Help with private rental

[maria1947]

Has anyone had experience with private renting that might be able to help me?

I rent a 2 bedroom house, it's an old brick and flint building with single glazing, and have been here two years.

It has storage heaters and is extremely expensive to keep warm as no insulation and at the moment my usage is £200 a month.

I recently saw that it's now illegal to let or sell any property with an F energy efficiency rating which ours is. And that improvements must be made by law for the owner to improve the property.

I'm unable to move as this would be best, but don't know where is stand with contact with the landlord, the property is fully managed and I feel that they will ask me to leave if I mention it as I'm near the end of a fixed term tenancy.

We have been here two years now and I am a good tenant and take care of the property but feel it's unfair that the landlord has not done anything to improve the property and that it may be let out to me illegally!

Any ideas of who or how to approach this?

England:

it won't be illegal to rent the place until April 2020. So your landlord has to either fix it by then, apply for exemptions (see link below) or evict you.

It would have been illegal to let the place without an EPC so you presumably knew about the issues when you took it on.

here's what your landlord can do.

www.gov.uk/guidance/domestic-private-rented-property-minimum-energy-efficiency-standard-landlord-guidance

to find out what he/she will do, write (not kiddy comms, write) to him/her using the address that the agent must give you. Or ask the agent to find out.

also read your how to rent guide as you may have other misapprehensions.

Thank you for the advice I will certainly look into the information. As for kiddycomms, thank you I do know how to write a letter, I'm guessing this would surprise you! I have read the how to rent guide as I've been renting for 18 years...I guess you're a landlord then...

If I were in the landlord's shoes I'd evict you and sort out the EPC rating in my own time before letting it out again. I'd advise you to start looking for somewhere new ASAP.

My tenancy agreement is up at the end of March, he extended the tenancy by 6 months when I informed him I was a lone parent with my husband removed from the agreement.

Yes I think you are right, however I will struggle to find someone now to let to me, I have looked into it and it will take just applying to as many as possible before I find a landlord willing to accept me. I do work full time but am topped up with benefits now.

Have you applied for social housing?
If your landlord serves you with a section 21 you wouldn’t be making yourself homeless- which would of course work in your favour if you have the patience

Thank you katy44, when we came to the end of the tenancy in October I registered with the local housing in case, my tenancy was no renewed. I'm happy to rent and although I claim I work. However I'm not sure wether I will easily find a landlord to take us on.

Glad I have registered for social housing now, I'm lowest category as I can afford to rent, yes I will just have to wait and see what happens. Very worried about it though, have always been a good tenant, have good references from previous landlords but I will definitely fail a credit check I know...

oh well, the usual kick in the teeth for offering advice. Yes I'm a landlord. I don't rent out shitholes. I advise you not to live in one in future. MN standard is to text/whatsapp/similar childish sillybuggers and then wonder why nothing happens. Feel free.

and if you'd read the guide and were as informed as you claim, you would know that the deadline is April. You would also know that you have the right to contact details for your landlord.

bye.

I'm lowest category

Yes because you are adequately housed - but if you are served with a section 21 that will change your category- so you need to inform council housing department if that happens

Then if you can’t find rental due to affordability etc you’ll be effectively facing homelessness through no fault of your own and this will change your category again as your needs will have changed. Ok so temp accommodation maybe something you have to live in for a while but this would put you in a better position to get much more suitable accommodation quicker

Thank you for posting Katy, yes I see if I can't find anything this might have to happen, just worried about it for my daughter and I didn't realise what might happen. I think I will ring shelter and ask for advice

As a sympathetic landlord you sound like a reliable tenant and I wouldn’t want to loose a good tenant regardless of their current status. We needed to do a bathroom and it was cheaper for us not to have the property vacant but we knew it would be disruptive for the tenant. We worked with them to arrange to do it while they were on holiday.

If you think your landlord would work with you then this is an ideal opportunity for them not to have a void and to fix this with you in-situ. Maybe say you might be able to save the hassle of meeting with tradespeople etc. If you are on a low income you may qualify for grants or costs towards more efficient system - do some research and if they are a good landlord (there are a lot of us out there!) they will see you as the asset you are and you end up working as a team. I hope this works out for you.

Thank you petswoodparadise, yes I understand there are some sympathetic and good landlords and I do understand where they are coming from as they need to protect their investment and some people spoil it for the majority of tenants and the landlord/lady have very little rights in evicting a bad tenant.

From my point of view, I have a child and have little choice in housing, as low income so it's in my best interests as well to be a good tenant.

Thank you for the input as it's reassuring, I think I assume the worst. My first landlord was great, second landlord gave notice to leave as he was selling the property. I had all the estate agents around at his request and worked with him for access to property. However he pressured us by asking if we were leaving early before we had found a place, kept letting himself in and out at anytime without prior notice. Once frightened my daughter by coming in unannounced while I was upstairs... I told him all he needed to do was call first!

out of interest - many flats don't have gas - how will this new law on heating work?

On the landlord forums you seen landlords trying really hard to make homes more energy efficient and cheaper to run for their tenants by insulating, taking out old heaters and putting in central heating or even renewable energy power and batteries to store solar etc for the way the EPC is calculated to then say it is worse. There is conflicting advice from the green energy side of the debate saying ‘put in x heating to get the best for the environment’ and then how the EPCs are calculated which penalise this.

Someone I know commissioned an EPC and then their agent commissioned one a few weeks later not realising it and the calculations were wildly out so I do think the training that those who carry out the EPCs is somewhat varied.