Rent dispute with Landlord

[thecookiemonster]

Hi all,

 

I moved into a property in December, the tenancy agreement states £85 per week, it doesn't state anything about per month or per caldendar month.

 

When I moved in I paid a months rent in advance of £340 and a deposit of £340.

 

I had a note left under my door today out of the blue from the landlord asking to call him, I ring him and he says I owe him money as my rent is per calendar month and that I should be paying him £368 per month, yet he's only mentioned this now, is he trying to pull one? I've been paying £340 every 4 weeks since I moved in.

 

I phoned my local council and even they think I am up to date with my rent in their opinion after asking for some advice but I need to know for sure?

 

He's demanding £140 from me plus an extra £28 per month from now on.

 

Thanks.

[id6052]

your landlord is correct

 

to convert weekly rent to monthly rent, you multiply by 52 to get annual rent, then divide by 12 to get calendar month

 

£85 per week * 52 = £4420 per annum

 

£4420 per annum / 12 = £368.33 per calendar month

[thecookiemonster]

Well, I'm totally shocked by this, he's never mentioned it until now and never mentioned the £368 figure. So why was the deposit and rent in advance £340 x 2?

[antone]

Just to be clear, have you been paying £340 each calendar month, or £340 every four weeks? If you pay every four weeks, you would pay rent 13 times in a year.

 

So if you make a rent payment once each month (that is, 12 times a year) then your landlord is correct and you are underpaying if your rent is £85 per week. But if your rent is set as a weekly amount and you pay every four weeks, then it would seem to me that you are correct.

[BazzaS]

You are BOTH right.

 

£85 per week is £340 every 4 weeks.

It is also £368.33 every month.

 

I'd pay as per the interval listed on the lease.

 

Have you pointed out that he'd get 13 payments of £340 each year instead of 12 payments of 368.33 ?

 

If he wants monthly payments that is fine, but you shouldn't owe him any extra, providing you have been paying every 4 weeks rather than every month.

[thecookiemonster]

Its my mistake, I have never thought about it and I've just been paying £340 on the same date every month, It's just confused me because it's taken the landlord 5 months to say anything about it. I told him when i moved in that i would set up a standing order for the same date every month and pay £340, he said ok and that was that.

[mikeymack2002]

This other figure is based on a 28 day month, 4x85 = 340 but as some months are longer some are shorter this explains this figure. A 28 day cycle is per lunar month when in fact a calendar month is different. If your landlord was to re look at his figures he would see you would in fact make 13 "monthly" payments which equates to the same figure above..

 

 

85x4 = 340 x13 = 4420 divided by 13= 340 per 4 weeks or

 

 

52 weeks divided by 4 = 13 payments still paying 4420pa

 

 

or

 

 

52x85= 4420 divided by 12 = 368.3333 per calendar month

 

 

Either way your annual rent remains the same of £4420-00 albeit 12 or 13 payments.

 

 

Double post whilst typing sorry

[mikeymack2002]

Its my mistake, I have never thought about it and I've just been paying £340 on the same date every month, It's just confused me because it's taken the landlord 5 months to say anything about it. I told him when i moved in that i would set up a standing order for the same date every month and pay £340, he said ok and that was that.

 

 

This is a typical error for rent so don't worry about it, what you should be doing at that amount is paying 4 weekly, which is different to paying the same amount on the same day every month. which would put you in arrears

[thecookiemonster]

It's just frustrating, if he had said back in Jan/Feb it would have been much easier, now I have to find £140 to pay the extra.

[mikeymack2002]

Ask your LL to allow you to catch up by paying a little extra each month that should be ok to do.

[mikeymack2002]

If you are going to pay the same amount each moth on the same day then you will need to pay the figure of £368.33 plus a little more to cover the arrears.

if paying 4 weekly then its 85.00 weekly on the same day regardless of month length again paying extra to cover the arrears each week