Landlord asked me to leave, what compensation to ask for?

[Whooo]

I’m in my 20s and moved to London 5 years ago for work - renting the same apartment since.

My landlord wants to sell the apartment and issued an invalid Section 21 notice. I don’t believe this notice is valid as my deposit isn’t protected, so I mentioned it to my landlord in confusion. I added that I am happy to negotiate as ultimately I don’t want housing stress over my head.

They basically came back with a response to say, they really want vacant possession asap and are really wanting to avoid court. they have asked me if I’m willing to move out this month and essentially help them out so they can sell the property immediately as they need the money from the sale. As a starting offer they have said they will immediately refund the deposit.

I’m willing to engage with this but I am also thinking this isn’t enough. What would you ask for to facilitate this?

• for example, Royal Mail redirection costs
• I work fully from home, and to get my internet switched over will lead to me not having service for 3 days which will impact on my ability to work.
• Costs of moving my furniture/belongings and having to potentially put into storage as most places come furnished

just wanted to get feedback on if there is anything else I have missed, as it’s a stressful situation

But the bank will get the proceeds from the sale not the op.

How ridiculous and unprofessional to present you with a long sob story.
Rinse him for every penny you can get.

The landlord has an asset so solicitors for both tenant and landlord would draw up a legally binding agreement whereby the tenant was paid when the property was sold. With interest added to take account of the delay.
Alternatively use a solicitor and go straight to court. How the landlord finds the money to pay his debt isn't really the tenant's concern. If the debt isn't paid go to the small claims court. The landlord would get a CCJ against him if the debt isn't paid.

@Notmycircusnotmyotter the only CF here are people with your attitude - we pay over £3000 a month rent ( nice house yes) - should I be greatful that my landlords ( who are very nice) are benevolent enough to allow me to pay off their mortgage?? It’s a financial arrangement- I pay them money and whilst I do so, it’s my home.

What makes you think LL has no money?? Because he says so? 🤣

Far more likely that LL is a cheeky fucker trying to pull a fast one.

He is absolutely a cheeky fucker trying to pull a fast one and that is why I wouldn't trust him one inch. I would imagine he would definitely pull a fast one to try and avoid paying the op a large sum of money.

It’s not going to get messy for the OP as she’s tenant. But very messy for a landlord that wants to evict without registering the deposit within the allotted time after the tenancy started.

Unless the OP has a charging order in which what she is owed will go to her.

I would have thought the legal costs for this would be roughly on a par with 3x the deposit!

The mortgage lender will always be paid first.

So what.

In the highly unlikely event the LL is coming away from the property with £0 or less (not likely given OP will have paid his mortgage and then some for 5 years), OP is the next person to get the money before he does.

The actual government guidance is nowhere near as definitive as 'you will get 3x the deposit back' - they suggest trying to resolve it amicably first. See the 'what happens next' paragraph.

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You can apply to your local county court if you think your landlord has not used a TDP scheme when they should have.
Get legal advice before applying to court. You do not need a solicitor to do this.

Before going to court
It can be quicker and cheaper to write to your landlord, rather than going to court.
If you cannot come to an agreement, you can apply to the court for compensation.
Apply to a county court
Apply using Form N208: Claim form.
The court fee is £377. You can claim this back from your landlord if you win your case.
You can apply for money off your court fee if you claim certain benefits or have a low income.
What happens next
If the court finds your landlord has not protected your deposit, it can order them to either:

• repay it to you
• pay it into a TDP scheme’s bank account within 14 days

The court may also order the landlord to pay you up to 3 times the deposit within 14 days of making the order.
At the end of the tenancy
The court may decide that you will not have to leave the property when the tenancy ends if your landlord has not used a TDP scheme when they should have.

Where did you get the info on the gas and electrical safety?

And this is exactly why people aren't becoming landlords... why there aren't enough properties available to rent... why rents have gone up so much.

Sure, milk it for what you can get - for the terrible harm you've suffered of your tenancy ending - but then you have zero moral ground for complaining about high rents or trouble finding somewhere to stay ever again.

The rents reflect the ridiculous lengths landlords have to go to in order to get their own property back. And many people who would have been accidental landlords - hence increasing rental supply and bringing rents down - won't take the risk. Rightly, as we've seen on this thread. I have a family member who leaving a flat empty for exactly this reason.

We have just done a Section 21 on our tenant. I felt terrible but it was nothing to do with the new legislation and everything to do with desperately needing the money. We were forced to move for work so a real 'accidental landlord'. It's a terrible time to sell but we really need as much as we can get.

The fact he hasn't protected your deposit means he could be liable for 3xthe deposit in a court. So I woukd use that asa negotiating tool. If you are happy to leave then ask for a payment to go ASAP.

I offered my tenant £500 plus £50 per viewing if she did them. She actually declined it!

She will only be next if he doesn't have any other creditors he owes money to.
All I'm really trying to say is that the landlord doesn't seem to be particularly trustworthy and I wouldn't believe his promises to the op. She hasn't received any money yet from him but I sincerely hope she does. People in financial straits are rarely generous with whatever cash they may have.

Not if it's up to three times the deposit for 5 fixed term tenancies! Plus the return of the deposit for each separate year.
Also, I would imagine the Courts will take an extremely poor view of this landlord and will probably throw the book at them, including awarding the tenant their costs.
Alternatively, the tenant could use a no win no fee solicitor, but they would take a huge chunk of any award made.

It can’t go to court as he’s not followed procedure.
She can stay there forever!

I wouldn’t worry about references. One of my DC (in London) had a landlord who didn’t protect their deposit and tried to charge them illegal tenant fees. The letting agent for their new home just asked for evidence that they were in dispute with their landlord.
As a landlord, I have no time for landlords who break the law. I would happily accept an alternative reference in this situation.

Rents are related to property prices and the buy to let landlord boom is part of the reason that property prices are vastly over inflated.
It's a good thing that landlords are having to sell up, it helps to bring prices down so that people can afford to buy their own places instead of lining the pockets of landlords.

I disagree. If you are a landlord, you need to comply with all regulations that the government set out and keep up to date with them. If you can’t, employ an agent to do it for you. There really is no excuse for ignorance. Especially when you are in the privileged position of owning multiple properties.

Behaviour like this is why landlords are selling up ! Renters are in for a tough time with fewer houses to rent !

Because he's broken the law.
Also she's PAID for the use of the home for five years
You're talking as if the landlord generously have her the use of his property free of charge.

Do you mean it CAN go
to court?

OP says she will buy. Why not focus on that. Buyers market. Get yourself a bargain and then deal with this. In the scheme of things the rental issue is financially small fry.

What is stopping you?