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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Who is in the wrong here?

45 replies

ByeByeNye · 27/01/2022 14:54

Living with 2 room mates (3 of us in a shared house). 1 room mate is new and paid rent for the first time last week, but landlord didn't receive the money.

Turns out, new room mate got the bank details for the landlord from my other room mate, however, the other room mate gave him the bank details for his previous landlord. Previous landlord is refusing to give the money back 🙄

New room mate is panicking and doesn't know what to do, as he can't afford to pay double the rent. Has implied that other room mate is to blame and should help out with this.

I'm really on the fence about this, but I'm not getting involved. However, I'm curious as to who people think is in the wrong with this. On the one hand, other room mate should have been more vigilant with the bank details and ensured they were the correct ones, on the other hand new room mate should have contacted the landlord directly to ensure this didn't happen.

I'll randomize the poll below, as I really don't know who is right/wrong here.

YABU - New room mate is in the wrong
YANBU - Other room mate is in the wrong

OP posts:
nokidshere · 27/01/2022 14:56

New room mate should speak to his bank and explain, they may be able to help.

RoseAndRose · 27/01/2022 14:57

They're both in the wrong

Are you all jointly and severally liable for the rent?

MayThePawsBeWithYou · 27/01/2022 15:00

The new landlord should have provided the correct details in their contract

GhoulWithADragonTattoo · 27/01/2022 15:00

The old landlord is being unreasonable. He knows it's a mistake so should arrange for money to be paid back to bank.

Gardengates · 27/01/2022 15:01

Isn't the old landlord guilty of theft by keeping the money?

New tenant should definitely contact his bank.

MayThePawsBeWithYou · 27/01/2022 15:02

Why is the old landlord refusing to return the money that was paid to him in error

countrygirl99 · 27/01/2022 15:02

New room mate needs to learn to send a test payment of £1 first. And old landlord is guilty of theft if he doesn't return money he knows doesn't belong to him.

tulippa · 27/01/2022 15:03

The old landlord is in the wrong. He is committing a crime by holding on to money that isn't his.

Sparklingbrook · 27/01/2022 15:05

It's odd if there wasn't paperwork from the right landlord with the rent payments and their banking details on. Seems a weird arrangement to expect existing tenants to just pass on important details like that.

pigsDOfly · 27/01/2022 15:08

Sounds like they're all a bit dim and in the wrong.

LL should have made sure the new tenant had the right bank details, new tenant should have made sure he/she had the right bank details for the right landlord, housemate should not have got involved in passing on bank details, particularly the wrong details, and the old LL is a thief if he keeps the money.

The new tenant should speak to their bank and see if they can get the money back from the old, thieving LL.

Tulips21 · 27/01/2022 15:10

@MayThePawsBeWithYou

The new landlord should have provided the correct details in their contract
Yes and new room mate should've asked landlord themselves
FreedomFaith · 27/01/2022 15:12

Would have thought that new roommate could contact his bank to get the money back. Other roommate is in the wrong for giving the wrong details.

3scape · 27/01/2022 15:13

The new room mate is clearly the one that now has to deal with it. The "fault" is irrelevant.

  1. Explain to landlord and
  2. Explain to Bank to assist getting back the money.
  3. I can see why this is the room mate's previous landlord as they are dishonest.

New landlord should have made bank details clear, so they really now need to suck up a delay.

L40Postcode · 27/01/2022 15:15

If the contract is directly between the new room mate and the landlord, then it’s new room mates problem to fix, he should have asked the landlord direct for his correct payment details, which should have been provided to him anyway at the time he signed the contract

Hb12 · 27/01/2022 15:16

Surely the old landlord is legally in the wrong here?

Room mates both wrong, but I really hope the one who passed on the wrong details feels like absolute shit. Surely they know the new details from their own banking?

girlmom21 · 27/01/2022 15:16

The new roommate needs to find a way to pay the rent and resolve the issue with the old landlord - either the landlord gives the money back or they involve the police.

The old roommate is a bit of an idiot and has caused the issue - along with the new landlord - unless it's a sublet, but isn't financially responsible.

On the plus side none of this is your fault OP!

jadey1991 · 27/01/2022 15:23

I personally think that the old room mate who supplied the details is in the wrong. The new room mate shouldn't have to pay again because of the other room mates error. The new room mate isn't to know. For the rooms mates previous landlord thats selfish and money hungry. Why he is refusing to give the money back is beyond me. He isn't entitled to it at all. It's fraud.

Original poster
ByeByeNye · 27/01/2022 15:25

@RoseAndRose

They're both in the wrong

Are you all jointly and severally liable for the rent?

We're all individually responsible for our own rent. It's a house share
OP posts:
Original poster
ByeByeNye · 27/01/2022 15:26

@MayThePawsBeWithYou

Why is the old landlord refusing to return the money that was paid to him in error
Pure greed, I assume
OP posts:
StoneofDestiny · 27/01/2022 15:34

Surely there are way to retrieve money paid in error that isn't rightfully theirs.

Chloemol · 27/01/2022 15:40

Both as they should both have checked the details

However your new flatmate should contact the previous mad lord and ask for the money back, making it clear they have no connection

Then if he won’t play ball I would simply go to small claims court

AlphabetStew · 27/01/2022 15:42

Agree with @pigsDOfly ESH

WhyMeLord · 27/01/2022 15:42

I have sympathy on all sides here apart from knobhead landlord. However, when I set up a new payee on my online banking it checks the name for you and alters you if records don't match what you've entered. If new house mate did that and ignored the warning then I think new house mate is in the wrong.

Tal45 · 27/01/2022 15:48

If the bank puts money wrongly into your account you can't just keep it so I'd have thought it was the same here.
If I was him I'd contact the bank and just say that he has paid x amount into the wrong account and is there a way to recover it.

CatJumperTwat · 27/01/2022 15:53

Both of them. New roommate should have got the back details from source, other roommate should have been more careful.

Old landlord is the most unreasonable of all. Though nobody should be surprised at a landlord being an unethical greedy cunt.