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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To report him to the police?

54 replies

ScroogewholovesChristmas · 08/12/2022 07:29

Name changed...

Ok so I moved out of my old rental property in June. My rental agreement with Landlord was "in the black". It was a old countryside property in a remote location. The landlord didn't want bothering with Landlord expectations so he offered us the property to rent cheaper than market value on the basis we didn't bother him at all. The interior of the property was awful when we moved in and we have to do a lot of work and whole house repaint ourselves. The landlord agreed to ofset the costs of this against the rent and so after a couple of months of work we text him all the receipts etc and we exchanged a conversation agreeing that we wouldn't pay the first two months rent to account for these costs.
A year later partner and I split up and we phone landlord to give notice of leaving. I then speak to him myself saying I would like to remain at the property but can't afford to pay that rent cost and would he be prepared to drop the monthly rent at all. We negotiated and dropped it down by £300 a month.
About 8 months later I give him notice that I am going to leave as want to move closer to family. He then came back saying I owed him loads of money for the first two months rent and also for the difference of £300 a month for the last 8 months. When I questioned this he became verbally abusive and intimidating and was calling me up to 10 times a day. I argued my side and he told me if I wasn't prepared to pay I needed to be out within a week. Which I did, with 1 DC I will add. I felt very vulnerable at this time. He kept ringing saying if I didn't pay he would take me to court and when I moved out a week later he said I would hear from him solicitors within a week.
That was in June. I've never heard anything UNTIL...

Last night he called my dad and demanded he pay the alleged outstanding money. He said that I've been and smashed all the windows of the property and left all my stuff there. (He has my dad's number as my dad rang him when I was going through a bad period, car crash etc, and dad paid a months rent for me, this was over a year ago).

For the record, I haven't smashed anything. I haven't been back since June. Nor did I leave my things...I made a point of leaving the place immaculately. I suspect he has not been to the property since June and it's either been broken into or he has had the squatters in.

I have had legal advice since June and know now that I was illegally evicted. There was and is no written contract of rent between us, it was all verbal or text. Plus he didn't attend to things like heating or hot water issues when asked, he made a point of doing things slowly as he hated being asked. I know he is unlikely to take this further as he has not done anything by the book as a Landlord. However him calling my dad and slandering me and telling my dad ive smashed windows etc...I'm inclined to report him to the police. Thoughts?? What should I do, if anything?

OP posts:
underneaththeash · 08/12/2022 07:31

What would you report him to the police for? Has he made threats of violence towards him.

RedHelenB · 08/12/2022 07:32

Thoughts? Not a police matter.

user1472145047 · 08/12/2022 07:35

Did you take photos of the property when you left ie empty and clean?

ScroogewholovesChristmas · 08/12/2022 07:38

@underneaththeash I'm not sure, I'm just upset as it was distressful for my father and I feel like the landlord is just trying to bully/intimidate/scam him. The landlord has not tried to contact me in anyway since June and now called my elderly father shouting and demanding he pay. Also telling him I've smashed windows which I didn't...isn't that slander! I don't know I'm just angry!

OP posts:
ScroogewholovesChristmas · 08/12/2022 07:39

@user1472145047 I did and videos. It was immaculate, I even hired an industrial hoover!

OP posts:
User98866 · 08/12/2022 07:43

He knows he can’t do anything about the money he thinks he’s owed and is trying it on to intimidate your elderly father into paying. I don’t think it’s a police matter. Just block his number and ignore. If he continues to harass and turns up in person then I’d probably report him.

AngelontopoftheTree · 08/12/2022 07:45

Surely you father knows you wouldn't do that, so there's no need for you to be worried that he thinks bad of you.
Tell your dad to block him and ignore any threats. Keep all your previous correspondence.

PAFMO · 08/12/2022 07:46

No idea what "in the black" means in this context, but it sounds as though you were happy enough when it suited you to have certain unconventional agreements with the landlord.
Him now being stroppy is the price you pay I suppose. He probably feels messed about. You negotiated at the beginning, you wanted to stay on so negotiated again, now you want to leave.
Why has he called your father? How does he know your father? Was he your guarantor or something?
You say (rightly or wrongly) that the landlord didn't intervene over heating problems. You also say you got the rental cheap (and then cheaper still) because the landlord didn't want to be bothered with "landlord" things. So you created the situation whereby he wasn't going to get involved!

MrsMoastyToasty · 08/12/2022 07:47

Contact Shelter for advice.
Did he use a deposit protection scheme?

Realitea · 08/12/2022 07:47

He hasn’t got a leg to stand on and you have text messages as proof of agreements if he tried to take it to a civil court. Which he won’t because he could get fined massively for letting a property off the books and without a deposit being held in a protection scheme.

Police wouldn’t be interested, it’s civil.

The only organisation that could get involved possibly is the property ombudsman but I would block his number and tell your Dad to do the same.

NCgoingdry · 08/12/2022 07:49

This is purely a civil dispute and not a police matter. Unless it snowballs into harassment, but even then it's sketchy if you're replying to him.

Block all methods of contact and forget about it. He can't take you to court. You have proof that he's a rogue landlord. He's not going to pay the costs to get this to court so just block and move on.

Icecreamandapplepie · 08/12/2022 07:54

He's trying it on.

You will need to contact the police if he arrives on, particularly with your poor dad.

He sounds a right one tbh.

SantasGrotty · 08/12/2022 07:57

He is trying to scam your father and has been verbally intimidating and abusive so, yes, I'd speak the police. I'd also speak to environmental health or whoever deals with rentals in your area and if you paid a deposit and you don't think it was held in a scheme you could sue him too.

ScroogewholovesChristmas · 08/12/2022 07:57

@Realitea I did transfer him £1300 as a deposit before moving in. Wasn't in a scheme though..

OP posts:
SantasGrotty · 08/12/2022 08:00

And the police may just a have a word with him which could be enough. They have time to chase women that say mean things on Twitter they can tell him he's not allowed to be verbally abusive and intimidating to you or your elderly father. (He'd be elderly when I called)

ScroogewholovesChristmas · 08/12/2022 08:00

Yes I sent him money as a deposit which I've never heard anything about. I'm not interested in going after him to be honest / sueing. I just want him to leave my family alone.

OP posts:
IncompleteSenten · 08/12/2022 08:05

Tell him to take you to court. You're sure they'll be very interested in all the laws he broke by not fulfilling his obligations as a landlord and HMRC will no doubt want to take a look at him too.

IncompleteSenten · 08/12/2022 08:06

Not putting your deposit in a scheme means you can claim I think it's three times the amount you paid.

I think if he knows you know he's broken the law and it will cost him dearly - he'll back off.

VacancyAtNumber10AGAIN · 08/12/2022 08:08

I had a landlord exactly like this a few years ago. Dodgy cowboy, no tenancy agreement, didn’t bother with heating etc etc. he did the same to me, said I owed him £2k in rent (I didn’t) I got spoke to Shelter and had someone from there contact him highlighting each and every reason why taking me to court based on lies would backfire. He left me alone in the end

Definitely phone Shelter, they’re really really helpful xx

MajorCarolDanvers · 08/12/2022 08:11

Your dispute is a civil one and not a criminal one.

If your dad feels threatened then he can phone the police about threats.

Best to block his numbers and ignore.

Greyarea12 · 08/12/2022 08:29

If he goes back to calling up to 10 times a day then yes, you could call the police, for harassment.

However, my advice, you block him, your dad blocks him, don't answer him, don't respond, completely ignore him.

Trainbear · 08/12/2022 08:33

Two words - Prove it.
but block his numbers on all phones.

AllOfThemWitches · 08/12/2022 08:34

(Him now being stroppy is the price you pay I suppose. He probably feels messed about.*

Stop minimising the behaviour of and making excuses for aggressive, abusive men?

SinnerBoy · 08/12/2022 08:39

NCgoingdry · Today 07:49

This is purely a civil dispute and not a police matter. Unless it snowballs into harassment, but even then it's sketchy if you're replying to him.

I have to disagree, because he's made threats and is attempting extortion now. Calling the Police can't hurt, because it'll establish a timeline, if he escalates.

As others have said, speak to Shelter and block his number.

DrinkFeckArseBrick · 08/12/2022 09:07

I would send him an email stating the facts:
He has withheld your deposit
He agreed the rent in writing
He broke the laws in many ways
You have photographic evidence that you left the property in a good state of repair
You will not be paying anything more
You are considering his repeated phone calls and contacting your family members as harassment and if it doesn't stop you will be contacting the police

It wouldnt hurt to log with 101 anyway