windsong

I am terribly sorry things worked out this way for you but there is hope. Not all experiences are like this.

I moved back home one week ago and I am basically in the NW of England for now. I was lucky in that I was able to do a sublet apartment through a friend of a friend. The apartment is very nice although the appliances are old but it is a great starting point and lovely building. The rent is not high either.

The area I live in is very nice although some parts in the town are quite run down.

My landlord is very nice at least at the moment.

I had a horrendous job with abusive boss for the last year so doc put me on anti-depressants. I had to arrange a huge worldwide event in Asia and combining that with the boss issue and plans to move there were times I though I'd lose it. I am getting better.

I am glad to be here and do not miss the USA so far. I DO miss the bathrooms there. I get frustrated trying to learn to work some of the appliances, not finding flavoured liquid coffee creamer in the supermarket, etc. but these are things I expected.

This opportunity was a great start for me because the location allows me to look around the UK and find out where I want to settle.

I am still looking for a job but then I have only been here one week.

Just wanted to write this to let you know that not all landlord experiences are bad. There is hope. I do feel a bit at a loss because I don't know my rights as a tenant and what should happen if I get a job out of this area and have to move before lease is up but that might not happen. I would just like to know my rights about everything but perhaps it is just a matter of time.

themajor

It is very important that you do know the rules and regulations re your tenancy agreement. Especially if you do have to move fairly quickly. Please go the the nearest Citizens Advice Bureau - it is free. And ask for the information that you are seeking.

All the very best

Englishmaple

Windsong I would echo what the major has just written. You may be in an illegal sublet in which case you could be kicked out at a moment's notice - tenant contracts in the UK are very different from North American one's. I found myself in an illegal sublet by accident once (someone let a room to me without letting the real owner know) - I nearly ended up homeless then too, except the landlord was a heck of a lot nicer and took a chance on me.

Even if you're not, you may find you have to give far more notice to break the contract than you anticipated - most UK contracts bind you for 6 months minimum. If you find work where you are that won't be an issue but if you have to move, then it will be if you also have to pay rent on a new place too.

I wish you well but I have to say that the UK housing crisis is dreadful and I think only going to get worse and worse with the present government. I'm just hoping that the almshouse works out for me because the experiences I've had over the last year have wrecked me.

Lorry1

Hi Englishmaple,

I am so sorry for what you have been through, it sounds truly awful and no-one deserves that. What an awful start to returning home.
Have you been renting through an estate agent or direct with landlord?

I don't understand the 6 month notice requirement as we have to give 2 months notice if leaving our rental within 2 years, after that it reduces to just 1 month, although the landlord has to give us 2 months if she wants us to leave.

We have been very lucky, I guess. We have been renting our current house for almost 2 years. We have bought a house and knew we would have to give 2 months notice but wasn't sure how that would work with the unknown exchange date. So we called the estate agent and were honest about everything and they, along with the landlord, have been great. Our rental agreement ends 15th August and we are only just about to exchange on our house but they are being very flexible with us and allowing us to keep our rental for an extra week/s if required.

I really hope you can find happiness in your new accommodation and start to enjoy being home again. I wish you luck

HartleyHare

We've recently let our house whilst in the U.S. for 2 years. Even though we had a letting agent (useless), I did spend time acquainting myself with my responsibilies as a landlord.

Here are a couple of useful websites for private renting in the UK:

https://www.gov.uk/private-renting/y...sponsibilities

Private renting - Shelter England

For any specific problems/enquires I'd also recommend joining Landlord Zone and posting on their forums. There's some extremely knowledgable posters, amongst whom are ex-barristers:-

http://www.landlordzone.co.uk

EnglishMaple - I just wanted to wish you the very best of luck in your new home and hope that you begin to feel more settled and that your health continues to improve. If I'm remembering your previous posts correctly, I'll also add Patanjali 1:33

Englishmaple

I went through a letting agent who found tenants for the landlord but did not manage the property for the landlord. So once she had found me, I signed the paperwork and then had to deal with the landlord direct for any issues. Having said that, after one occasion where one of the landlords started screaming at me down the phone, I contacted the letting agent for help. She was helpful and told me that "given that xxxxlandlord is so hot headed, if you need to deal with them in the future, go through me." I haven't contacted either the letting agent or the landlords since I paid 6 months rent up front at the time I rescinded my notice and then had my breakdown.

With respect to the 6 month notice - it's not 6 months notice - I have to give 1 month's notice. However when you sign an assured shorthold tenancy, you have to rent the property for a minimum of 6 months - i.e. you can't just sign the tenancy and then give a month's notice three months later ... you have to live in the property for 6 months and then you can give a month's notice. That's what I did - but then I rescinded my notice because I was ill and didn't realise what I was doing, and then I had to pay 6 months rent up front in order to stay for the remainder of the 12 month tenancy. Hope that makes sense?

It also sounds like you are a rolling rental contract whereas the rental contract I have is an assured shorthold tenancy that has to be renewed every 12 months. It's much more precarious. And it's designed to discourage people from staying as there is a clause in the contract that stipulates that the rent has to go up by the % rise in the consumer price index including housing - so the longer you stay, the more and more you pay. That said, my rent in Ontario used to go up but it wasn't by the massive amounts that rents go up here.

Your landlords and estate agents sound much nicer. I really hope the almshouse works out for me. I got a copy of the agreement this morning. There is a clause in it saying that my situation will be reviewed in January 2018. There's also a clause saying that if my economic situation improves, then I may have to move - but it really is couched in very vague language and given the fact that I do not have any property I own and my future pension provision is tiny, if they did ask me to leave, I would have nowhere to go but back to the private rental sector. So I have to take it on trust when the trustee said to me they are not going to kick me out. I got one private pension statement through the post recently and it said that if I retire when I'm 70 they will pay me around 700 pounds a year ... so that's clearly not going to go far.

It would just be nice to be well enough to work again to be honest as my savings are going down more and more. At the moment I think I appear 'normal' to people but I tire very easily and it doesn't take much for my nervous system to go into overdrive so that I have these weird shaky adrenalin surges which are not pleasant. My Dr has given me beta blockers which help but I'm not where I was when I was fully well and I don't know how long it will take for me to get back to the way I was. As well, getting work and starting over is just so much harder when one has had something like this happen in one's 50's.

Englishmaple

Yes Patanjali 1:33 is a good one

Lorry1

ahh I understand what you are saying now. Yes our estate agents have been managing the property, including sending someone round every 3 months to check all is ok with us and the house.
I really hope it all works out for you and you are able to stay in almshouse for as long as you need. Talk about stressful...it's no wonder your health has been suffering!

windsong

I have a legal Shorthold Tenancy Agreement. I think that's the correct one to have. What I don't know are my rights. It seems I am bound to stay here, per the agreement, for six months before I can move if a job should come up elsewhere, per the agreement. I am not considering moving until the lease is up but simply read that part of the agreement to see what happens here should the need arise.