AIBU to be suspicious of this LL?

[Nicebucket]

In case anyone has followed my previous thread about my flat hunt, I've finally found a place that seems suitable.

The rent is within my budget and inclusive of all bills. The area is also fab!

But

There had to be a catch :-(

The landlord wants the rent ONLY via cash or cheque. For reasons I cannot understand, he is unwilling accept payment via bank transfer.

I found this a bit dodgy! The guy i spoke to is the property manager, who manages and maintains flats for the landlord. He's the one who collects rent etc. and he is saying the landlord won't accept bank transfers, and he prefers cash/cheque.

I found out about this guy via an agency and he rents properties via the agency as well. I've dealt with that agency before and I know they're all right. But this particular flat is not being let via the agency (which I dint kind because it saves me money on agency fees)

He's willing to give me signed receipts for the cash and the cheques are all recorded anyway.

I still find this dodgy! Clearly he has a bank account, which is how he'd cash the cheques. So why can't I make a transfer to that account? And the cash is even dodgier! Surely he's trying to evade tax or worse?

Would you do it? Would you agree to pay rent only via cash/cheque?

In case this LL is dodging tax, or doing something criminal could I get into legal trouble for it?

I know I could keep looking for something else, but I've really struggled and I couldn't find anything as nice as this for the price :-(

[Nicebucket]

Most of the agents I went to literally told me they could not help me with my budget being what it is

And sorry, I have to disagree. The overwhelming majority of people DO find it difficult to find something suitable in London. It's extremely difficult IMO.

[Konserve]

get yourself to alex neil

[Nicebucket]

I've had a look on their website- they seem pretty unaffordable. The only two properties that were under £1000 were not including bills, and they've been let now anyway.

[Konserve]

go to their office.
and other offices around c/w.
many places are not advertised at all because the market is so quick.

the agencys directly in the wharf are catering for corporate clients, so don't have 'cheap' flats on the books.

[Nicebucket]

Yes, they definitely don't! I've tried a few agencies around the wharf and was basically shown the door with my budget.

[stripytees]

Bills (electricity, gas, water) are really not over £100pm for a studio so why not look at flats around the £850 bracket? I think wanting bills included is limiting your search.

[HeyDuggee]

I know his has moved on but just want to point out what I wrote about deposit schemes is NOT wrong. And Baconyum if you read the link you provided, you would see it is one of the 3 schemes (one of them is LL pays an annual fee to protect and register the deposit but keeps it in a separate bank account instead of giving the deposit to a 3rd party).

[WhatTheJeffHasGoneOnHere]

I wonder too if bills included is narrowing you down too much.

[Thelushinthepub]

Another who thinks its unusual to have bills included in the rent

[lavenderhoney]

I've pm'd you with a potiential studio, op - good luck:)

[specialsubject]

I know some places do it, but bills included is daft for a landlord, with the sole exception of the council tax which is a fixed sum.

people waste what is free. Also if you pay the bills you've got control over them - you can change suppliers and also you reap the benefit of spending less. So bills included is also bad for the tenant.

[lushilaoshi]

Hi Nicebucket - I feel your pain. Searching for a flat in London is a total nightmare, especially on a tight budget. But I do think there's been a bit of scaremongering on this thread.

Not sure I see the scam in the original flat? It's perfectly normal to give a holding deposit and not to meet the landlord. It's also perfectly fine to pay in cash or cheque - what he does with the money is his business and not yours. You do need to have everything documented properly, i.e. make sure you have written confirmation of all amounts paid either with a formal receipt or even just email would be fine. Having a tenancy contract is obviously preferable, but even without one you have rights as a tenant.

OK the agent does sound a bit cowboyish, but he could also just be making a bit of money on the side as his employment contract with his agency doesn't allow him to be paid for any work outside the agency.

I also feel you are being a little unreasonable about the areas you want to live in - perhaps its because you've never lived in London before? I've lived in both Peckham and Lewisham which non-Londoners seem to think is the ghetto. Not true, both great places and Lewisham in particular is very convenient for Canary Wharf.

Are you looking for a one bed on a budget of 950 including bills? As that will be very difficult to find. Why not look for a flat share? We advertised our spare room on spareroom.com and found an awesome flat mate - I know a lot of friends who've done the same and it's totally legit. On the other hand, trying to find a place in a flatshare is a bit like going for a competitive job... you are interviewed and have to be picked by the existing tenant/owners so go for a few rather than setting your hopes on one.

Best of luck. :)

[Nicebucket]

Well, I'm definitely not looking at only flats with bills included. I just personally find it convenient! But definitely not narrowing my search down to just that.

[Nicebucket]

And again- I'm not looking at expensive areas. This studio in Bayswater just happened to come up. I'd actually much rather NOT live there due to commute.

I've been looking at Peckham, Woolwich, Lewisham, Mudchute etc. but I just haven't had much luck.

[gallicgirl]

Does it have to be London?
Not sure what the figures would work out at but if you're Canary Wharf, look along the Fenchurch Street line towards Southend. Although you'll pay more to commute, rent will be less.

[Nicebucket]

Well, I've looked at option outside London and most came to the same when I factored in the commute.

[whois]

Looking outside of london is a shit idea - you'll spend all your time commuting and.soending no time making friends and enjoying London life.

I agree with the OP that most people do find it hard to find somewhere to live in london especially if they have a small budget, and especially if they are looking for studios of which there are not many.

I had a decent budget and was shown some right shit holes by agents before finally finding our current lovely flat.

Right move can be useful but you have to limit to things added in the last 3 days / 24 hours and just not bother about the old stuff.

Can you rent a room off AirBnB to give you a few more weeks to look?

[MakeItACider]

Studio flat on Blackheath Rd for £850, which is on the DLR - near Deptford Bridge station.

Try searching around the Greenwich area.

[specialsubject]

lushilaoshi the scam in the original flat turned out to be the landlord refusing to protect the deposit, which is illegal. A landlord happily breaking the law on this is unlikely to be too bothered about anything else.

[lushilaoshi]

It's not a problem if the deposit is recorded in the contract and she has a receipt for though, is it?

The main thing is that she gets everything in writing and ensures she has the LL's ID, address, contact details etc.

[specialsubject]

what? All deposits in England/Wales have to be placed in one of the protected schemes. This is the LAW since 2007.

www.gov.uk/tenancy-deposit-protection/overview

there's no excuse. It doesn't even cost the landlord very much. It also helps both sides in case of a dispute.

[gallicgirl]

You would not believe had many forged and doctored contracts and receipts I've seen.

Seriously folks, ALWAYS get your deposit in a legally protected scheme.

[gallicgirl]

*how many, not had.

[TheOriginalWinkly]

OP try Acorn estate agents in Lewisham, when I was flat hunting in the area they seemed to cater for the less expensive end of the market.

[lushilaoshi]

Well yes it's better to have it in a proper deposit scheme and it is indeed the law. But if you have handed money over as a deposit to your landlord, then all you need to be able to claim it back is proof that you gave it to them - even an email confirmation will do. In fact, if they haven't put it in a safe deposit scheme you can claim it back times three.

Not sure how the LL would be able to 'forge' a receipt or contract, to be honest? It's not like a cheque or a passport.

As for Acorn in Lewisham, we used them for our apartment. Not sure I'd recommend them but they didn't seem like crooks.

TBH, if I was the OP I would have taken the apartment. But then, I lived in London for ages and am a lawyer so I would have felt confident that I would be protected even if the landlord was trying to pull a fast one.