carried out at the property at you own expense, and say while you have no issue with the rent increase, there are further works that need to be carried out.

It may just be that he's looked online at the rental price of similar properties locally, and really he knows nothing of the situation. He may appreciate your honesty as a current tenant. It would also save him the cost of finding a new tenant (agency fees, etc)

Snoophoggyhog · 15/07/2018 21:22

I'm hoping to move in with my partner in the not so distant future so was hoping it would all just stay the same until then and had stopped spending money on the property other than cosmetic things but then dp got made redundant recently so that's halted things for now

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Snoophoggyhog · 15/07/2018 21:30

I'll definitely try talking to him through the solicitor. Think the amount of tax has come as a shock to him and he's trying the easy routes first. One of my neighbors has been offered a brand new bungalow paid for by the council and he won't take it because he can't smoke inside and the spare bedroom isn't big enough! If he moved it would probably reduce the pressure but it's up to him whether to move and he doesn't have to worry about the rent hike because he doesn't have to pay it!

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