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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

AIBU to be annoyed with my landlord?

46 replies

Florabeebaby · 19/09/2012 08:27

We had to apply for housing benefit last month. I lost my job in July (been working from home part-time) and since I am 7m pg it is basically impossible to find anything else right now. We also have one DD already. DH is self-employed and even after increasing his hours we just couldn't make it work so we applied.

We had to get landlord involved, the council required a letter from him to confirm our rent etc.

This morning, he has posted a letter through the letterbox increasing our rent!!! I spoke to him and explained why we were applying for the benefit, how I lost my job, he can clearly see we have another baby on the way...

I don't know, I understand this is business for him but he owns 10 flats in this building, why did he have to increase our rent? It's gone up by £25 per month...not loads to some people but for me at the moment that is a lot for me.

I could cry right now...

To top it off my midwife yesterday said that I may go into labour anytime (DD was a premie) as baby has dropped really low and is head down. Been told to watch out for signs of labour and I just feel awful right now.

Wish I could afford to buy a house and feel secure, feel at the mercy of others when renting.

OP posts:
geegee888 · 19/09/2012 08:28

Rent increases are a part of life, as long as inflation exists, surely? What percentage has it gone up by?

Original poster
Florabeebaby · 19/09/2012 08:31

Yes, they are a part of life, I understand that.

However, he has not increased since we moved in over 4 years ago and increased it now, after being fully aware that we are struggling to pay rent in the first place!

OP posts:
aldiwhore · 19/09/2012 08:32

I hate surprise rent increases. I don't believe they are a fair part of life.

Our rent gets reviewed every December, it usually goes up, but at least we know its coming.

YANBU. There should be more protection for tennants to ensure they get a fair deal.

Tweasels · 19/09/2012 08:32

Has he increased the rent of the other 10 flats or was it just yours as you imply?

aldiwhore · 19/09/2012 08:33

Well I guess you need to take a deep breath. Its not about your situation its about his rent, if its stayed the same for 4 years, you've had a good deal.

I still think some warning should be required though! x

nicolasname · 19/09/2012 08:33

what a money grabbing greedy so and so. i had a landlord who loved DSS, because he took their cheques.

CelticParalympian · 19/09/2012 08:34

Will HB not cover the increase? Maybe he's increased it because he doesn't see it as coming from you?

Have a look at your tenancy agreement. He might not be able to do this part way through a term.

Hopeforever · 19/09/2012 08:34

Can you not send a copy of the letter to HB and ask them to pay the extra?

You need to concentrate on keeping calm and deal with this problem without it taking up too much of your emotional energy.

The landlord may well have a mortgage on the flats to pay or if he has others, then it's his income. Sadly that's how things work. It's not personal.

Original poster
Florabeebaby · 19/09/2012 08:36

I have no idea about the other flats, just got a letter today.

I know it's been good for 4 years, I just feel like he has made this decision because we are getting the benefit now. Oh, I don't know...maybe I'm just oversensitive.

But it feels like we drew his attention to our rent by asking him to fill in the form for the council and he just wnet for it!

OP posts:
geegee888 · 19/09/2012 08:38

Well, you'll have to excuse me for saying this, because I'm not in the UK right now, and the attitude is more that you should support yourself and benefits are a very temporary measure unless there is something seriously wrong with you. But presumably your landlord is not placed on this earth to subsidise you, and cannot soak up inflationary costs forever, but is a private individual not providing subsidised housing. And you are already getting housing benefit to help you with your rent, rather than having to pay it all yourself, so you are already getting quite a lot of help.

I am going to sound really harsh, as I say I am not in the UK but in another Northern European country right now, but I have more sympathy with working people who struggle to pay rent, Council Tax etc each month with no help from anyone. Yes, I have sympathy for your current situation, but I really don't see why you are castigating your landlord, who doesn't sound "greedy" at all, having only increased your rent once, in four years, by £25. Its not logical.

Original poster
Florabeebaby · 19/09/2012 08:38

Yes, we will speak to HB and find out what to do.

He and his family live in this building too, and he is a nice man and his kids are lovely....and he bever bothers us and when I had to complain about noise last year he dealt with it amazingly quickly.

So I feel bad for being annoyed. But I am a bit.

OP posts:
slartybartfast · 19/09/2012 08:42

perhaps he had forgotten aobut how much your rent was until you reminded him.

Original poster
Florabeebaby · 19/09/2012 08:44

Geegee, I am originally from Scandinavia and trust me I was brought up to some strict values when it comes to work etc.

I don't know if you read my OP but I lost my job, I did not leave it voluntarily. The jobmarket is awful in the UK right now and at 7m pg it is very unlikely I will be able to find a job. I am also very limited physically as to what I can do due to the pg.
MY DH is working all hours of the day and night at the moment to make money but his business has also been affected by the recession so it's hard, very very hard.

I am not castigating my landlord, as you see from my last post I think he is a nice man. I just question the timing of it all.

OP posts:
Original poster
Florabeebaby · 19/09/2012 08:46

And I do not expect anyone to subsidise me. I also feel that there is nothing worng with asking help when you need it.

And we need it right now.

OP posts:
geegee888 · 19/09/2012 08:46

Yes, but Scandinavia is not the only place in Northern Europe OP. I am sure plenty of people have had to cope with higher mortgage and rent rises than this. My Council Tax in the UK is £175 a month for a two bedroom house, my DH has not had a salary rise for 3 years. You will excuse my lack of appreciation.

slartybartfast · 19/09/2012 08:47

dont take it personally. if you put things on AIBU you get all sorts of opinions op.

Hopeforever · 19/09/2012 08:49

I expect all the flats will have had a similar letter. Ask one of them if you want. £25 after 4 years is not bad really.

Your hormones won't be helping, nor will the stress of the news your midwife gave you or your DH's work situation.

Don't waste energy being upset with your landlord, it's really not worth it

KeemaNaanAndCurryOn · 19/09/2012 08:52

I do wonder if he's raised it as he knows he can get more in HB. An extra £25 a month is quite a steep increase.

Probably your best course of action is to call and speak to him and ask why it has gone up so much without any warning and see if you can negotiate a smaller rise/

geegee888 - you're projecting your own gripes onto the OP who sounds like she has enough to be getting on with. That kind of thing can make you come across as an arse. Just sayin'.

Original poster
Florabeebaby · 19/09/2012 08:52

Hopeforever, you are right. It's not worth stressing about...knee-jerk reaction to write it in AIBU! Should have gone to chat maybe.

OP posts:
Original poster
Florabeebaby · 19/09/2012 08:56

I will get DH to speak to him, in my current state I might cry and that's never a comfortable conversation :)

OP posts:
SkinnyMarinkADink · 19/09/2012 08:57

I sympathise op, it does certainly look like your landlord is trying to get more money now he knows you can get house benefit if anything he is trying to take advantage of the system.

I do wonder what planet some posters live on here, the op lost her job is 7 months pregnant and could possibly go into labour at any time on her midwifes advice she can hardly be expected to go stack shelves in tescos can she??

and from what i read her dh is self employed and has increased his hours as much as possible. so they need a bit of help in a tough situation which is why benefits are there to help people exactly in the ops position.

op have you looked into claiming maternity allowance? if you were employed in the test period there should be no reason that you can't claim.

LydiasMiletus · 19/09/2012 08:57

Tbh no rent increase in 4 years is pretty good. The LL shouldn't be put off making a business decision because you are having a shit time.
Why won't hb cover it?

Original poster
Florabeebaby · 19/09/2012 09:01

I will find out about maternity allowance, I should be able to get it but I haven't had the energy to do all of this yet. This pg is very hard and my main concern is a slight heart problem I have developed because of it. When I get an all clear from the cardiologist I will start sorting everything out...

I haven't spoken to HB yet, I assume they will cover it then but since I only applied in August I have no idea how it works.

This is hopefully temporary, as soon as I can I will apply for jobs but I can't right now.

OP posts:
TheBigJessie · 19/09/2012 09:02

Have a look at this page.

I don't think an extra £25 is going to be considered as excessive, but if you should find out that you now have the highest rent in the building, it might be of interest to you.

BrittaPerry · 19/09/2012 09:08

HB very rarely covers all the cost of rent, for people who don't understand. When we were claiming, we got £100 a week, despite the fact that all houses within a mile of school and taking less than two hours to DHs work on the bus were t least £150 a week. Not to mention that my job would be nigh on impossible if i didn't live in walking distance (lots of small tasks throughout the day) They work it out on the cheapest possible housing in the councils area, whether or not there is actually any available, then you top it up out of your wages or benefits. Most HB claimants work - we would still be just about eliable now with a total of 56 hours a week being worked, but we decided to stop the claim because of the ridiculous amount of pointless hoop jumping designed to make it as hard as possible to claim.

If you on't like HB being paid to working families, take it up with the bosses who on't pay enough, or the landlords who charge too much, or the housing market making the landlrds charge too much.

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