I can honestly rave about my first house and landlord forever. Both were terrible and caused me so much despair in my life. Imagine being in a place that drops your mood whenever you think you about it. Now, imagine that you have to live there, and you have no way out for 12 months. It’s very safe to say my mental health took a serious dip in this situation. But my landlord was a nuisance and here is how I dealt with them.
My situation
Brief summary of some of my previous posts, I got a rental house in a rush to start my new job in a severe housing crisis. My landlord was only looking for a tenant who would stay 12 months, and my work contract was 24 months, so I thought I could easily last the 12 months. From the day I had organised viewings until now (still haven’t officially left the place), the house had problems. I raised all these problems to my landlord as per the contract. These problems ranged from receiving a property that didn’t match the Rightmove description, to a potential imprisonment situation, and I was honestly sick of it.
The contract
As a tenant it will be your worst nightmare, especially if you don’t get to have a say as to what’s in the contract. It trapped me in the house for 12 months, and it was carefully worded so there was no official ‘exit clause’. My only way out was if all the terms of the termination clause were fulfilled. This termination clause set me back nearly £1800, because I had to pay the reminder of the rent for the months that I wasn’t living in the house. READ YOUR CONTRACT AND MAKE SURE YOU ARE COMFORTABLE WITH THE TERMS!
Log the evidence
Email is best, text messages are ok, but if you have a phone call, have a recording device ready. Don’t ever contact your landlord or letting agent without a log of the words exchanged. You never know when you’re going to need that evidence, and rest assured, I bet they are logging everything you’re saying, so keep your own log too. I did all my contacting via email, and as my tenancy came to a close, I recorded my phone calls on my tablet because multiple email chains became exhausting to manage. I’d recommend keeping a folder of images taken in the inventory, during the tenancy and when you move out too. This gives you an accurate record when disputing for your deposit if you think they are ripping you off.
Summary
From 2 weeks since starting my tenancy, I was reading the contract every week to try and find loop holes to get out of my place, without spending lots of money. Reading my contract made me more well-versed in my agreement than my lettings agent.
I sent my 1 months notice in, and in 12 hours THEY REJECTED IT! I was freaking out, thinking I was being held prisoner in a house I so desperately needed to leave. The next day, I led a very mature but stern discussion to figure out WHY THEY WOULDN’T LET ME LEAVE?Turns out, the lettings agent couldn’t read emails properly nor did she acknowledge the terms of my contract. She even tried to sass me by saying “If you look on the first page of your contract, you have signed to stay here for 12 months”. Once I pointed out which specific sentence I was complying to, she had no choice but to accept it. I recorded the whole conversation, and I was so proud of myself for standing my ground.
This whole time I had never been in contact with my landlord, he was an absolute nuisance, and his lettings agent were below sub-par.
I’d also like to point out throughout my time in that property, I did contact Citizen’s advice, TWICE! But the first time they said, I had to discuss with my landlord to find a good compromise on things. The second time, they blanked me. I can’t speak for all districts, but this was my situation. I have heard that Citizen’s advice is incredibly helpful to those in need, so I’d recommend going to them first. Also, they are recovering from the backlog of covid, so it was difficult for them to deal with all enquiries.
Moral of the story:
- Read your contract– I don’t need to elaborate on that
- Keep evidence logs– Detective style it. Be your own MI6 agent
- Stand your ground– If you have done some preparation, then lead your argument with that. Know your worth, and your rights, and fight for yourself. You’re not going to have someone with you for every battle
- Citizen’s advice– They are meant to help, and it’s always worth a try to reach out for their services.
