Help - worried I'll end up homeless!

[VictoriaandBump]

Hi I'm hoping for some advice/reassurance. I'm separated and currently living in a rented house with my 2 kids. I had an offer accepted on a house in Feb, it all seemed to be going quite well and there have been no delays from my end. A few legal issues have come up to do with a shared passage and planning permission for off street parking which I have been chasing my solicitor to resolve. There's been a 5 week gap where they have heard nothing from the sellers solicitor despite chasing. I called the estate agent to try and speed things up and she gave a very positive progress report and said the seller should be ready by June 21st.

In the meantime I've gone and done something stupid!! I've been having ongoing problems with my landlady as she lives at the other end of the country, doesn't have a managing agent and seems to expect me to make myself available to let workmen in. She wants to have some maintenance done on the boiler, I said I couldn't spare anymore time to wait around, bearing in mind they usually only give a 5 hour window for when they might arrive! I don't feel it's my obligation as a tenant to do this and I told her this, she replied to say actually it is, call them and arrange it now. I was fuming and immediately replied to say you can sort it in your own time when I move out in 5 weeks. Today I've formally given 1 months notice via email and blocked her so she can't text me! I'm the least impulsive person ever but I'd just had enough, im paying her £700 a month to get talked to like shit and I can't take any more.

I've since had a very casual email from the estage agent saying a few issues have come up, the seller is going on holiday, can't move till at least the 23rd (I have to vacate by 22nd June!) and she's also having problems with her purchase.

So apologies for this mammoth post! If you made it this far, do you think I should say to the seller that I've been very patient so far but she needs to pull her finger out and get these issues resolved. I don't want to be a bully but my situation is pretty desperate now, I really don't want to (and can't afford to) move twice. Also could I suggest she moves in to rented if her property isn't ready? Or is that really cheeky!? Thanks so much x

She has no kids by the way. she knew I was desperate for a quick move and promised it would be but she seems to have dicked about a bit.

Who else should be letting workmen in though? Most don't give an exact time either. You sound like you've cut your nose off to spite your face.

To be really honest I think you've made things really difficult for yourself. We didn't know until the day we were moving that everything was actually 100% going ahead as last minute someone in the chain had an issue with transferring funds. House buying is such an unpredictable process that I wouldn't have given notice on your current place until contracts had been exchanged. Also burning bridges with your landlady at this point seems a little silly when you might need a favour of flexibility for when you move out.

Although the vendor of your house sounds a pain with the lack of contact you can't insist they move into rented accommodation, although you may be able to suggest it and see what they say.

I'm not sure why you wouldn't expect to wait in for people to come and fix things in the property? It's what you're going to have to do when you own a house anyway. It's got to be better than having a landlord who doesn't fix anything.

Where will you go if it falls through?

All you can do now is apologise to the landlord and see if you can retract your notice. This maintenance - is it the landlord's gas safety check? By law it has to happen so if you won't be there you need to find someone who will.

You could ask the sekler if you can move your furniture in on the 22nd and go to a b&b until she moves out.

I know I've been really stupid and impulsive but ever since I've moved in I've found dealing with the landlady really stressful. Ive been happy to let people in and I've already done that 4 times (in 6 months) for gas inspection, painters, and boiler repair x 2. Which in every case has meant me using holiday at work, I haven't minded as it was stuff that needed doing. When British gas came round last month, it transpired my landlady wasn't covered by a maintenance contract as they had told her on 2 occasions the boiler was faulty and she'd refused to pay £400 to fix it. She asked me to put the engineer on the phone, she screamed at him for 5 mins and he walked out without fixing it! At this point I'd had no hot water for a week so I went up in the loft myself and armed with some YouTube videos managed to fix the pressure issue and the boiler is working fine now (although there is still a faulty part). She's now saying she wants to do the repairs and I've told her I can't take any more time off work, it was at this point she said I would have to. Even when I told her that my dad was in hospital with cancer and I really didn't have any spare time she wouldn't back down. In my opinion this was a pre existing problem, she knew about it before I moved in and chose to ignore it, I don't think the onus should be on me to book and arrange it and take a days holiday to resolve it. The boiler seems to be working fine by the way now. I'm such a calm placid person normally, and never get angry but something about this woman infuriates me!

I don't want to apologise to her and I don't want to stay here beyond June 22nd even if it means Ive made things really difficult for myself. That's a good idea about asking if I can move my furniture in, I don't have that much stuff. That would mean me and the kids could move in with a friend for a while. I think I'll also suggest she moves out and rents although I doubt she'll want to. Thanks for the suggestions.

The tenant does not have to wait around for workmen. That is the beauty of renting. It is entirely the LL responsibility to arrange repairs and to arrange access.

Obvs you have to be happy about them coming into your home without you there. But you have no obligation to sort this shit out.

Absent land lords should use local agents who hold keys and have a bank of tradesmen who will come pick the keys up and go do the work.

While all the above are valid, and your landlord talks rubbish, you really have shot yourself in the foot by giving notice. If the landlord has accepted it (how do you know?) Then it cannot be retracted.

If you don't go then the landlord is allowed to charge double rent from expiry of the notice. The usual lengthy and pricey procedures will still be needed to evict you, and as the landlord knows you are going anyway she would be daft to do that.

This is all from Tessa shepperson who knows her stuff.

You have no control over what your seller does until exchange, and they don't have to let you move your stuff in. It is utterly irrelevant whether the seller has children.

*specialsubject "If you don't go then the landlord is allowed to charge double rent from expiry of the notice. "

I've never heard that before. Can you post a link to that information please.

If you know that you are definitely going ahead with the purchase and have exchanged and have a completion date, you can ask your removal company if they can put your things in storage for a few days. We've done it before and isn't that expensive

She does sound like a nightmare, I can understand impulsively reacting like that as it is the sort of thing I would do. Luckily my husband is usually around to talk me out of it before I do it. I'd accept you're moving out on that date now and start looking at temporary arrangements until you can move into your new house xx

Google Tessa shepperson for the source, it is well buried.

Landlord here is probably too clueless. It could even be argued that notice by email doesn't count. Real comms are a better idea.

One heck of a drip feed on the boiler OP. Could no one else let the boiler guy in for you? A neighbour or friend? You are where you are. See if you can find Airbnb accommodation at a reasonable price and put your furniture into storage.

Thanks all for the advice and thanks Maggie for the understanding. Sorry I wasn't trying to drip feed, my original post was massive and I figured everybody would be bored of me waffling on!

There is no way I'd stay here, she's a bully, shes taking the piss and I'm not paying her £700 a month to get bossed about like I'm her bloody skivvy!

I spoke to the estate agent and my solicitor and it seems like things are moving a bit faster now. If it doesn't happen in time the seller has very kindly said I can store any big furniture items in her dining room so I don't have to pay for storage. Me and the kids can probably stay with a friend for a few days so it's all looking a bit more positive now. Hopefully I'll get some sleep tonight now that I'm not worrying so much!

Fingers crossed for you.

Please make sure she has accepted your notice in writing. You don't want further hassle.