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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:
KettrickenSmiled · 08/12/2022 13:40

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

Really OP - this is all you need do.

Unless LL is a madman, he will disappear once he's read that email.
So send it, then block him on yours & your dad's phones.

Itsoktogiveup · 08/12/2022 13:55

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

This is good advice.

I would log his current harassment woth the police. Calling your father aggressively with lies about you is harassment and people have been arrested for less.

Southwig22 · 08/12/2022 14:00

Block his number and move on. Sorted.

SamphirethePogoingStickerist · 08/12/2022 16:22

Naunet · 08/12/2022 09:19

Doesn’t even matter, there was no tenancy agreement.

Yes, there was. In the absence of a written contract the basic tenancy contract is assumed. Rights in law are not superseded by the actions or inactions of individuals

The landlord has broken quite a few laws.

www.citizensadvice.org.uk/housing/renting-a-home/tenancy-agreements/#:~:text=If%20the%20tenancy%20was%20created,they%20don't%20do%20this.

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