To not allow estate agent access

[LoverNotAFighter]

Hello, I posted yesterday for advice following an eviction and court summons.
I cant afford the rent of £950 anymore I'm a single parent on UC, I've built up rent arrears over 4 months because the amount ive been paying is the UC housing element which is £510, I tried to speak with the landlord that my children's dad doesnt contribute financially anymore and I couldn't afford the amount, anyway I've got to attend court 21st September.

This afternoon I've received an email from your move saying my landlord has asked them to come over to the house and value it for sales and rental values. What date and time is convenient for him to come over.

I dont feel comfortable with this as I'm a single parent and dont want my landlord turning up aswell.
Would I be unreasonable to say I dont feel comfortable with this and ask them to wait until I've vacated the property?
I'm trying my best to find alternative living arrangements but it's really not that easy.

I'm a lone parent, a student, receiver of UC, and a mother of a child with additional needs, so believe me when I say I know how difficult it is and I sympathise. Though, you can't really say 'I'm not living here rent free he is still receiving over half per month. Its not my fault how the system works'. The landlord likely has a mortgage and rates to pay, likely can't afford to receive half his rent (and why should he be happy to receive 'over half') and it's also not of concern to him how 'the system works'. It's unfair to suggest these things.

An annual gas service certificate is a legal requirement.

As the LL sounds really dodgy, I don't think I would allow him in in my absence, who knows what he'll do, he might even try to lock you out.
The wiring/ boiler situation sounds dangerous, and I think you should tell him unless you have the required certificates, ( which will probably entail work being carried out ), he can't come in.
You could say you will allow access only to get the work done, and that needs to be on notice so that you can arrange for someone to be with you. Don't let him into the rest of the flat, I would not be trusting him at all.

Yes he bloody does !! He is collecting rent in cash, not maintaining the property and it looks like he doesn't have an EPC.

DO NOT LET HIM ENTER. !, He is the type to change the locks while you are out and leave your belongings on the street. Make it as bloody difficult as you can. You need to think of YOU not him. The eviction is void if he has no EPC and if you move out will be regarded as intentionally homeless. The COL crisis, shameful state of available council housing, the abomination that is the Child Maintenance Service and the appalling lack of appropriate rent help commensurate with the actual cost of private rents - are not your fault.

He should be paying YOU compensation for endangering you and your child's welfare by taking money for a place kept in such terrible disrepair.

Go to housing advice at your local council tomorrow with photos of the mould and electrics and tell them about the lack of the EPC.

In future apply to the councils discretionary housing allowance fund to cover a shortfall . It's not guaranteed and may not cover all but will be some help. Do it now so arrears on this one do not increase as much although I wouldn't be surprised if the council serve a repair notice on him.

@AlfietheSchnauzer have you read OPs posts? She's got a slum landlord. She's a single mum with two kids and poor mental health. Yes bless her. What's wrong with you??

Can't say I feel sorry for some fucker who's left her with a deathtrap boiler and sends randoms over without notice to collect rent. Is that acceptable to you? Are you a shitty landlord too?

If this goes to court, your landlord would lose because his property is not habitable or safe.

Contact Environmental Health at your local council.

And don't allow viewings if you don't feel comfortable with it.

He sounds like a crap landlord and the house doesn't even sound safe. I wouldn't be helping him at all

Personally I would report the landlord to HMRC. Insisting on cash only and not signing a rent book strongly suggests he's not declaring the income.

He is playing fast and loose with your family's safety and doesn't appear to have basic checks in place so he deserves to be caught by HMRC in my book (and I say this as a landlord).

You think that a landlord that will only take cash is all above bored 🤣

I think it would beva bit mean not to allow them access if they have been fair with you even if you are behind with the rent.

RTFT

The electric is dodgy its already burnt out one extension lead, the plug inside was making a weird noise when I opened it up the wires were completely frazzled.

This is your biggest and most immediate problem. I'm no electrician but this sounds positively dangerous and poses a fire risk or risk of someone being electrocuted!!!
You should contact environmental health about this immediately get them to force a repair.

After all the repair issues you have suggested and the way the tenancy is managed I would be very reluctant to let anyone in as it could be to change the locks!! Ask for the details of the valuer and verify the appointment.

I was team " be co operative " spite doesn't help anything, but now i am two fingers to the crappy slum landlord.

I agree, also as a fellow landlord. Has the deposit registered but then wants no traces of rent being paid?

I could never in a million years have safety issues like that in my houses knowing people live there.

I would contact your council ASAP you will be put into band 1 and be housed very soon.
My friend was in the same position and within 2 weeks she was on the list, bid on a house and was in there in less then 3 weeks.
If you start arranging accommodation and move out you won't ever get affordable housing!!

That's not true . It depends on the council policy . My council homeless is band 3 which is only 1 above the lowest band . And there's 10+ years wait to get housed.

The very good news is that your landlord's behaviour has bought you extra time.

I am going to assume you have been served with a section 8 eviction notice on the grounds of your rent arrears? Can you confirm that?

If so, you can claim that the land of repairs to the property, lack of gas or electric safety certificates drove you to withold rent. In court, this will give the judge some grounds for telling the landlord to go away and try harder. This buys you a bit of time to find some extra income.

Is it possible you were served with a section 21 notice of eviction? If so, you are laughing because without the gas certificate, it's non-enforcable (but keep that for the court, don't give the LL a heads up).

If you want to go over the technical side, there's plenty of info here
https://www.landlordzone.co.uk/news/legal-notes-serving-notice-when-there-is-no-current-gas-safety-certificate/

Very happy to help you if you PM me and I can tell you how to tell what kind of paperwork you were served and your defence in court.

What do you mean you get £800 a month? How much rent is paid for you? Trying to get a handle on your finances

Given you're not paying full rent I think it's a bit cheeky of you to refuse And usually I'm 100% on the tenants side.

Single mums are paid more than £800 per month. I get it, the landlord is shit but seriously the woman hasn't paid the rent. How do people expect landlords to provide this wonderful accommodation when the tenant isn't paying their rent properly. Some people seriously expect the moon on a stick.

She’s not expecting the moon on a stick. The shortfall in rent has been a couple of months. There’s no gas safety certificate, dodgy electrics and it’s got an energy rating of E - it’s supposed to be a minimum of C - that hasn’t all happened in two months. Housing benefit doesn’t cover the rent and her kids’ dad has given up paying child support. It’s not that she won’t pay all the rent, she can’t. And then on top of all that the landlord is being paid in cash and there’s no rent book or receipts.

it’s got an energy rating of E - it’s supposed to be a minimum of C - that hasn’t all happened in two months

This isn't so. E is OK. F and G require immediate remedy.

''@JudgeJ · Yesterday 20:34

So the landlord is to continue to tolerate a non-paying tenant? How many more months will the OP live there for free? Her situation with her children's dad isn't the landlord's concern.''

The point is she has the legal right to refuse access.

If the landlords wants the property back they will have to follow the legal eviction process first.

@Nomoremoves so what circumstances do you need to be in band 1 or 2 then?? That makes no sense whatsoever

OP didn't think there was an EPC but there is until 2026. There might be a gas safety certificate but he might not have given OP a copy.