Livery Dispute

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We moved our two horses from one livery yard to another a couple of weeks ago. Lots of reasons for this but primarily for the horses welfare (horses turnout was only for a few hours on very muddy ground) and cost wise the new livery yard is significantly less expensive, and closer to home. At the old yard, we had to pay our assisted DIY rent up front at the start of the month (and also paid a month's deposit for each stable) I chose to move the horses mid-month so knew that I would likely forfeit my rent for January - I get that it's my choice not to wait until the end of of the month to move, however as I see it the stables are still rented to me until the 31st of January as I've paid for them.

YM has gone ahead and filled my vacant stables and the new liveries moved in just days after I left. The YM has therefore had rent money from me for the month, and rent money for the same stables from the new liveries. I'm now thinking that I'm potentially due a portion of the rent back now that my stables are filled.

Am I entitled to ask for a refund based on the number of days that the new liveries have been paying? If anyone has come across a situation like this and could advise I would be super grateful. For what it's worth I left on good terms and would like to keep it that way, but it feels a bit iffy to me!

Hi, I have been in LITERALLY the exact same situation and I can tell you it is easier to just suck it up and accept the old yard is making a little bit extra - if you make a fuss about it you'll tar your own name and for sake of good relations going forwards it's easier to just let it go. I'd be surprised if the YO willingly offers you a refund.

For myself, I was just glad to be away from the old place and to have found somewhere with amazing turnout where our horses could live out happily all year, and where we didn't have to deal with all the crap that comes with a bigger yard (friend and I decamped to somewhere where it is literally just the two of us, it's amazing!)

Thanks for replying @slavetothenhs Part of me does think that I just need to write it off... but OH is spitting feathers and threatening to move his storage boxes into the stables, as we've paid for them! I agree, I don't think that YM will volunteer the money back but as it's a good few hundred quid I don't want to just right it off if I'm actually owed it...

I'd probably feel differently over a few hundred quid, have you actually asked the old yard about it? Did you have a contract? Thing is you can ask and they can say no, it really does come down to whether it will be worth your while pursuing it, I can imagine it could get ugly if an argument broke out

No contract unfortunately. I've asked the YM about the new liveries but she's been a bit cagey - I know they have arrived though as other liveries there have told me about them! I'm going to raise it with the YM but wanted to get opinions first so that I can do it properly. I don't want a bust up, but I also don't want to have been taken for a fool.

Not a lawyer, but I am pretty sure unless you have a contract saying otherwise, the livery owner isn't obliged to provide you a refund because you are choosing not to use the stables - probably as you've paid she should continue to provide access to the stables to you even if you don't want to keep your horses there, but it does seem a bit petty of you to want to put a load of boxes or something there for a few weeks just because you can? I guess you can contact her and posture a bit threatening that you want access to 'your' stables which you have paid for and see if she'll compromise on giving you a partial refund, but I don't think it's worth you actually carrying through, I wouldn't be comfortable leaving anything of value there if she or the other liveries are pissed off and untrustworthy, and as a PP said if she's a vindictive type you don't want her bad-mouthing you all round the neighbourhood for the sake of a few hundred quid, that presumably you were willing to write off had you not heard she'd let those stables?

Did you get the deposit back?

@mysa74 All liveries have to pay a deposit of one months rent when they take a stable, so they pay 2 months upfront. This effectively means that you always have a months money held. I gave notice at the end of December and the YM and I agreed that I was effectively paid up until the end of January so I didn't pay any more (I would have normally paid my rent at the start of January) Hope that makes sense!

Sometimes people leave livery yards and the yard owner can’t find someone to fill the stable immediately. They lose money in those circumstances - there is always a ‘cost of change’ associated with even the smoothest of transitions. I think if I were a livery owner I would count a situation where someone gives notice and pays till the end of the month but leaves early and then you find a new livery straight away as a happy profitable circumstance to balance out the times where they lose money due to people leaving. I would put it behind you - no one made you move out before the month was up so it was your choice not to get your money’s worth. Running livery yards is hard work for not much profit, and there’s always someone complaining about something. Moving boxes back in simply to prevent your old yard owner making an easier transition from one livery to another is a dickish move.

No, I don't think it works any differently to renting a flat. You pay on the terms agreed, they bear the risk of no new tenant.

Thanks all, it's really good to get some other points of view.

I've left yards before the month is up and it's never occurred to me to ask for a refund even if they've moved somebody else in to 'my' stable. I've given notice and chosen to leave in advance - that's on me. The only way I would expect this to be different would be if I had personally found the replacement livery.

Sorry but if you choose to vacate the stables part way through a month then there is normally no refund. If the owner knows you are not coming back then she is being sensible to re-let if she can. I think you are being unreasonable not to expect this to happen. The owner is lucky in this instance but obviously it is not always so easy to re-let so may have taken longer - as someone else pointed out it is the owner that takes the risk.

Yes, that makes sense op.
In which case I'd just let it go, the horsey world is very small...