Witholding my rent AIBU

[littledragon99]

I'm a woman in my late 40s, living in a 3-bed Victorian terrace in West London, where I pay £1,200 a month with all bills included. I signed an AST in May.
I work in recruitment and DJ on the side. Despite being skilled in my job, financial difficulties have arisen following my mother’s death, and I've struggled with timely rent payments. I’m currently in therapy to manage my depression.
Recently, my landlady has begun Airbnb-ing the living room, removing the communal space I was paying for. Given this change, I believe the £1,200 rent is no longer justified.
Additionally, she inappropriately contacted my boss, (my boss was my reference) about paying rent directly and has threatened eviction. I’ve consulted Citizens Advice and suspect my deposit wasn’t placed in a Tenancy Deposit Scheme (TDS), which may breach legal requirements.
Due to these issues, I’ve withheld my rent since August 1st and am prepared to take further action if needed.

Not for properties that are rented in their entirety on a standard AST.

A room-only AST is a different type of tenancy, whereby a tenant rents a room/area within the property.

Without a LL living there too, it remains a room-only AST.

If the landlord moves into one of the rooms, the tenant becomes a lodger under licence.

How convenient 🙄

I suppose this thread will be on page 40, and the Op will still be living there looking for excuses and loopholes and not paying the rent.

Oh wow is this thread still here I really thought I'd find a MN notice "We've deleted this bonkers shit"

And how its escalated!

What revelations will the next post bring? We've had DJs, drugs, diagnoses, lies and deception, a midlife crises, an education on rental law, a newfound friendship (and possible new LL?), and yet more potential drama incoming with soon-to-be ex LL who is now in the vicinity and looking to throw down.. suspenseful music plays

Staying tuned for the next episode. This thread is fucking gold

It’s vanishingly unlikely that a landlord who had never occupied the property as his home would move in with a house full of students.
Also most student tenancies are for the same fixed term so unless one left early there would be no room for the landlord. The lounge is normally shown as a shared area in student AST’s so he wouldn’t be able to use that.
I am a landlord in a university town and I have never heard of a landlord doing this so I really don’t think you have anything to worry about.

Seems like her taking away the communal room is a bit of a result for your money problems. I don't think it warrants withholding £1200

@Poddledoddle

The use of the living room is just another of the Op's red herrings.
Use of the living room was never in the tenancy agreement.

Ok. I've read the whole thread and actually feel for you, you clearly have mental health problems and a bit of a weekend coke habit. Coke is a party drug and quite expensive. You need to knock that on the head. Apologise to LL and probably the other tenants, come up with a plan to pay rent and the arrears and hope she feels sorry for you. I promise you it's a thousand times better than being homeless in London.

So the op has money for coke but not rent no I do not feel sorry for them it is a choice not to pay rent

What type of music do you play in your sets OP?

Its not a choice to be an addict or have poor mental health, they can still change and cough up

Section 8 rent arrears, you can give 2 weeks notice. You're thinking of a Section 21 which is 2 months notice.

No, it remains an AST.

Was a choice to sniff that first line though.

This definitely isn't legal, and the people who have suggested it up thread are completely wrong.

Just been through the process and you need 2 months arrears and then if the tenant won't go, you have to start the process, utterly painful. I'd already given a Section 21. Tenant had police round multiple times, neighbours said oldest child was feral. If I didn't know SS were already involved, I'd have been on the phone.

😂😂😂😂😂 brilliant

OP wont end up in a cardboard box because she had a bit of a Columbian Cold following her festival bender, and during that time the earth stopped rotating, bills stopped needing paying, life ground to a halt and the whole world stood still

I hear M&S cardboard is the best for sleeping on. Plenty of that around W.London

Crystal Waters, she's homeless...

🤣🤣🤣

It's an interesting one

https://england.shelter.org.uk/professionalresources/newsandupdates/tenantorlodger

Under the Housing Act 1988 a tenancy cannot be assured or assured shorthold if the landlord lives in the same building, unless it is in a purpose built block of flats. One example would be another flat in a converted house.

However, the landlord must live there as their only or principle home when the tenancy starts and during the tenancy without interruption.

In this case the landlord wasn't living there at tenancy start

Under The Bridge 😂

Actually we don't know if the ll was living there at the start or just before, the Op did remember to tell us that there was still belongings of ll in the property and a week or so ago the Op was worried that ll might return to live in the property, then in one of her latest updates she actually said the ll had moved back in - thus knowing/realising she had moved out at some point, but did actually live there...

It's very possible that the Op has ' forgotten ' some details about the last 5 months, just like she ' forgets ' to pay the rent...

or indeed the Op embellishes her posts according to what practical / legal advice she is being given at that time.

But they haven't lived there without interruption by the sounds of it

tho we don't know if maybe the ll had just gone on holiday ? or maybe needed to urgently look after a sick relative...