Estate Agent/Landlord changing mind..help! :(

[danilyon]

Hi,

Feeling extremely stressed right now! We are needing to completely redecorate our home and whilst that is happening we are not going to be able to live here.

My parents told us to find somewhere to rent on a short term basis (3 months) that is close to our current home. We managed to amazingly find somewhere that only wants to short term let for 3 months. Hubby and I are both mature students with a DD who is 3 and I am currently 30 weeks pregnant. When I rang up the estate agents I explained the situation to the estate agent and arranged a booking for that afternoon. Estate agent rang me 20 minutes before the appointment to say that the owner had taken the keys back a few weeks previously to do some things to the house and hadn't returned them, so she would try get in touch with him to get the keys and re-arranged a viewing for the Thursday afternoon.

She rang me to confirm the viewing on the Wednesday and explained that the owner was away but he had a handyman in painting the house so that's who would be there when she showed us around. MIL came up on the Thursday as we were staying at her house for the easter weekend and she took us to the house for the viewing time. When the estate agent got there she knocked on the door and low and behold there was no-one in! So we got to look outside the house but not in it. The house is a 4 bedroomed new build that is around 6 years old. It's in a nice area and is not far from our home so hubby can go back to our home and redecorate every day. We took the application form and said to the estate agent that we wanted it as it was perfect for our needs and we'd looked at photos online and everything looked fine.

I explained to the estate agent that my parents were paying the rent on it but MIL would be putting the application form through in her name as hubbys parents are guarentor on the mortgage on our home and as we are both students we thought it would be better that way. Plus my parents had to set up an IVA a few years back but they're financially been fine for a couple of years now, but since the application included a credit check it was very possible that they could get rejected because of this IVA. She said that this was fine and that was that.

Filled out the application form and provided all the evidence and application fee and took it to the estate agents on Tuesday just gone. Wednesday (yesterday) the estate agent rang and said everything had gone through fine and that we could move in on Monday but we would have to collect the keys and sign the agreement on Saturday due to the bank holiday. I asked if it was possible to move a few things like our bed, DD's bed and the sofas in on saturday due to the bank holiday weekend but we obviously wouldn't move in til the Monday. She rang the owner who said that was fine. She also told us that the house is going to be a student house, which is why it is such a short let and that the owner wanted to know whether he could store beds in one of the rooms and also whether it was ok to have viewings at the house if he gives us 24 hours notice. Obviously this is all fine with us and I told her so. She said she would ring me back to tell me what time to come to the estate agents on Saturday to get the keys so we could book a removal van to take our things down to the house. She didn't ring back so I rang her today at around 11am and she was on the phone and I was told she'd ring me back.

She rang at 3.10pm and basically the landlord now isn't happy that MIL has put the application form through instead of us and he wants me and hubby to submit an application form. Obviously this would delay us getting the keys and moving in by at least 5 days. I basically said to the estate agent again why MIL had submitted the application and asked what kind of references the landlord wants. Apparently he wants a landlord reference, which we don't have since we own our own home, and also mainly employment references. I reiterated to her that we are both students to which she said 'oh I thought when you said you were students that you were the student and your husband worked'. I also reminded her that parents were paying.

I have made our situation very clear and been very honest from the start. We have had a builder round today as I arranged for him to come round as soon as we knew we'd got the house and we are all ready to go and in terms of our house we have already arranged for some tradesmen to come also next week to sort other quotes etc. The estate agent said she'd ring the landlord back and get back to us which was at 3.20pm ish. If she's not rang back at 4.20pm I'm ringing her back as we have been waiting to hear from her since yesterday to sort out booking the van and it needs to be booked today as the place is closed tomorrow. I don't know what to do, just want to sit and cry! :(

If she is planning to let to students then she will be used to dealing with parent-guarantors - I think she is probably more worried about your parents' credit record. Is there any way your parents could pay the full 3 months up front?

Thanks for replying. Well, apparently the owner was selling his house but I'm assuming he never had any offers that were suitable or anything so he's taken the house off the market to rent it out for a few months (max rental was 6 months) and he has been doing it up ready to let to students. It's literally just been put up on one of the student house websites as up for rent.

The estate agent has just rang back and from the conversation I had with her, she said that he is still willing for us to rent the house but he was worried about how we were affording to pay to be in the house when we have our own house and we're both students. It seems as if she has only just told him in that last converstation that my parents are the ones paying when she has known this from the beginning. We did actually offer to pay the 3 months up from but he has said this is not necessary and it's more of a month by month basis. Like I said to the estate agent, I have the bond and the first months rent ready to pay here as my parents transferred the money to my account yesterday ready for Saturday when we sign the agreement. The standing order for the rent will be sent up on my parents account and will be paid from them. I get the impression that he really isn't 100% happy still and that maybe he has had a go at the estate agent but like I said I have been nothing but honest from the very start about the entire situation. I do understand that he wants to make sure that he gets his money etc. It just seems that he is now getting cold feet at the last minute. Also he has told the estate agent that in the tenancy we are not to have any pets (we don't) and we are not to smoke (we don't) which we had already told the estate agent as we had already been asked those questions. He also will give us 24 hours notice before a viewing (this is fine) and apparently also wants putting in that the house should be clean and tidy at all times. Obviously this is all fine with us - it's not like we're going to leave the house a tip!! It just seems like the landlord has cold feet now and i'm feeling like we are constantly on eggshells now - even when the tenancy agreement has been signed it will feel like we are going to be on eggshells!

Having just come out of a rented house - I would trust your feelings regarding this landlord. However it is only for 3 months I guess.

Do you really need to move out of your home for the whole time? I'm having lots of work done in my current house and still living here.

Yes, we are having the kitchen ripped out and also the bathroom ceiling is being replaced and everywhere repainted/recarpeted and also in some rooms the rooms have to be skimmed/replastered before any painting can begin, so with me being pregnant and with the DD we have agreed this is the best route to go down.

I'm not sure whether it's him thats making me feel anxious or the estate agents as it does seem like he's asked the estate agents where the money is coming from to pay for the rent and the estate agent hasn't mentioned that our parents are paying. We will definately meet him at some point I suppose, since he is going to be showing potential student tenants around the house.

I'm hoping that the house is done within 2 months really as our 2nd lo is due on 7th July and I would prefer to be in our own house again if possible and there is still a potential for the baby to be here a week earlier as I may be having an elective section.

Obviously hubby and I have never really rented at all before so this is all new to us!