Landlord with holding deposit & 1st months rent.

[herseaofgreen]

Hello,

 

I hope you can help.

 

On Nov 1st I moved into a room here in London. I saw it once before with furniture in the room.

I was advised the landlord has the ladies deposit who was in the room and should I want to leave that I'd just ask him for it, or rent the room myself and collect my deposit that way.

 

I was told there was no contract.

 

Day's later I informed the landlord I had moved in and sent him my 1st month's rent.

He didn't know I was moving in but thanked me for the money and said he would come over with a contract. I explained I was told there was no contract and I did not want to sign one. He told me there's a contract and that's that.

 

My 1st day there wasn't very nice, now that the furniture has moved out of the room I see a large amount of mould growing up my bedroom wall and in the corner also.

I found out there is a mouse in the kitchen which goes to the bathroom all over our counter top where our food is prepared.

The house hadn't been cleaned by the current room mates, every piece of counter space was covered with dirty dishes, some dishes with food in them sitting there rotting.

The fridge had rotting food in it that has liquidized.

The floor was actually the bin, they have no bin so just piled it on the floor even food scraps on top of cardboard.

Even more shocking is a large wall in the kitchen behind cabinets that is covered with thick green mould.

 

Obviously this place is not a healthy or a hygenic place to live and I want to move out immediately. I told the landlord and he's said the old roommate has my deposit and not him. He's also said he doesn't think I should get my 1st month's rent back..which I agreed with. I said I would pay for the week I have lived there but he doesn't think I should receive the rest of that 1st months rent payment back.

 

I'm at a loss of what to do. It turns out he isn't registered, doesn't use the Tenancy Deposit Scheme. He has some room mates paying in cash, other's paying in to different bank accounts all over The UK. This isn't legitimate and I need to know what I can do and what my rights are to fix this situation.

 

I have not signed anything yet.

 

Please, any advice would be most appreciated.

[herseaofgreen]

I move in on Nov 1st paying the old room mate a deposit and paying the landlord 1st month's rent.

 

Since moving in I've found mold all over the flat, mice in the kitchen that poo on the kitchen counters, was told there wasn't a contract and now there is, the room mates do not clean ie. we do not have a bin, they don't take bins out, the leave rubbish/food scraps on the floor.

 

The day I moved in there was no space anywhere in the kitchen to prepare a meal due to rotting food in bowls and rotting food in the fridge.

 

I haven't signed anything yet and I'd like to know my rights.

He say's he doesn't have my deposit, that the other girl does and that I must rent the room out but he won't allow me to put up an add for the room so I don't understand how I should get it back. I've requested 3 weeks of my 1st month's rent back as I've been there a week and he's arguing that to. I have banking proof that I paid him and the girl.

 

I am aware he's a dodgy landlord who apparently isn't registered with the Tenancy Deposit Scheme and has people paying him cash for rooms and paying into 4 other bank accounts with branches all over the UK.

 

Can you please give me any advice on how to get out. ?

[mariner51]

One tenancy, one thread to avoid confusion,

[freakyleaky]

2 threads merged.

[herseaofgreen]

How do I delete one of them?