Unwanted lodger I need advice

[EachandEveryone]

I wrote afew weeks ago about my lodger. I am a tenant in a 3 bedded flat I’ve lived here for 23 years in London with a rent that hardly increases. Originally three were on the contract now it’s just me. If someone moves in and wants to be here long term then they go on the contract. If not they just pay a third of the rent and leave with a months notice. I don’t make any money from this and it’s worked out well for 23 years (my own property is up north) my landlord knows and isn’t interested we don’t involve each other as I maintain the flat and she does the big jobs like new windows etc.

Someone moved in four months ago I never knew at the time she has PTSD and other MH issues she’s lived in London awhile but is from Russia. She was fine at first then she lost her job then she would scream if we shut any door no matter how quietly and she literally goes purple with rage. I asked her to leave but she put the rent in as normal so yesterday when it happened again at 2pm on a Sunday she was screaming in my flat mates face saying she’s not well and we are disrespectful I waited for it to die down and emphasised that she has to go in three weeks. And that she has no other rights.

Now she’s sent me a nicey nicey text asking me to answer these questions. I’ve enclosed it. What do you think she is up to? I don’t want to give her any details. I know she is under the new gp and is on meds but do I really need to give her this information when I’ve asked her to leave?

She has no right to a written rental agreement. If she pays rent weekly she is entitled to a rent book which must contain your name and address. If she pays rent fortnightly, monthly or whatever she does not have a right to a rent book.

When was she supposed to leave first time round?

Get her out tomorrow.

You’ve got cats if I remember rightly?

You can’t have her in the property a day longer.

Ignore.
Anyone who screams at you doesn't deserve the time of day.
Tell her she needs to be gone Wed. Make it Wed so you will be home to ensure she doesn't take anything not here of do damage.
Transfer her refund back to her acvount on Wed.

Remember to get her keys.

Get her out tomorrow.

Yes in the circumstances this is reasonable notice. Tell her she must be gone by the time you return from work. You can leave telling her until the morning if you're worried she'll kick off if you tell her tonight but technically you must give some notice (not that this is enforceable).

You need to stick to it this time and call the police for back up if necessary.

Make it Wed so you will be home to ensure she doesn't take anything not here of do damage.

Although this is not a bad idea if you can bear it that long.

Whatever, you need to make a firm decision, stick to it and be prepared to enforce it.

You need to take immediate action in the morning and not let this drag on. Can you and your other flatmate show an united front when you tell her to leave. I do really feel for you it’s no way to live

The worst thing you could do is let her stay the three extra weeks AND not help her with the UC claim. That would be shit for you and for her.

UC should be in her correct address, i.e. wherever she moves next, and her circumstances should be truthful, i.e. not claiming Housing Benefit for a home she's not going to be living in because she's not liable for rent if she's being evicted in the next 48 hours. OP don't help this soon-to-be-evicted lodger commit benefit fraud! And why would she have a tenancy agreement when she's not a tenant?
Call the police on her and tell them she's been asked to leave but won't.

I agree with PP suggesting you have someone with you when you tell her to go, if not your flatmate is there anyone else? Also that you do need to be there because of cats/possible damage she will cause to flat.

Can you afford to change the locks?

www.centre4.org.uk/sites/default/files/Confirming%20your%20housing%20situation%20-%20UC.pdf

This is where she's got that screen shot from

.

So what's your plan OP?

If she's your lodger you can just ask her to leave. You only need to give notice if there is a written agreement which includes notice. If there isn't notice just as to be "reasonable".

The info she wants looks like info for a UC application but I would ask her why she needs it.

I had a nightmare lodger and in the end I had to put all their stuff in a cleaning cupboard in my block of flats and change the lock while they were out.

They got aggressive when they came back and couldn't get in, and I called the police who removed them.

This is the only way to get rid of people like this

You need to have her gone by today or tomorrow. Pack up her things, change the locks and phone the police if she gets violent.

Whatever you do, call in to a hardware store on the way back from work and change the locks as soon as she leaves.

Yes it's a UC claim.

How is she after your long shift?

Still at work it’s 12 1/2 hrs

DO NOT give her anything in writing as she can use that to claim tenancy also report her to dwp if you think that she has forged a ll letter

Did you tell her this morning she has to leave? Hope it goes well when you get in.

There are some odd ideas on here about the UC claim.

She's lost her job, she's unwell and may be unable to work again for a while. She's done nothing wrong by claiming UC and will have needed to give her current address which, until OP gets her out, is also OP's address. She's also entitled to claim for housing costs from the date she started her claim to the date she leaves OP's flat. She can then do a change of circumstances and claim housing costs for wherever she lives next. This is normal and worthwhile, even if she can only claim a week's rent on her lodgings with OP. There's a 5 week wait before the first UC payment and unless she has savings she will most likely end up in debt.

She won't be able to claim housing costs if OP does not confirm the details to the DWP, which is why I say the worst thing to do would be to let her stay another 3 weeks but not help with the UC claim. If she's already been given notice and not left then I think OP should kick her out asap and I don't blame her at all if she wants nothing to do with the UC claim. But if this drags on and the lodger is still liable for rent but is unable to claim housing costs then that's just going to put financial pressure on her and frankly she sounds tense enough already.

There is NO WAY that a letter from OP to DWP confirming so and so is my lodger, she moved in on x date and pays y rent every z of the month, she is required to leave on such and such date - there is no way that letter could be used to establish a tenancy. Aside from anything else, if you rent a room in your landlord's house and share facilities you are automatically an excluded occupier no matter what the bit of paper says.

Also I don't understand why some posters seem to think she will be cooking up benefit fraud or a tenuous housing legal case. She sounds scary as fuck but there's nothing I've read here to suggest she's dishonest. Was there stuff on the other thread?

Hope you’re ok op, this must be awfully distressing for you.

It’s a horrible situation to be in, just get rid and move on. If you have to involve the police hopefully if they see she has mental health problems they will refer to medics.