Unscrupulous landlord

[ThebigDees]

Hey, id really like some advice on what my friend and her partner can do...
So they rent a property, it belongs to a family member ( hers). The house is damp, mouldy, and hasn't had a boiler service in 2 years, and they have 2 small children.
The worst part of it is, there is no tenancy agreement, they pay him cash, every month. He wants to increase the rent to an amount that isn't manageable, they've asked for a tenancy agreement which would mean the rent would be covered by UC. He's refusing.

Can anyone advise on the best course of action? They're on the list for housing, but there's no way they could go for another private rental due to bad credit.
Are they classed as squatters? Do they have any rights at all? How do they get the landlord to do the maintenance on the property?
I know you can report bad landlords, but what if it's not a legal tenancy?
Thank you.

They need to speak to Shelter asap. If they can evidence the regular payments they may have rights iirc.

Thank you, unfortunately all payments are in cash! I have told them to keep all evidence of exchanges like texts etc.

Speak to Shelter, there may be an assumed contract

The position in Scotland would be that if they're paying and they have exclusive occupation (not lodgers), that they do have a legal tenancy, even if they haven't signed anything. I would presume they also have one in England.

Definitely speak to.shelter or the cab. If they are taking the same amount of cash out of the bank every month to pay in cash that would be some form of evidence to go towards proving they are paying rent which gives them rights.

They have a legal tenancy - you don't need anything on paper to establish a tenancy as you can agree a tenancy verbally.

Do they have any record of the rent payments?

As PPs have said, call Shelter. If they can get through they should be able to get some advice.

If there are concerns about the state of the house, go to the council - environmental health deal with housing not fit for human habitation. Some councils are quicker to act than others.

Great advice, thank you. I'll pass it on.

Yes they are tenants with the regular payments and exclusive occupancy. How are they affording it without housing element of UC? They would actually be far better off getting another rental and claiming for the rent in the usual way. Threatening to do this may make the relative rethink since thus will put a stop to the tax free cash bungs they are enjoying now

Presumably landlord is not paying tax on the rental income. He’d be in trouble if there was any investigation.