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Can I be evicted a week before xmas? Argh!

44 replies

mummyvontummy · 13/12/2007 20:56

I rent my house from my university, am entirely up to date with rent payments, but have had a problem with my bond as my old (private) landlady tried to keep it as she couldn't get another tenant after my tenancy ended. FINALLY got it back today (three months later!) but it is £300 less than the uni want. I don't get my student loan until the 14th Jan, so have asked if I can put £300 on my credit card and pay the rest in cash-they have turned round today and said pay it all in cash tomorrow or you're out. WHAT DO I DO!!!!! IT'S FREEZING OUT THERE AND WE'LL NEVER GET A NEW PLACE IN A WEEK!!!!!!!!!!!!! We really do have nowhere to go-my parents live 250 miles away.

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mummyvontummy · 13/12/2007 22:07

Exactly, surely getting £1500 now, £900 in two weeks, £300 two weeks after that and then £900 two weeks after that is better than nothing-I know I wouldn't say no! It's like a guaranteed income! He he!

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mummyvontummy · 13/12/2007 22:13

I must admit, my DoS is an angel-I'm exactly the same age as his daughter, and they have never let a single parent into my college before, let alone to do law, so I'm his pet project. I love academics so much, I may try to join their ranks one day-I'm sure I've done most of the things my students will be doing (except the secret societies-I want to join a secret society!)

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Zazette · 13/12/2007 22:50

oh do go for it, it's the best job in the world. I have several single-parent colleagues, and they manage pretty well, though of course it's tough at times - but you have more flexibility than in most jobs, and that makes a big difference.

lilacclaire · 13/12/2007 23:03

Leave the credit card at home and just take what you can afford.
They can't do a thing if your on a tenancy.

Smamfa · 13/12/2007 23:12

Also try your college chaplain/vicar or the CAB. They might be able to get you something like the Vicar's Relief Fund
www2.stmartin-in-the-fields.org/page/care/fund.html

fortyplus · 13/12/2007 23:19

I work in Housing for Local Authority. If you can't sort this out then go to CAB for legal advice. If you aren't behind with your rent then I can't imagine any court finding in your landlord's favour if they tried to seek possession. Landlords & tenants are actually a funny legal situation, because your landlord is giving you advice about your rights, whereas if they take you to court then you are opposed. I think you can claim that they are oppressing you. It sounds weird, doesn't it? I'm no expert but I've been on a course about this situation as it would refer to a secure council tenancy.

mummyvontummy · 13/12/2007 23:20

You are all wonderful! Hopefully I can sleep tonight now!

Zazette - A few of our friends (i.e parents I have met through dd's nursery friends and then become friends with, hence the 'our') are supervisors and lecturers and they love it-I am semi-tempted by the horrid soul-grabbing legal world, but also don't fancy getting me and dd up and out for 6am every day for the rest of my life! And I love the fact the students revere you for any idiosyncrasies you have (the more the merrier!) and you can organize things around your life. And obviously I want dd to go to Oxbridge now I have, so she needs a good standard setting for her!

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mummyvontummy · 13/12/2007 23:23

Thank you-am going to have a huge fat lovely sleep now and then it will all be over in the morning-for better or worse!

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mummyvontummy · 14/12/2007 12:06

Well, I went in and they demanded the whole lot there and then, and not only that, they have blacklisted me as a bad tenant!

They supposedly asked me for the deposit on the 26th November, which is codswallop, as the guy himself admitted that he forgot to tell me, I had no letter, phone call, email or anything. They have also said that I must be a horrendous tenant as I couldn't get my bond back from my previous landlady (nothing to do with her wanting to keep it because she couldn't get a tenant, oh no!) so they need to do bi-weekly inspections of the property to check that I am keeping everything in order and they will be watching my rent account very closely! The last two aren't a problem because I am a neat freak and I always pay my rent on time, but it's the principle-blacklisting me-how dare they! I hate renting, I feel so vulnerable!

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Freckle · 14/12/2007 12:09

Blimey. They must be horrendous if you're a "normal" student - which you clearly are not! Sounds like they need to get their own house in order before demanding the right to inspect yours.

callmeoverchristmas · 14/12/2007 20:55

Write and complain!

tissy · 14/12/2007 21:00

keeping deposits id sadly pretty much par for the course with landlords of students

I remember that our landlord refused to refund our deposits when we had improved the house, with her consent- we'd painted all the rooms (nicely!), tiled the kitchen and bathroom, and put some carpet in the boxroom, whic we used as a tiny sitting room, as she'd squeezed four students into a three bedroom house, and the boxroom wasn't big enough for a bed! She kept £300 from each of us, so £1200 for "cleaning"

littleshebear · 14/12/2007 23:42

You must get proper advice. Go to the Shelter website and get their free helpline number, and give them a ring.Keep trying and they will tell you exactly where you stand.

mummyvontummy · 17/12/2007 10:21

Thank you all so much-I feel like a terrible person when I have done nothing wrong! Sorry I haven't been on in a while but am going to the college authorities this morning and will give the outcome later-if anyone has rent problems from now on send them to me-I'll have been there and done it!!! . The irony is I rented a council flat for three years which I was DESPERATE to get out of, and there was not a whisper of a problem, they were GLAD of good tenants! Hope they don't do an inspection during dd's xmas party though! xx

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iheartdusty · 18/12/2007 21:44

This is appalling.

It is ILLEGAL to evict anyone without a court order (the only exceptions are lodgers who share a home with their landlord and hostel residents).
They cannot end your tenancy before the 2 years are up EXCEPT for reasons which are in the lease or for rent arrears or not complying with other parts of the lease, and even then they would have to give you written warnings and prove it all in court.

Shelter can help you with preparing a warning letter to them, stating that what they are threatening is a breach of your 'quiet enjoyment' and would be a 'trespass'. (These are the magic words). Lots of unnecessary inspections, threats to evict at the drop of a hat = breach of quiet enjoyment.

also try your local council tenancy rights officer, they take on cases where tenants are being hassled like this.

(Natmatt you could possibly have a legal claim for compensation, did you ever talk to anyone about it?)

Qally · 01/01/2008 07:58

I'm really appalled the Accommodation Service did this, though not amazed. My experiences of them have always been crap, on both sides of the fence. Totally unprofessional, officious, and rude. They're apparently unaware that their entire raison d'etre is to HELP STUDENTS. Not threatening to evict them and their babies just before Christmas, snoop on them, or remove decent accommodation from the pool by annoying landlords beyond endurance. They treat landlords and students alike as delinquent adolescents in need of a firm hand - we won't go via them now, so appalling was our sole experience when we first wanted a lodger. If I really want passive-aggressive condescension, I'll be sure to contact them again. Luckily, our fab lodgers have always had friends eager to take their places, so it's never been an issue again. But if we do advertise in future it sure as hell won't be with them.

I'm sure your college have been fab, but as back-up, have you thought of contacting the Landlord & Tenant lecturer? I know it used to be an optional undergrad half paper (I studied law too), and the fellows are usually very good at helping students who are struggling with a legal problem, at least in my experience. Especially a single mother, I would hope!

Once this is resolved you also might consider lodging a complaint with the Uni committee overseeing the service, through your DoS or personal tutor. The AS have no grounds whatsoever to invade threaten to invade your privacy that way, legally or morally, and arbitrarily blackballing a single mother is beyond disgraceful. The idiots behind this royally deserve a smackdown from on high - after all, these idiots are paid by a university that's supposed to be there to teach and for reasearch; not to allow accommodation officers to go on power trips.

Qally · 01/01/2008 08:00

Oh dear. That reads rather badly - sorry, a little, um, tired and emotional. On which note, I hope you have a happy new year! (And I wish I could edit posts!)

earlgrey · 01/01/2008 08:04

i

mummyvontummy · 05/01/2008 01:23

He he Qally, you really made me laugh! College have lent me the money that I had to take out of my rent account until my loan comes through, so both bond and rent now paid, but am still struggling with the accom service-they are refusing to renew next Sept so we will go into private sector-laminate flooring and a nice kitchen here we come! And am DEF taking landlord and tenant half paper next year! xx

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