Hi all, this may be a long one. We've been in our rented property for nearly 3 years (since August 2011). We rent privately from landlords who used to live in the property and have never been landlords before renting this house. A few months since we moved in, problems with the house started - damp patches, due to the balcony mostly, which they promptly got "sorted". The house was then less than 10 years old and all of the houses on the small estate had similar problems with damp, due to shoddy building work. The damp problem was never resolved despite "builders" being sent by the insurance company to sort the problem. It was always botched. Last year we noticed rain pouring (yes, pouring) through our bedroom window, and as Winter came it became so cold that we had to have the heating on so much more! Landlords were informed of every little thing and contacted their insurance company (because the house was still under warranty). Builders came, bodged it and left, time after time. Fast forward to the beginning of this month and the landlords are sick of it all. They've decided to wash their hands of it and put the house up for sale. They issued a section 21 (and it IS valid). We've found somewhere else and are moving in on the first July, we're having the carpets cleaned at current property, gardens manicured, we've done all minor repairs (replaced broken loo seat, touched up paint on walls etc). Landlady has now asked for us to sand down and treat all the window frames and paint every room the exact colour it was when we moved in! (Peach, yellow, dark blue etc). Well, we spent over £1000 decorating this place last year in neutral colours and the damp problems completely wrecked all our hard work. We spent £150 to get someone to come and repair the shed roof even though that is not our responsibility. We also had to get a plumber to come and repair the loo which cost £40 and last year the heating packed in and we got someone to come and repair it costing us £90. We informed landlady o all of this and she did not accept responsibility. The oil fired boiler hasn't been serviced at all in the 3 years we've been here but I realise this isn't a legal requirement. However the last month or so the three of us (me, husband and son) have all been feeling really ill when we've been at home. But when we're not here we feel ok. I wonder if this is possible carbon monoxide leak?

Hello everyone, My partner and I found ourcurrent home online with a private landlord. When we arrived, I noticed therewere three cars in the front yard area of the house, I just assumed thesebelonged to the others in the house. Now the house is a great size, our room ismassive, great garden and kitchen and is handy to work so signed a 6month contract. On the 2nd/3rd day i noticed a few things needed repaired in our room,nothing to expensive but not our job to fix, so I txt the landlord to arrangethis. I found out then that the cars actually belong to the landlord. He sellsthem from our front yard, this means that the others in the house who have cars have to park on the street/road side. So we have people arriving at all times of the day to lookat them. Next thing is that the landlord just lets himself in whenever he wantsfor no apparant reason. Iv read our contract back to front and know this is completely illegal, thathe is breaking all the rules of his side of the contract. Our current situation all kicked of last week when all morning he was comingand going from the house and garden (side gate). Not once did he knock or sayhe was coming in. I got really annoyed (like anyone would) as I was in thehouse by myself and felt intimidated. And when he was leaving I slammed thedoor behind him. now I know in hindsight I shouldn’t have, but he’s now tryingto say that I done it to hit him. and Is now saying that I AM beingunreasonable and demanding. That he does not have to and will not give noticewhen coming to the house, that its his house and hel do as he likes. Said he’ll think about knocking, but if no oneanswers after a min, he’s coming in. After this fairly tense discussion aroundhalf an hr later he txt to say we have 2months to get out. To top this all off, he’s not even our landlord, he’s the landlord’sbrother! What should we do?? As much as I dislike this man, we are in a great house,great location with lovely people, neither of us want to leave but this can’tcontinue Are we intitled to our despoit back?

Hi all, We recently moved to a new house after being issued a S.21 (because the landlords want to sell the property). We vacated the property within the 2 months and are now in our new place, and tomorrow our previous landlords are coming to inspect the old house which we've had professionally cleaned. There were a lot of problems with the property whilst we lived there, such as damp, water damage and bricks falling out of the wall. I have a feeling that when she comes to see the property she will say that she'll release our deposit (because she does things like this, she doesn't like confrontation, and will text us later) - so is there any document I can use/print (like a contract/agreement) for her to sign so that she can't go back on her word? We will also be taking a friend with us as a witness. TIA

I'll try and keep this short as I know it can get a bit tedious reading through long threads. If you need to ask more please do. I needed to move out of my owned home for 9 months whilst it underwent some majot structural repairs. I'm back in now. I took a tenancy out last September. It was for an unfurnished house. I have it in writing that I wanted the place empty as I had all my own belongings to move in. Removal Day/ Collection of Key: There were chairs, tables, a few single beds and mattresses, coffee tables, double bed and mattress etc. Add to that he'd left a broken washing machine and broken cooker and also a dishwasher and fridge. I couldn't move my stuff in. I asked and asked and in the end he agreed I could remove the furniture but the kitchen stuff must stay - even though half was broke. So I got it emptied which delayed me moving in. Finally about 3 weeks later we moved in but I had to either put my kitchen stuff in storage or sell it. It was going to be expensive to store and I decided I'd get new ones when I got back. In the meantime he wouldn't repair the cooker or washing machine (and I couldn't bring mine around) but eventually agreed 2 months later for me to do it myself and deduct the money from rent. So as we near the end of the tenancy I stop paying rent for month 8 and 9. I tell him he can keep deposit for month 8 and that month 9 was not being paid because I moved in late, had to clear out house, had to sell my kitchen stuff and also had no washing machine for 2 months. He has now issued 2 summons. One for month 8 and one for month 9. Anybody any thoughts please? Oh by the way there was not inventory/schedule of condition and as there was workmen there when I viewed I had no idea that there would be a cooker etc there.

Hi everyone, We are coming to the end of our tenancy in a small 1 bedroom flat. It's a conversion of a small house into 2 tiny flats that didn't involve separating the utilities, so the water and gas is included in the rent. The electricity is in the landlords name, with each flat having a coin operated electricity meter. It's an ancient pound coin operated meter and at the start of the tenancy it was set to take 18p per unit of electricity. Later during the tenancy a coin got stuck and when he came to repair it he bumped the price up to what looks like 21.5p per unit. Adding up what we have spent on electricity it comes to nearly £900, when average households appear to spend 400-500 pounds. From looking at the law (Maximum Resale Price Provisions - OFGEM) it seems like he is not allowed to charge us more than £5 over what he personally paid, and at the residential rate only. In addition he has a legal duty to tell us what he is paying, and provide documentary evidence. Here is what I have: A photo of the meter at the start of the tenancy, showing the total number of coins inserted, total electricity used and the price at 18p per unit A dated photo now showing the same meter, with the price currently set to 21.5p per unit and the total number of coins inserted My questions! We emailed him yesterday asking for this proof and despite visiting for a viewing today (the 16 viewing so far) he didn't mention it, although we didn't bring it up because there was a potential tenant with him. We can send a recorded delivery letter and bring it up in person, but what happens if he refuses? The OFGEM document doesn't say, other than that the price we pay should be reduced by double the base rate for as long as he refuses, but we are leaving soon. I estimate that the most we are out by is about £400, so it would be a small claims job if it can't be settled between us. Is this enough evidence to get a favourable judgement? Any other advice or suggestions would be appreciated. Thank you! edit: found a photo of the meter at the start of the tenancy

i was visited today by baillifs who told me they had visited last week and had posted a letter thorugh - i didnt know about this. they said a said person owed them money and they were here to collect the money. i didnt ascertin my idenity so they clamped my car anyway cus i didnt tell them who i was and they kept telling me a lorry was on its way to tow it and i could stop this by paying thousands. they went away eventually with the wheel clamp still left on my car and kept telling me the lorry would be on its way. i rang them and told them my idnetity and told them i needed it for work several times but they wouldnt take the clamp off. i checked with the sia and the bailifs license for clamping ran out some years ago. i said this but the bailif said he didnt need it even though it was on private property. i have removed the clamp as i needed to get to work. im very scared and dont know what to do. in terms of the debt, i do not knwo the claimant or have ever heard of him nor have a i recieved any previous notice regarding this. i tld the bailif but they again didnt care. hence i had to get to work and take steps. what do i do? have rang the courts but cant get through. scared of them coming, the debt has nothin to do with me. what shall i do? dont no who to turn to.

Evening, Is it true that letting agencies cannot do a thorough check like a bank and only see CCJ's and other similar marks on your report? Or Do they only look for those? I read somewhere they cannot access the defaults on an account. Looking to rent but have a few defaults. Hopefully I'll find somewhere.

hi can anyone help please? commercial lease. lease states no withholding of rent. landlord has neglected upper floors. ceiling has collapsed outside the fire door entrance. (we have moved the debris he has not sorted the ceiling) now ongoing water issues have ruined our walls. its a food establishment. leak seems to be have been sorted for now. i have requested if i can deduct £50 off this months rent (£2000 to be paid) so we can redecorate. (personally and not use decorator to keep cost down). L/L states i should claim on our insurance. access is £350 and why should we when its his neglect that cause damage? thoughts please? thanks

I need legal advice, CAB could not help until July, this is now keeping me very much awake at night: We rented property, on check out verbally to every thing was ok, we ask for document to sign to that affect, they said no they would send a report out. 5 working days later, call the office to get told there was a letter waiting, I went to collect it. Collected letter The landlord claimed we have done damage and was keeping our deposit and sent and invoice for more money to cover his cost. This was for a large amount. We have writing back in full with our dispute and counter claims. To top this I discovered our deposit which was held with one of the government schemes, had been Auto Un Protected– back in January of this year. I was told by the scheme they had given the landlord ample warning. Due now to being un protracted, we have to either go down small claims on our own, or pay for expensive legal advice Has anyone been in such a position and can advice or if there any REALLY nice legal people who would look over my case and tell me my chances Thanks for taking the time to read this.

Hi all Got a bit of a problem landlord, he's about 10 years younger than me and a bit of a wide boy- we moved last May and it's been pretty hellish. He paid one mortgage payment in this time which nearly cost us our home - that has been resolved for now. 1)Since Christmas, he's been promising a Gas Safe engineer for the yearly CP12, so far nothing. We had one guy turn up, NO ID and strangely, was the same guy who came out a few months ago to fix a door. We were fobbed of with "he left his card at home". He also refutes he needs to give us a certificate as "that's his", and the company I work for will obviously pass me as "it's mates rates innit" My problem : Ive worked with CORGI/Gas Safe for nearly 10 years, so I've had one of my Engineers give us the all clear/a new CP12. Landlord is refusing to accept this certificate until "his man" does the job. I've asked for an independent engineer to attend at the end of the month at a cost of £75 - would I be entitled to take this out of the rent as LL seems to be flat out refusing to acknowledge his responsibilities. 2)He keeps popping round usually when he's "in the area" with no notice to check if any mail has come for him - we've gotten everything from speeding fines to repossesion hearing dates to personal mail. I know this as he insists on trying to come in and open his mail one by one, very slowly. My problem : I once told him enough and he wasn't coming in, and I'd post his mail to him from now. He flew off the handle ranting about how I'm not allowed to do that/ what a bad tenant I am and stormed off. Later that night, about 10:30pm the door was being hammered- waking our very young daughter. Some little flid was there asking for his brothers mail - as soon as I opened the door he put his foot through the threashold. I slammed it in his face and posted it in reverse through the letter box. He's even turned up at my workplace saying he'd give me a lift back so he can get his post. Is it that unreasonable of me to post his mail to his registered address on a monthly basis? I'm 33, work stupid hours to make sure my family has everything we need - and since 16, used to landlords being very much out of the picture unless there's a problem or inspection. Am I just being an over sensitive ass?

I moved out this month following a 12 year tenancy. I ended the tenancy (which had become a rolling tenancy) giving the requisite 1 rental period in notice. For a number of reasons such as health and bereavement that are not material, I was unable to get the property fully cleaned and returned in the state it was when I moved in. I fully expect to hve some costs taken from the £1000 deposit in respect of cleaning and disposing of the few things I did not have time to dispose of before moving out (I had several skips, but turnaround time meant there were a couple of old cupboards left - all spare time was spent taking things to storage so there wasn't time to dump these). My landlord says that the carpets are soiled beyond use and that there is blutac on the walls, and is threatening to take me to court for more than the amount of the deposit to have the carpet replaced and the house repainted. My question is not so much about the rights and wrongs of the case. It is this. I have made the landlord what I believe to be a very generous offer of £900 to cover a full professional clean and waste disposal. I believe that if the case went to adjudication or to court, he would be awarded a lower amount - the carpet was of a low quality and after 12 years I cannot find any guidelines that say it would be anything other than expected to be replaced - likewise the painting. Nonetheless, he refuses to go to adjudication (the deposit is protected under TDS) because he wants to pursue me for more than the deposit amount. Finally, the question is this: would the court take my offer into account when deciding whether to issue a judgement against me? If he goes to court and the court decides to award him less than the amount I have offered, would I still have a CCJ against my name, even thouh I am not contesting that amount? Or would I only be subject to a CCJ if he is awarded a higher amount? I can't seem to find any advice on this anywhere online. The letting agent has strongly advised me to settle for a higher amount out of court to avoid a CCJ - whether this is professional or not of them is another matter but I feel under pressure to pay more than I can afford or should have to pay. Thank you in advance

I have a wee issue. We moved into our house in December 2012 for which we received the Gas Safety Certificate. As of this date, we have never received a new certificate from December 2013, and the landlord has never mentioned it. I'm fully aware they're breaking the law ... so what should I do? I have another ongoing issue which is they haven't protected my deposit so will be going to court, so I'm not really in the mood to discuss this latest issue with them, I'd rather just report them and let them answer to the appropriate authority. Who do I need to report my landlord to? What can I do about getting a new certificate? Many thanks.

Hello all, I am having major anti social behaviour issues with some housing association residents on my estate. I first approached the landlord 2 years ago, and nothing has happened. Since then, it has gotten worse. I own my property, I bought it as a newbuild, and i've had my windows done in, my gates and tyhere is continual daily harrassment due to a tunnel which goes under my property. I've had to install alarms and cctv for when I work nights, as it's the only way my partner would stop in the property. This cost me almost £1000. I found out recently my partner and I top our council's vulnerable adult list and we have had 118 police visits in the last 12 months. I have [photographic evidence of all the culrits attacking my property. All emails to the housing authortiy, PlusDane housing. Is it unreasonable to use the social landlord for not dealing with this situation 2 years ago when we first bought it to their attention?

Hi all! Just need some advice. Myself, fiancee and kids found our selves a private rented house on Monday and the move in day was set for yesterday (Wednesday) so i bank transferred 1812.50 pounds that's the deposit and month up front I sent him scanned pics of our passports and he sent me the tenancy agreements to look over and sign ( all this was via email as he lives out of my town ) we he called asked me to meet him at the property, i turned up he wasn't there I waited 45 mins still no one. I tried calling 8 times but his phone was switched off. I get home check my emails to find he had sent me one while i was on my way over saying he was going away until Friday and he was apparently reminded to do credit checks so will have to be Friday. I sent an email back explaining that i would not pass a credit check and that it would have been nice if he had of called to cancel. As of now i still have no email back!!! So i am now stuck with a rental van because it was to late to cancel and a day off work i need not have taken. SO any advice, have i just been stitched up? Can he take my hard earned money and then decide about credit checks? Can i actually demand my money back? what can i actually do because at the moment i just want to pay him a friendly visit!!! he hasn't signed the agreement yet either that was supposed to be done at the house yesterday evening!!! Sorry for the long post but as you can imagine i am very annoyed

Hi, I've recently obtained a full credit report and discovered that Bournemouth & West Hants Water managed to get a CCJ against me for my tenants bill without my knowledge by serving a summons to an address that I no longer live at. I have disputed the debt with them and they say that if I had informed them that the tenant had moved in within x days, then they would not hold me liable however they appear to have lost the letter. Is this indemnity a legal right? or is this just something in the water company's Ts&Cs? As the water company had 2 letters (I have copies, but the letting agency didn't use recorded delivery) with my current address stating when the tenant started the tenancy and when it ended, and they have acknowledged the 2nd letter, can I accuse them on the N244 of vexatious litigation because they deliberately sent the letter to an old address? or should I merely state that they are grossly negligent? (The reason I ask, is that the clerk of the court said that the judge will consider an application for costs of setting aside to be claimed from the plaintiff). Can I also ask the judge for compensation for the false record on the credit report? or does this have to be a seperate case? Also I have been told there is also an outstanding bailiff warrant, do I need to ask for this to be stayed on the N244? BTW, the tenant did a moonlight flit owing me over £1200, and so I have no forwarding address, and Gas, Electric & Phone utilities have written off their debts. Do I need include details of the tenants and their lack of forwarding address on the N244 too? Any help and advice filing the N244 is very much appreciated, Banjo

I was hoping someone could help me. I found a room via flatshare and I was given a tenacy agreement which states me deposit of £285 would be put in a Tenancy Deposit Scheme and moved into the property last year back in 11th December It was a 3 month contract and I left on 11th April and the place was full of mould (which I have pictures of) and now the landlord is avoiding my calls. The place is council and he has converted the living room to his bedroom and rented his old bedroom to me so not sure if he is breaking the law there. I also have proof that I paid the deposit on the day of moving as well. The landlord also mentioned that he did not put the money into a tenancy deposit scheme. I am also a bit worried because once or twice he asked if I could pay him cash and I didn’t think to ask for a receipt but the last 2 months I paid into his bank account. Any advice would be much appreciated. He also told me all bills were included via flatshare and on the tenancy agreement it said I would have to pay council tax but he said don’t worry about that as he will pay it then I found via his council tax bill that he is claiming to live alone, further to this he is also avoiding paying his tv license as they have knocked twice. I have since left the property but I desperately need deposit back. I would be grateful for some advise. Thanks. Mark

Hi im seeking some advice We have been living in our rented property for 6 years and are moving out We have informed the landlord and he visited the property to inspect the property so he could give us a reference He gave us a reference ok but now he is sending us texts saying he wants to keep £500 of the deposit to replace the 2 faux sofas that we had already replaced 2 years ago We replaced the sofas ourselves 2 years ago as the ones he provided we cracked and worn out, we texted him and he was ok with this and said as long as there are 2 sofas when u leave that would be ok He is holding a £1100 deposit from us and we could do with as much as we can from it for furnishing are new property and i have to pay for a months rent as our contract isnt up till the 29th of may and were moving to are new property on the 3rd of may so i have to pay for 2 rents We have also found out that it is not in a government deposit scheme and he has kept it in his bank over the 5 years we have been in the property Over the 5 years he hasnt done anything to the property not even visited it I also replaced his old worn out boiler for a new one because we were eligible for a grant and our gas bill was huge due to the old boiler being inefficient Any advice would be great Thxs

We are in private rented property and have told the landlord to use the deposit as the final months' rent (she gave us notice having said she was going to sell the house). We have had flooding, the gas fire is condemned, one of the chimneys is in a dangerous condition, mould grows in the house, the Stanley gas cooker/boiler is antiquated and regularly breaks down. The landlord has threatened to tell everyone in the town what dreadful people we are, as well as my employer and to post it on the Landlords Association forum. She has told us that she is going to issue a summons and get a ccj against us and we will have to meet all of her costs. we have never been late with the rent, all bills are fully paid up and the house will be left in immaculate condition. Any helpful thoughts would be most appreciated.

We are going to have a bad ladlord reference, not saying we are bad tenants but that we do not pay on time. This is due to their being a gas leak over christmas, us not being able to use the stove due to only a temporary fix. Holes in the windows where the frame is too heavy for the window. Our bills were high so we struggled with the last fifty or so rent. added to which our tenancy deposit is not protected, the ll also never calls always just comes round. Already threatening we may lose our reputation. we rented one year before and paid rent on time (abroad) and then stayed in a pub where we paid rent after check out and we were fine. I worry about our limited references in this country and any credit file trouble before our bills settled down. we are due to pay 330 for a deposit but it is worrying as we know this will be easier to be on time but they dont know that.

A few years ago i rented my house to my brother who claims help with his rent.. Throughout the tenancy the council have messed about with the rent, and so i have been thoroughly messed about, but as it was my brother i did not force the issue. if it had been another landlord he would have been given his notice a long time ago. I complied with all the paperwork and issued him with a tenancy agreement and even though he did not pay me a deposit i put on the tenancy agreement that he had paid a deposit, because he thought the council may have been suspicious. The house is now going up for sale and we are trying to get my brother a council house. I have served him with a S21 notice which expires in about a week. My brother went to see the council who told him not to move out when the notice expires, they told him if he does move out he will not get any where to live. They sent me a letter telling me that i would have to apply for a court order to get the tenant out. This make me so angry, when they have messed about all through the tenancy. I have looked on line at the forms i need to fill in for an accelerated possession order but what i am concerned about is the deposit thing. It asks if a deposit has been taken and then asks for the Tds number, but as i said before i never took a deposit from him. Any ideas on how this will go and how to proceed. Many thanks

HI everyone, I couldn't find anything similar to this, so apologies if this has been answered before. We are currently living in a private rented house where we rent through a letting agent. We have been in the house almost 3 years now with no problems at all until the end of last year when the letting agent tried to get us to sign a renewal and pay them £120 for the privelege. We refused to pay the charges and told the landlord, they were quite happy as they didnt agree with the charges either. UNfortunately things went downhill. The agents became increasingly insistent and when I sent them an email asking them for an explanation as to why their charges were so high they didn't give us an answer. The contract renewal went unsigned and we started into a SPT until the landlady asked us if we could at least return the renewal for the sake of her mortgage or she would have to evict. We sent off the forms but now some months later the letting agents are saying that they didn't receive them and now they want to issue a new renewal with a rent increase. They say because we haven't got a signed contract then they are at liberty to put the rent up even if the original renewal had no rent increase. I have a copy of the original renewal they sent through last year on email and I think they are trying to use an increase in rent to get their renewal fee that we refused to pay. I'm also considering whether we should use the legislation of superstrike v Rodrigues to try and show the landlady that if she tries to get a rent increase with the letting agents that we may take action against her for not issuing us with new details regarding the security deposit when the Stautory periodic tenancy began. All we really want is to carry on renting the house and maintain a good relationship with the owners but we refuse to be ripped off by them or the letting agents. Can anyone offer some advice?

Hi there, I was wondering if someone could give some advice on whether it would be worth pursuing my ex-landlord with court action. Basically I signed a new tenancy agreement 18 months ago with my previous landlord and all seemed good. He told me that the £400 deposit I paid had to be paid into a seperate bank account due to new legislations (I didn't realise at the time that this wasn't the case.) After living there for 18 months my LL decided the rent was going to increase (he gave me just over 5 week's notice before the end of the term of my AST.) So after asking him how much notice he would need should I decide I didn't want to continue living there, he told me to let him know as soon as I could, should I wish to leave the premises. A little under 2 weeks later, I had managed to find a new flat and got accepted through their "checks" so informed my LL that I would be moving out on the last day of my term so as to not have to pay up until the end of my term. When his brother came round to collect the keys, (LL is away in Europe travelling for 3-4 months) he noted that there was a little damp showing through in the front bedroom but said there wasn't any damage so I should be fine for the full deposit back. After a couple of days, I hadn't heard anything from my LL about when I should expect the deposit etc so decided to get in touch to find out. He stated that he was waiting until his new tenants had paid their deposit till he could pay my deposit back and also that he was witholding £140 for "cleaning and painting" that the property required to bring it back up to a rentable state. I obviously disputed this and told him he had plenty of chance to inform us of any repairs/cleaning that needed doing prior to us vacating the premises. He at no point made a check-in nor a check-out of the property, nor took any pictures of any damage. I then asked him for a receipt of work that had been carried out without my knowledge and also for the details of which deposit protection scheme the deposit was being held with so I could raise the dispute with them. No answer. After speaking with Shelter for legal advice regarding the issue, I applied a little pressure to my LL stating that because he had repeated failed to provide me with details of the Tenancy Deposit Scheme which was holding my deposit, I was well within my rights to pursue the return of the deposit in full along with compensation no more than 3 times the deposit amount, per calendar month that I had been resident in the property. His answer - "Dont worry, I will pay you the deposit back tomorrow in full into your Paypal account." Great, success finally! In the meantime though, his brother is still hounding me as there is apparently "debt on the pre-payment meters" which were installed in the property prior to us moving in and also he is wanting me to contact the new tenant to let them have my details as apparently need to give the energy company my details so they can put the bills in their name (something which we didn't have to do when we moved in.) I wasn't going to pursue for the compensation for not protecting my account but after my previous LL has now tried screwing me over on 2-3 occasions (luckily I am the kind of person who doesn't just agree to something but research the subject first) I am now wanting to pursue for the compensation as well for failing to provide me with the details for the tenancy protection scheme and, as far as I can see, failing to protect my deposit full stop. Am I still within my rights to issue my LL with a court summons for failing to protect/failing to provide details of the tenancy deposit protection scheme or is my LL paying me the deposit back in full nulled this right? It may sound like I am being spiteful and I may be however my LL has chosen the complete wrong time to try screw me over having just lost a very close family member and suffering from Anxiety and panic attacks has only made the situation worse. Any help advice would be greatly appreciated - apologies for the lengthy thread!

I have been living in rented accommodation for almost 4 years. The landlord is someone I have known since childhood and have a good relationship with (I think). However it has recently come to light that he is facing repossession of the house I rent from him and it is obvious that the lender, Santander, is unaware that he is renting the property out. I am worried that if the worst happens and the boys in black with white van and clipboards come along they will think I am the landlord in question and attempt to evict me and my family. It could of course happen while we are away from the house. What do I need to do to protect myself?

I am hoping i can get some advice as I am currently in a frustrating situation and facing costs which I think are unfair. A little background I started renting in December 2010 with my partner this was the first time we have ever rented. When we moved into the house in 2010 the house was cheaply decorated walls painted and new carpet, we moved out on 28/03/14 so roughly three years. Prior to leaving I spent best part of 2 days cleaning the house I have had a letter today listing dilapidations which were picked up on the exit of the property. One of them is a full clean of the house with the cost of £144 I have already paid them £70 for cleaning of the carpets, the company I paid to clean the carpets do the work on behalf of letting agent and actually advertise them on their van, they have also been invoiced for the £144 work to be carried out. They attached photos of the areas they see a problem with, the photos they sent me are like crime scene photos they have gone in and taken pictures of tiny specs of dust which I feel is unfair, almost looking for evidence of dirt. I spoke to the general manager and he said the house has to be left in the same condition as it was when we moved in, which we feel we have for one the oven has been dirty since day one and some of the items just generally look dirty due to age. I am sure even with a professional clean they could not been cleaned to a good standard. I checked my inventory and highlighted some concerns such as it does not go into enough detail as to the condition of the house, I raised this with the general manager who said back then the inventory where not good and now we take photographic evidence. One example is that majority of the doors look to have tiny punch marks, these are not listed on the original inventory in detail but when having a conversation they apparently have notes. Repainting of front room and landing, over the three years we hung some photos as expected they now want us to pay a proportion of the costs to paint the areas I would have thought this comes under fair wear and tear it seems not, not do they have an outline policy stating what they deem as fair wear and tear. Overall they are arguing that the property has to be returned in the same state as how we got it one quote from the Manger is that “In your case this is easy, because the house was freshly decorated” with this in mind how can anyone return a house in a freshly decorated state after it being lived in for three years. It is also worth a mention on my house inspections everything was marked excellent. I have now asked for an itemized bill of what they plan on charging me and a breakdown of costs. Unfortunately I have misplaced my contract during my move I plan on asking for this and a summary of what they deem as fair wear and tear as at the moment it seems down to the individual.

We had a letter put through our door yesterday saying notice requiring possession. The notice is dated 04/02/2014 but we have never seen it before. They want us out by the 10th of april. We didn't know about this until yesterday. And today there were builders in the back garden and they have taken down the fence and cut the garden in half. The letter through the door said they were removing two fence panels. This is only one days notice. The letter says we have rent arrears of £2300 but we have had it calculated for us and it is only £798. We feel stuck now because we have nowhere to go and we feel like we can't argue about the garden because that will make it worse. We know they are just playing dirty and scaring us but we really don't know what to do. They are very rich people who own lots of property so we feel like we can't argue against them. Does this notice requiring possession mean we actually have to move out on that day? I'm guessing they will say that they gave us the notice 6 weeks ago but that's a lie. We can't prove it though. Just remembered one more thing. The letter that came with the notice said we are required to leave the property on april 10th 'as stated in the eviction notice we served on you on the 4th February'. I presume they mean the notice for possession and this isn't actually an eviction notice is it? This all feels very unfair! Any help would be much appreciated.