Rent increase - fuck fuckity fuck!!!

[BlondeWaves]

Moved into my house 2.5 months ago and now having to move as had a letter from the landlord to say rent is going up by 150 a month. I KNOW I am being unreasonable but I am sat here sobbing because I've just settled here with my young child and the thought of having to go through all that upheaval again is so stressful. I can't afford the extra 150, I'm already stretched with the way everything has increased. This could happen again and again and I just hate our government and the way things are at the moment. I have no resentment towards my landlord as I know his mortgage has realistically gone up by more than 150 a month, but fuck, I'm so stressed. Don't even know what I want from this thread, maybe a handhold, maybe to be told I need to suck it up (weirdly I respond well to tough love) but I need something. Anyone there? 😭

@dormouses
A sensible Landlord who has to borrow in order to purchase a property would have negotiated a mortgage-term-fixed-rate, eg, 2.9% fixed for 25 years.
An inexperienced, desperate, greedy landlord will have grabbed a two year Bank-Base-Rate-plus 0.5% a couple of years ago, and now has to decide what mortgage deal to accept.
The Landlord’s inability to borrow sensibly is not a burden to pass on to a tenant: it is a burden the Landlord bears so as to learn how to grow their property portfolio sensibly and predictably, rather than the cack-handed gamble that so many of the short term BuyToLet deals turn out to be.

Importantly, for the OP, I would suggest three courses of action:

1. Contact the Child Maintenance Agency, pay the £20 to set up an account for your child and let the CMS do their job of getting the father to pay for his child, by earnings deduction at source if need be.
2. Contact your local Citizen’s Advice or local council Income/Debt assistance line to go through every assistance such as Discretionary Housing Payments you’ll be entitled to. You may receive an additional discount on your Council Tax above the single person’s allowance.
3. Continue to pay the £850 per month in rent but do not pay the extra £150 asked for until a professional advisor has verified that your monthly periodic tenancy agreement is indeed legal. As many others have said, in England & Wales such a contract is illegal, even though you have signed it. In extreme circumstances such as these I’d be tempted to not pay any rent at all, save the £850 for the six months minimum (and probably more) it will take for your landlord to actually get a bailiff to knock on the door to evict you, allowing you to have a lump sum as a deposit and rent in advance to offer a new Landlord once you find the property you and your child will feel secure within. It will never be this property you are currently in, despite the valuable Marvel paintings, because your Landlord cannot afford to ride out basic economics, and at the slightest increase in any cost at their end, will try to pass that cost on to you. Your current home will never feel secure. Stop paying rent, save it, search for a long term rental you can afford near a school that works for your little darling, and mentally prepare yourselves to move.

I’m so sorry you’re experiencing this, when I’ve been in this I recall how it saps mental and spiritual energy. Making the whole thing some kind of long-term search and adventure for your little one may help.

Godspeed

I think what people want is absolutely secure rentals (is they can stay as long as they want) and rent controls. To be honest, this is only ever going to be possible when rental properties are owned by the state and subsidised. The whole problem is that the government are not interested in this.

The private rental sector will always be people who rent properties to make money. In itself this doesn’t make LLs bad or exploitative - lots will limit rent rises and provide a good quality property and stick to all the laws and regulations BUT they can only and will only continue whilst the property can make them at least some money. Mortgage rises, tax increases, expensive regulations, anything which makes it difficult to get rid of bad tenants or to sell a property if they need to get their cash back…..simply mean it won’t add-up for more LLs. And given that they don’t HAVE to do it and can put their money elsewhere, these things will make them leave the rental market. Lots seem to welcome LLs selling up because they can’t make money and decide it must all be done to mismanagement and not planning ahead, but quite often, whilst rents seem ridiculously extortionate and as if they must generate vast profits for the LL, lots simply find it doesn’t add up.

If they sell up, who do you think buys the properties? It’s not the state buying them to provide rent controlled, lifetime tenancies. It’s either private individuals who will live in them and reduce the rental stock, or it’s probably foreign investors leaving them empty and buying for tax purposes. Honestly, I’d look at the government as the root cause if the problems, not LLs as a broad group. Yes, some LLs are bad, but actually most aren’t. However, they are all constrained by the fact that if the numbers don’t add up, they will exit.

I’ve found myself in an awful situation too OP. Long time renter, been in my flat for 5 years. Separated from my 6m and 3yr olds dad in September. This coincided with my LL saying he wants the place back so I have until the end of my tenancy in March 2023 to find somewhere else. Since separation have been on UC with a good maternity package too (NHS) + child maintenance! I should just be able to afford the going rate in my area which is £1500 a month (not in London) and a £550 increase to what I’m paying now but all the estate agents have told me that realistically LL won’t want me once they see I am on UC. Seen the waiting list for housing and am in the possible situation of ending up in temp accommodation homeless hostel with two babies even though I could afford private rent, my credit score is excellent, would have a guarantor and could pay a few months upfront. Leaving support system, possibly needing to leave work as I wouldn’t be able to get in as the temp accom is out in the sticks. Absolute hell on earth. I’ve looked at every option and am stuck. Shall we rent a mansion together with the kids OP? 😂 meanwhile kids dad can rent whatever anywhere because he’s not a single dad is he 🫠

No i'm afraid your the ignorant one, which is why he is as ignorant as you or a scumbag.

From gov.uk

When your landlord can increase rent

For a periodic tenancy (rolling on a week-by-week or month-by-month basis) your landlord cannot normally increase the rent more than once a year without your agreement

For a fixed-term tenancy (running for a set period) your landlord can only increase the rent if you agree. If you do not agree, the rent can only be increased when the fixed term ends

If you'd read the thread i pointed this out on page 2.

Where do you live? Which city? You have a child, can’t you get a council or housing association place?

errr - didnt you read it - there has been no previous increase
And without knowing someone - it is incredibly vulgar to call them a scumbag

I presume your hobby is joining marches for the sheer pleasure of becoming part of a baying mob, with a little vandalism thrown in.?

I happen to work in the mortgage advice sector and as far back as I can remember there never was a BTL rate at 1.1% on a loan over £1m, not on smaller loans either.
Anyway, at £24k gross profit for the last few years, you have hopefully set some aside to pay higher interest in the future.

OK - I am awaiting an answer from another site about the rent increase
BUT
the landlord CANNOT give notice until you have been in residence for 4 months he than has to give you 2 months notice and only after 6 months have passed can he start court proceedings to evict -unfortunately (apparently!)it is not illegal to start a month-by-month contract except in Wales (news to me!) but I am awaiting confirmation on this.
Hope this helps

What does your AST say about rent increases?

notice period?

I think the landlord lowballed you. They advertised a low rent, got in a vulnerable renter, and then raised the rent because 99% of the time it is so hard for a tenant to go looking for a new place that they just pay the higher rent. Of course, this landlord might have went too high, too fast and priced you right out. Like others have said, talk to the landlord and see if they will go lower.

Are people suggesting an individual LL is in the wrong for increasing rents after a substantial period if no rent increase? Are people suggesting that someone who has been in a rental for 5 or 12 years should be able to stay forever and the LL can NEVER sell, even if they give substantial notice?

I don’t think people are suggesting this about individual LLs who have rented them properties for long periods and kept rents at a particular level for many years and then had to increase them.

I don’t think people are angry in most cases with their individual LL, but the entire housing market system we have. The key issues are insecurity if tenure and that people want long term security that just isn’t possible into the very long term with private rentals, and they want affordable rent….which also isn’t always possible in the orivate sector where LLs have significant costs.

Again, what people really want is secure social housing and rent controls. Only the state can provide this. The fact private LLs don’t provide this means LLs rather than the system often become the target for criticism. But the system is the problem. Only government can solve it and that can only happen if THEY provide that accommodation on those kind of terms. The private sector just cannot deliver that level of security and rent control….but whilst the majority of renters can’t access social housing, everyone still needs private LLs and unfortunately that means the difficulties tenants don’t like….but often they aren’t down to individual Lls doing something wrong.

And clearly the OP’s situation is shit. No-one can dispute that. It’s probably illegal and it’s certainly immoral.

However, it’s fortunately not typical and those suggesting it is are disingenuous.

Lots in the private rented sector do have good LLs who maintain the property, do things legally and only raise rents rarely. However, even then there is no guaranteed lifetime tenancy or definite limit to rent. These are the realities of the private sector and are needed to ensure private LLs will actually rent their properties out….if they can’t make some money and if they can’t access their funds by selling at some point, they simply can’t and won’t do it.

So being a private tenant never brings security if tenure and controlled rent…..even from great LLs.

Look at government as the problem in this.

As they’ve always been month to month and not periodic I wonder if the laws are different?

@BellePeppa

thats utter tripe

Just because your costs have gone up doesn't mean the rental prices have. Landlords have made excess profits during the good times, they can't expect renters to be able to keep sucking up unaffordable rent increases. Its just not that simple.

Sadly, the deregulation of the residential rental market by Thatcher has left many young people locked out of any security of tenure, and buy to let opportunism has done the rest.

Its not a situation for individual blame, but it is grossly unfair how much the odds are stacked against generally younger and poorer people.

My landlord tried to do exactly this 2 years ago, in his case he said so he could still sell as it was on the market ( i wasnt told that by the agent) he then changed hios mind but did a 4 weekly rent payment on the contract on the day of the move.... which essentially meant me having to pay rent twice 3 moths of the year! The agent spent a good 2 hours discussing this whilst i was sat in the removal van outside in tears

It was advertised as calendar monthly, which agent and I agreed meant 12 payments a year, landlord refused to see that for a long while, then decided to upo the monthly amount which amounted to the same money yearly, I had no choice at that point as had already cleared and cleaned and returned the keys on old place

18% increase is unreasonable. Offer half if you can afford it

I get how hard it is at mo. Rents around here are ridiculous and I've seen them just go up and up in the past 18 months

Best of luck to you x

How would you suggest we oppose it? We can't rely on the Govt. Every rental property is snapped up. I live in fear that my lovely LL will have to sell up, as I don't know what we'll do then.
It's not a renter's market in the U.K., making protest impossible

Month to month = periodic

I'm a landlady. I would never put tenants rent up in the first year, and only after 1st year if rent way below market and my costs have gone up significantly.

Mortgage rates started going up a year ago. There then followed several increases during the first 6 months this year. Everyone with a mortgage fixed deal ending would have looked for a new rate 6 months before expiry - certainly a professional landlord would have. And a large number actually paid a penalty to come out of a fix rate and remortgage.
So your landlord knew what was coming 2.5 months ago.

YANBU

Do not under any circumstances feel that your landlord is the victim here. You have taken on a contract in good faith and your landlord is exploiting your situation and has been completely out of order with this contract and 'surprise' decision.

Contact Shelter. They can give free advice on housing and legal issues.

Contact CAB.

Do not pay the extra £150.

And do not feel sorry for somebody who is making money by owning a house he doesn't need to live in and taking advantage of somebody who can't afford one for themselves.

op .. you really need to contact crisis or shelter.
But you do have time but keep paying your present rent whatever anyone else tells you otherwise its grounds for eviction and will give you a bad record reference wise
from the sounds of things your landlord may not have obeyed the law
Do you know where he put your deposit? he HAS to have it in a deposit scheme, and it has to be put in one within about 2 weeks if he does not have it in a deposit scheme you can sue him up to three times the amount and he CANNOT do a section 21 (see my previous comments about other thing essential for rental and eviction via section 21)
You DO NOT have to agree to the increase & he can only increase once a year regardless (I am still awaiting further info on some details)
He CANNOT not even start eviction until you have lived in your property for 4 months - only then can he start notice procedure. At 4 months he can give you notice but he CANNOT start legal procedure until you have lived in your property 6 months - section 21 will take at least 6 months after this there is a court which you can go to but don't have to - where they will give you 2 weeks notice. When this date has passed the landlord has to get an eviction notice that usually is another 2 weeks. The reason to let this process go ahead is that when you are given eviction date the council is legally obliged to house you in temporary accommodation (although I would advise anybody to inform the council at the beginning of the process and at every stage.

arg at 4 months he can give you 2 months notice (you don't have to do anything)