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Can't pay landlord the rent

Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
Hey, well just need a bit of advice on what we should do...

Our rent (student house) for the period April to July was due on April 1st, but our student loans don't come in until the 24th of April. Obviously this poses a problem when we've all been living on £5 a week for god knows how long.

The landlord is pretty much demanding that we pay him it, saying that we get should get the money of our parents or something until then; he can't seem to grasp the concept that not all parents have £600 lying around...especially when a few of us our from single parent families...

So yeah, i'm basically wondering where we stand on this? Maybe we could find £150 to pay him per week until the loan comes in, but i'm not sure if even this is possible for all of us.

Cheers.

Comments

  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Sometimes giving them a bit here and there will help as it will show the landlord your are willing to pay him andnot trying to screw him over.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
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  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    well if you don't have the money, you can't pay him. what has he threatened to do if you don't pay up?
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    can u get a loan from ur bank or temp advance on ur overdraft?
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    The landlord has always known this was the case, since he asked for postdated cheques in advance, but we wouldn't give him them telling him they'd just bounce because the student loans don't come in until the end of april, but he claimed that his bank expects it on the 1st april and so he needed the cheques.

    It's pretty much not possible to get all we need from the bank since most of us are at our overdraft limit. Loads of his other tenants are in the same position too.

    I'm not sure what he's threatened since due to circumstances i've only met him once, and all my other dealings have been through my housemates / the staff in his restaurant.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    To be fair he probably has a mortage to pay so has every reason to want/need the money (apart from the obvious).
    It's not really his prob that you can't pay it.
    From the other side he cant really do anything much anyway if you have a contract with him. He would have to apply to the courts to get you out by which time you will have paid.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Also even if you are living on/near your overdrafts most banks will do a temporary increase on your overdraft if you have definate money coming in soon.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    ha i was at my overdraft 'limit' so many times at uni i lost count......i just kept going to the bank saying 'oi give me money', as long as you can prove you will have money coming like tweety says they'll extend your limit......and because they think i'm on a 4 year degree i still have a 1600 interest free overdraft til the summer, which has come in very handy......:)
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Most student landlords that I went with were well aware of the dates of loan/grant cheques and adjusted payment dates accordingly.

    If he wants to be arsey about it I suppose he could evict you for non-payment, but then he wouldn't get any money, and probably wouldn't be able to re-let half way through a term.

    I suggest you have a meeting with everyone and thrash it all out.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    If you're really stuck, your university might have a hardship fund they could give or lend you summut out of.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Well at the moment i'm -1250 everyone else is -1500, but i'm a first year and they're seconds :(
    Well anyway, we're not really that hard up, i was pretty much just wondering on where we stand if we put it off by 3 weeks and what he can do it about it.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Couldn't you pay him 1 months rent rather than the 3 months he's requiring. Then everyone should be happy, since he'll have the money to pay his mortgage with and you only have a smallish amount due to pay now.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    the landord had a serious problem if he is having to rent our properties to pay off his mortgage
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    offer him sexual favours instead?

    Or you could just tell him youre sorry but its gonna be a bit late and theres nothing you can do about it. Make sure you DO pay it the moment you get it though. Its best to keep the landlord on your side if you can.
    The thing is, its his house. Rent isnt optional.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    MrG wrote:
    the landord had a serious problem if he is having to rent our properties to pay off his mortgage

    Most landlords have a buy-to-let mortgage on the rental property.

    Personally, I'd tell the landlord that he can wait for his money. If he took you to court that's all the court would say, and he wouldn't get before a judge before April 24 anyway.

    He'll just have to lump it. He's hoping to put the pressure on to see if you'll crack. You won't, and there's nothing he can (legally) do about it.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
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  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    if i don't pay my rent with the letting agency next year, one of my housemates will be liable to pay it! likewise if she doesn't pay hers, they'll come to me for it.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    well, there is, in that he can hit you with late payment charges, which if you refuse to pay he'll subtract from your deposit. if there's a clause in your lease allowing for that, that is, which there may very well be.

    Actually, he can't deduct anything for non-payment of rent from the deposit. Any penalty charges in the tenancy agreement could not legally be deducted from a bond.

    In reality the landlord can't do anything about it. The penalty clause can't be bigger than the cost of the default. Defaulting by a few days would not attract a penalty to the landlord.

    Basically he can swivel for his money. I'd suggest being subtle and pleasant about this, but you can't pay before the loan comes in, and he will just have to live with it.

    I would point out, however, that the student loan is meant to cover vacations as well as term-time. The student loan date is no excuse to default on a tenancy agreement, as you should have budgeted better. I think your behaviour has been pretty shameful really, and your landlord is well within his rights to demand payment for rent. A shocking example of why students simply cannot be trusted with money.

    I would also say that landlords are thieving vermin of the highest magnitude, and anything that makes them lose all their money and go bankrupt is a damn good thing. I'd love to see them all lose all their savings, thieving cunts that they are. They're the reason why nobody can afford to buy property, and they are a cancer on society that should be exterminated.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    if i don't pay my rent with the letting agency next year, one of my housemates will be liable to pay it! likewise if she doesn't pay hers, they'll come to me for it.

    It's normally a good idea to discuss this with the letting agency, and try and avoid signing a Joint and Several Liability contract wherever possible.

    A decent letting agency will be open to negotiation if it will cost them a sale.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Kermit wrote:
    It's normally a good idea to discuss this with the letting agency, and try and avoid signing a Joint and Several Liability contract wherever possible.

    A decent letting agency will be open to negotiation if it will cost them a sale.


    well we agreed to it..! i know she'd never do a runner. and she knows i wouldn't. this year my mum is down as my guarantor. but i'm going to be with a letting agency this time and i think they think it makes us feel more grown-up and independent. when the reality of is it, most of the time parents pay the rent anyway!
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    well we agreed to it..! i know she'd never do a runner. and she knows i wouldn't. this year my mum is down as my guarantor.

    Fair enough, I just don't trust Joint and Several Liability contracts.

    Though some landlords insist on them because some lenders insist as a condition of mortgage that the contract has certain clauses in it.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Kermit wrote:
    A shocking example of why students simply cannot be trusted with money.

    What's the alternative?
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Dear Wendy wrote:
    What's the alternative?

    Dunno, they have to have money to live.

    But then they go and waste it away and can't pay the rent.

    Be buggered if I know what to do about it.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Kermit wrote:
    Dunno, they have to have money to live.

    But then they go and waste it away and can't pay the rent.

    Be buggered if I know what to do about it.

    We all do it. Students or not.
    It's due to type of person, not to occupation.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Students are worse at it. It's not even their fault, I'm not on a bad student rant.

    But the fact is if you give a kid a cheque for over a grand, it takes a LOT of self-control to not go and blow it in a month. My first SLC cheque was the biggest amount of money I'd ever had in my name, but I didn't have to budget as I lived in catered halls.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Kermit wrote:
    Students are worse at it. It's not even their fault, I'm not on a bad student rant.

    But the fact is if you give a kid a cheque for over a grand, it takes a LOT of self-control to not go and blow it in a month. My first SLC cheque was the biggest amount of money I'd ever had in my name, but I didn't have to budget as I lived in catered halls.


    ive done alrite, i should be graduating with student loan debts only

    lived in self catered halls 1st year, at home (whilst mum was in aussie) for 2nd, and in private this year at £100/week


    i only get into my overdraft at the end of term when no loan is left and i dont have a job either, my mum gives me £20/week only

    i live a comfortable life, nice food, alright flat, alright social life - i just dont live beyond my means with overpriced clubs and ready meals, most students have that trouble, so wrapped up in illusions of grandeur, that they forget to only buy what they can afford
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Kermit wrote:
    Students are worse at it. It's not even their fault, I'm not on a bad student rant.

    But the fact is if you give a kid a cheque for over a grand, it takes a LOT of self-control to not go and blow it in a month. My first SLC cheque was the biggest amount of money I'd ever had in my name, but I didn't have to budget as I lived in catered halls.


    i'm skint now though and it's not my fault - i've been sensible with my money. not trying to point the blame onto anyone else but sometimes even when you do your best you struggle. i get my loan and pay my fees of £400 and then half my rent leaving me with not very much.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Oh definitely, my rent in first year was £900 a term and my loan payment was £1000. Not much leeway, its no wonder I ran up my overdraft in my first year.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    It's just not that easy though really, i don't exactly get a huge student loan as it is...it covers the rent and then gives me about £20 a week to live...in term time...

    Not that this particularly bothers me, and don't get me wrong i'm not moaning or anything, it's just i don't see how on this sort of budget i can raise the money he seems to need so urgently.
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