Found out landlord is probably doing some kind of fraud?

[LolaMacbeth]

Right, I want to be very quick on details. Sorry posting it here but wanted atleast someone to reply.

I've rented for 2 years now Assured shorthold agreement, periodic.

The landlord always receives letters in her name on my adress. I found it weird so started to send them back.

After a while she contacts me saying for me to not send them back, to just let them be sent to my adress no explanation as to why.

Fast foward some disputes we've had with repairs and other things. I now finally found out that these letters are from the lender, of her mortgage. The one she has on this property.

I didn't open them but I started to get curious and put a light against one them. It even reads the exact amount that she pays for mortgage and on going rates.

I went to the registry and it says this property is a freehold too.

Why would she receive such important letters in this adress? Why not hers? Why insist in these being sent here, she doesn't live here.

Should I try and clarify it?
Should I speak of this to the solicitor ( going for unlawful raise of rent refusal to repairs of structure of the property and other things)

Just continue returning to sender with a note "not at this address" written on it.

She's definitely doing something dodgy, probably not got permission to let from her lender or not got proper landlord's property insurance, so trying to make out it continues to be where she lives. Maybe she's even evading tax by not declaring the rent and claiming she lives there to avoid paying capital gains tax on eventual sale.

The time you are taking and money you are contemplating spending, digging into affairs which are not your own, sound like they would be much better spent on securing new housing.

@LolaMacbeth here's some info about getting a Rent Repayment Order if the rental turns out to be unlicensed: https://england.shelter.org.uk/professional_resources/legal/housing_conditions/private_sector_enforcement/rent_repayment_orders

I've been in a similar situation. Renting for a short time is often acceptable to a mortgage company; they may increase the interest rate for that period.

If you shop her to the bank while you're living there, you risk them saying that you're an unlawful tenant and that you must move out. Is that what you want?

It’s none of your business is it? You live there but it’s still her house.

When due to leave put unopened mortgage letter marked return to sender in envelope, with copy of your first tenancy agreement and covering note to say you have rented property since x date and she is not resident there. Also, send something to HMRC. Chances are she has wrong mortgage, wrong insurance etc. as landlord and is unlikely to be reporting rental income on tax return. Sod her, she is a greedy, unscrupulous landlord and deserves to be pulled up on it - wants rhe benefit of the income with none of the responsibility.

I never said I was going to shop her out. I just wanted to know if telling this to the solicitor would help my case in showing that this is in fact a rogue landlord I'm dealing with.

After reading abit more about this lender and mortgage situation I am not going to tell her I know about it.

For the people saying I need to contact shelter , I have contacted them without response I will keep insisting on the phone calls. The council is aware of the issues. And now the solicitor will as well.

Her letters in fact are just a small issue that I happened to wonder about. The big issues are being dealt with the council and citizens advice was contacted as well.

What I want is to have some rights in this big mess she put us in. Tenants shouldn't be treated this way, let alone a tenant with a vunerable child that she knows about. If finding accommodation was that easy at the moment I would already be out of here beleive me, I do not need this stress at all. 😔

@LolaMacbeth do check your rental agreement to see if it says anything about forwarding the landlord's mail. My son is in a rental property and his agreement clearly states that any mail for the landlord must be forwarded. I think it is quite common for agreements to include clauses on this.

Ha! Anyone who tried to put that in my tenacy agreement would get told to get to fuck! I may do it for a couple of months to be polite but they can set up a Royal Mail redirect service rather than expecting their tenant to do their admin.

Disgusting attitude. Be ashamed of yourself.

No it isn't. Please do your research before posting nonsense

OP, contact her lender and inform them she doesn't live there. This will affect your credit!

@Christmasnutcracker IT IS NOT a criminal offence to open somebody else's post!!!!

Nail on the head. Far too many of them about.

@kisstheblarney Yes it is!

Nope, not common at all, and not included in any of the standard "off the shelf" rental agreements often used, even by "professional" estate agents.

Nail on the head. Far too many of them about.

If private landlords all sell up, have you thought about the consequences?

Housing lists are full.
The remaining private landlords will increase rents substantially as people competing for their rentals.
Homelessness.

That is the reality.

Tenancy agreements do not out-power the law! They can put in a tenancy agreement that the OP must not wear red on a Thursday but they cannot evict her if she doesn't as that is unlawful

*if she does

She probably just doesn't have a buy-to-let mortgage, as rates and deposit are higher.

She's probably breaking the conditions of her mortgage by doing it this way but it's absolutely none of your business.

I wish people would stop saying this. The op is not legally entitled to live in the property. She could be evicted without notice. The lender can cancel the mortgage, take ownership of the property and board it up with her possessions inside. That is what the bailiffs said to me when I was in this position.

I mean it is the OPs business as the landlord has asked them to continue receiving her post. It is the OPs home for the duration of the tenancy. Why should she had to take possession of and store someone else's personal documents?

If the mortgage is still being paid they really really are not going to go to the bother of that. I think you were having your leg pulled.

The bailiffs were talking nonsense.
They were there because the mortgage was not being paid and the house was repossessed. It was not because the owner had the wrong type of mortgage.

But my point is that the mortgage company can do this so people assuring the OP that everything is fine do not k ow that. She needs to know - it is her business.

It's not and "if" the mortgage company - a big if! decided to repossess, the OP would have plenary of warning.

It's a court procedure, they don't kick you out overnight!