To be so upset at the way my landlord treated me?

[softandfloofy]

I rent a self contained studio flat through an agency and when I met my landlord 7 months ago he seemed ok, so no issues there...

This year has been awful financially - I was furloughed, then lost my job, now I'm on a temp contract. I told my landlord all this and he refused to budge on rent at all, so I had to stop spending money on basically everything else, and all through this I have paid my rent on time, every time and have never been late.

I gave notice to move out as I found a cheaper place to live, paid up last month's rent, gave more than required notice, no problems.

Then Monday my landlord gives me notice to do a viewing, I say that is fine, no problems, all wearing masks etc. He does the viewing, and afterwards we get chatting and I tell him I'm now working from home most of the day.

Yesterday he gives notice for another viewing today at 2pm, I said fine no problem. Then today at 12pm, I get an email saying they are not "sending an agent due to coronavirus" and "would i please let him(the person viewing) in the flat". I say I can't do viewings as I would be on my break at 2pm, and afterwards I'm working, in meetings, and I'm not really happy to have a stranger walking around the flat by himself whilst I'm working and on calls.

I come back from the supermarket after my break today, and my landlord has just turned up and I follow them in, rushing a bit as I'm late for my shift to start. Then the landlord tries to shut the door in my face! I have to force the door to get it open and literally push past him to get to my desk to start my shift.. after they left I couldn't stop crying! AIBU?

That’s awful. Put it all in writing to the agency and tell them no more viewings until you’ve left. Also side issue, but no one would rent off someone who behaved like that to their last tenant.

You don't have to allow viewings. You have the right to quiet enjoyment of your home england.shelter.org.uk/housing_advice/private_renting/what_to_do_when_you_leave_your_rented_home
Equally your landlord didn't have to offer you a discount on your rent. Yes it would be a nice gesture but you can't hold that against him.

Good that it’s through an agency. Get on to them and tell the no more viewings, at all.

It's his agency though so I'm worried if I refuse viewings they will just simply not pay my deposit back when I move out? The flat is awful and everything was damaged and dirty when I moved in, I was trying to remain on good terms with them because no doubt they will try and claim I did some of the damage which was already there...

Wombat - I know he doesn't have to offer me a discount, I think I'm just frustrated because I've bent over backwards and skipped meals to make rent every month, and this guy cant even be bothered to turn up to do his own viewings, and when he did I had to force the door open to get into my own flat to work...!

That ending was... unexpected. He shut the door in your face? Why? What did you say to him when you got it open again? Did the people viewing see what happened?

Your deposit should be protected. Did they do an inventory showing what it was like when you moved in? If not, did you take photos? You can dispute anything they try to take, it then goes to arbitration and someone neutral looks at the evidence. My last place, the LL wanted to keep £600 for damages. We offered £100, as our cat had scratched some chairs and we’d broken something else small. The landlord was eventually awarded £110 so they were very much on our side. We had photos of when we moved in plus the inventory showing what it was like.

Surely your deposit in a protection scheme?

I have no idea why, I said Hi to them both, then he tried to shut the door in my face when I followed them in and I just yelled "I have to work my shift starts soon" and pushed the door open and then went to my desk!

I don't think the guy viewing saw what happened it looked like he was looking at the toilet at the time

They can't withhold your deposit from spite. When are you supposed to move out? I'd refuse all viewings until then tbh

I honestly would have lost my sh*t! How dare he? Don’t know how you stayed calm.
Your deposit should be in a deposit protection scheme. If it’s not then I think that may be illegal and I would be telling him to use it towards the final rent due.

Your deposit should be protected and they can't keep it without proving you did the damage. It's your money so it's on them to prove they should have some of it, it's not on you to prove you should get it back

I suggest you contact shelter to ask for advice

He sounds as delightful as my last private rental guy in Wales. His agency, his house. And he was awful. The house wasn't fit to live in and the garden was very, very dangerous.

If someone is arrears with rent they may be able to a make a claim against the deposit in certain circumstances

I'm not in arrears, never have been, all paid up. I've just checked the deposit details and he failed to register it with a deposit scheme within 30 days (although it is not registered) and the email from safe deposits scotland says--

"If a deposit is not paid to an approved scheme within the required timescale, the tenant may apply to the First Tier Tribunal for Scotland (Housing and Property Chamber) for sanctions against the landlord under Regulation 10 of the Tenancy Deposit Schemes (Scotland) Regulations 2011. If the First Tier Tribunal is satisfied that the landlord failed to pay the deposit to an approved tenancy deposit scheme within the timescale, the First Tier Tribunal must order the landlord to pay the tenant up to three times the amount of the deposit."

So I'm not sure if I was supposed to do this too?!? Is it too late to do anything about that now? Didn't read this email properly when I first got it

although it is now registered**

I’ve been through a bad experience with landlords and have had advice from shelter and the cab

Whatever the contract says, you DONT have to allow anyone in for any reason.

You CAN change the locks (change them back before you leave) you don’t have to provide a key

LL can’t withhold your deposit on a whim, it should be registered with a deposit scheme, and he can only apply for valid deductions and you can challenge these and will probably win

If there is no inventory he hasn’t got a prayer in deduction of anything in terms of condition

If it wasn’t cleaned professionally for you to move into, you don’t need to get it professionally cleaned before you leave, a domestic clean will be sufficient

I’m an ex inventory clerk, this stuff I also know for sure.

Call shelter and talk to them, they are amazing

Don’t worry, honestly

So email him today that you won’t be allowing any more viewings until the end of your tenancy

Have you got the details of where your deposit is held?

If it’s registered, it’s registered. That’s good news.

Contact the Tribunal and see what they advise.

Thank you so much for all the amazing advice! Will refuse anymore viewings and contact Shelter & Tribunal tomorrow x

Unbelievable. What a bastard. I wonder if he'd have closed the door in your face, if you were a burly member of the opposite sex

Was an inventory done by an impartial 3rd party at check in?

Diana it was all done over email, they left a checklist with what they considered the condition was and I put the condition it was next to it, and then sent it back to them. Looking at it now I did mark all the damaged things so should be alright x

Because he didn't protect your deposit within the required timeframe you can take him to the tribunal. You may not get three times the deposit (because he eventually protected it) but you should get at least double. He deserves it by the sounds of it. It might also stop him from trying to bully any future tenants.

Separately, refuse all further viewings. Put it in writing to the agents.

I posted before I saw MzHz's excellent post.