Dispute between landlord an tenant , how much to pay in rent ?

[HowMuchShouldBePaid]

For rent paid in advance , how much should the tenant pay ? ( if its £400 per month)

Tenant says £400 on May first will cover May, doesn't want to pay for March or April. Wants to move in asap.

Landlord thinks its due for 3 weeks of March then all of April and May, but is willing to only ask for April and May. Landlord had a family death so was not fully "on the ball" for a couple of weeks.

I'm looking for advice on how much rent you would expect to pay / receive ?

No contract in place.

Thanks

I’m confused, why would the tenant pay for March/April if their contract starts from May?

When I moved into my current rental, paid 1 months rent and the equivalent amount in deposit on signing the contract. Obviously the deposit is on hold until I move out and doesn’t technically belong to either me nor the landlord until that day comes. You don’t pay for anything before the date the contact stipulates.

Sorry just reread the op and I’m confused. When did they officially move in and why is there no contract in place?

It's whatever the contract says / keys collected

If you collected keys when requested then it's from then

Tenancy starts the day the contract is signed

I'd charge from when the keys were collected, when was this? When renting I've usually paid first and last month's rent plus a deposit

We'd need to know the reason for the initial failure to move/collect keys. Clearly the landlord has messed tenant around subsequently but if initial failure was down to tenant then the payment should be back dated to that point.

When did your tenancy agreement begin? When did you actually move in?

If there's no contract in place then whoever is scamming who needs to give their heads a wobble.

If it's the tenant, and they're happy with no contract, then they're correct and they should pay from when they move in.
But they don't get to complain when they chucked out with no notice down the line. Are they paying a deposit?

If it's the landlord, s/he's a cowboy and not to be trusted.

I see that it says "room" so presume this is a lodger agreement rather than a property rental?

Generally with renting, the Tenancy Agreement specifies the date that the rental period starts. The rent is due on that date, which is generally the day that you move in. If you sign an agreement to start in March but choose not to move in until May, then rent is due from March.

If the tenant couldn't move in due to the Landlord, then the TA should be revised with a new start date.

You need to provide more information

Is it tenant or lodger? Why did they not move in March as agreed?

apologies for late response, haven't read all replies just yet.

Room ( it is a lodger) was available anytime from March onwards, family death did not prevent lodger from moving in .

No contract , there will be , as landlord is close friends with lodgers mother.

No one is trying to scam anyone , thats why I'm posting here re to get some opinions.

You still haven't really explained the situation

It doesn't seem like the landlord has communicated promptly from your table but not sure I know fully what's going on. So lodger has been unclear on the situation. Seems like it has been done pretty badly so from 1st of May seems fair abd landlord should communicate better with future lodgers. But as you haven't explained properly I might have missed something. Lodger couldn't move in presumably as didn't have keys and hadn't been provided with payment details.

So the landlord said they can pick up keys in March, stuff happens so lodger doesnt end up moving in until May 1st and sends first payment?

Surely it starts the day the lodger gets the key and has access to the property?

lodger could have moved in anytime from march onwards, keys were available at any time.

Landlord fully expected lodger to move in in early march.

room was "kept" for lodger from march onwards e.g. not offered to anyone else

So as there was no contract - payment is still only due from when lodger moved in.

No it doesn't. The contract commences on that day, but the tenancy does not start until the tenant moves in. And as the person will be an excluded occupier, it isn't a tenancy it's a lodger agreement.

It all sounds confused and lacks clarity. I wouldn't want to do business with either of you.

Rent should be paid from the day the tenant had access I.e whenever they picked up the keys

I take it you're the landlord.
Seems without a contact in place you should accept the money from may. Unfortunately with informal arrangements this kind of thing happens. I also think landlord probably should have contacted sooner to chase up and confirm payment would be due.
If landlord had said OK you are moving in on 10th, key is ready whenever you are, here are my bank details please pay by this date then it would be clear they needed to pay from March but as its been done so casually I don't think landlord can insist on payment here.

"So as there was no contract - payment is still only due from when lodger moved in."

So if lodger decided not to move in to September and the room was "kept" for them from March to September then they only pay from September ?

On the opposite side, landlord could rent out room to someone else ,as no contact signed ?

bank details were available to lodger from early April, lodger is saying they don't have to pay anything in April as bank details were not given in march ??

You'd be an absolute mug to keep a room that length of time with no payment.