Non-motoring > Landlord Shinanigans Legal Questions
Thread Author: zippy Replies: 5
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New Sat 17 Oct 15 20:23 
 Landlord Shinanigans - zippy
Eldest is currently at university and renting a room in a house.

The current agreement and my guarantee is for the current year for eldest' stent.

The house is quite nice but the landlord has clearly not got HMO approval as just after the chap from the council turned up earlier this week he issued new rental agreements for the rest of the year asking all the students to become joint tenants under a single rental agreement.

One of the consequences is that each student would become responsible for each other's rent and damages.

What is the best way to tell the landlord to, well, eff off because there is no way eldest is to be potentially undertaking rent liabilities for 4 other students.



The landlord also keeps turning up at the property to do non urgent maintenance (painting and decorating). This is not acceptable either as the landlord should give the tenants unhindered use of the property.
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New Sat 17 Oct 15 20:41 
 Landlord Shinanigans - Bromptonaut
Both mine had years in shared houses. Never any question of HMO approval; they were/are joint tenants just as I was sharing with friends in 1980/81 and later. Joint and several liability is, at least so far as tenants are concerned, part of the package.

As guarantor, so least as far as my current deal for son is concerned, my liability is limited to his own defaults. The letting agents offered this option which I suspect reflects the student rental market in Liverpool being over supply/short of demand. Don't remember it being an option re his sister's place in Sheffield where the market was a bit tighter.

He may still be jointly liable though in which case the money he's inherited or been gifted by his Grandmothers may be a risk. He knows that's his problem and was a risk he took moving away from halls.
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New Sat 17 Oct 15 20:45 
 Landlord Shinanigans - zippy
Unfortunately halls are not an option for 4th year students.

The landlord is also unfairly moving the goalposts just after the tenancy has started with extra risks to the tenant but not giving back anything in return for the risk.
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New Sat 17 Oct 15 20:55 
 Landlord Shinanigans - Bromptonaut
Anything useful at www.citizensadvice.org.uk/?

Otherwise is the Uni itself or the NUS any help?
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New Sat 17 Oct 15 22:00 
 Landlord Shinanigans - CGNorwich
Joint tenancy agreements are pretty much the norm for student lets. I assume the landlord gave the requisite notice under the original individual contract and then offered a new joint contract in return.

Your son can tell him to eff off but he will most likely looking for a new flat.

I have a little bit of sympathy with the landlord. Finding your house has been trashed and all the occupants denying knowledge and therefore liability is not great.
Last edited by: CGNorwich on Sat 17 Oct 15 at 22:01
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New Sat 17 Oct 15 23:05 
 Landlord Shinanigans - zippy
>>I assume the landlord
>> gave the requisite notice under the original individual contract and then offered a new joint
>> contract in return.
>>

The contact is for a year with no break points because it is difficult to replace students mid-year. The landlord wants a change after 3 months.

Previous landlord had an agreement based on a template provided by the uni. It was joint tenancy but specifically limited liability to the students own proportion of the rent.

The property changed hands because the previous landlord passed away. The current landlord doesn't want to use the uni' template.
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