The Student Room Group

Help landlord is trying to con me ?!

Apologies in advance the for long message Basically I think my landlord is trying to con me me keeps lying to me constantly.

I’m a student living in a flat share that’s run into issues at the end of my tenancy with my landlord idk if I’m overreacting or she’s in the wrong . Firstly before me and my friend singed the contract we asked to change the month we wanted to move in she said she couldn’t because they hired cleaners for the flats and bedrooms professionally cleaned for the arrival of the new tenants at that time

When we moved in our cupboards were filled with previous Tennants stuff like flour sugar baked beans etc and my bedroom had piles of toenails and a bunch of old pjs in the draws .. The WiFi and heating only worked bout 50% of the time and I complained multiple times before giving up

Firstly like maybe a week before my lease was bout to expire at like 9am my landlord randomly barged into the flat and opened my bedroom door and tried to walk straight in into my room bear in mind I was in bed and have been awoken suddenly and half naked lol. I was so scared I couldn’t see who it was cuz my bed is placed at an angle. I and asked who it was she didn’t reply instead in an angry tone she was like who r u I told her I live here and to please not come in my room cuz I don’t know who she is .All of a sudden i hear her abruptly leave . I checked my emails to see if I missed an email for viewings or inspections but there was none . I was just about to message my landlord about the incident when she msged an hour later and then called me to come downstairs into another flat and apologised saying “she didn’t know what she was doing and it was an accident. Although our flat is the last one on the top floor .She then went n had an hour conversation talking about herself and her health and her life and how one of her tennnats didn’t pay rent . She asked me when I’m planning to leave so she could collect the keys. I told her the lease expires on the 30th so I’d probably leave then round 4 as I have a lot packing to do

This is where the drama starts so legally I’m allowed to stay in the flat till the 30th. There are three of us and one of housemates is staying bit longer in the flat and extended her lease the other left few days ago . I tell her everything should be sorted by 4pm but id update her in advance . So on the 30th around 8:30 am I get a msg from her that she wants to an bedroom inspection at round 11and it would be 5 mins .I have already cleaned my room which was the main chunk. I had 7 hours left to which I planned to shower and take out the bins in the kitchen . My room was clean and and empty I message her sayin I won’t be in cuz I have plans round 11 but the doors are open and she’s more than welcome to come in to do the bedroom inspection
Suddenly like 20 mins later when I’m out I start getting sm miss calls complaining about the mess in the kitchen and she was threatening my deposit due to how “bad “the kitchen was eventhough all that was left to do was my cupboard n the bins. I told her I was with my friends but I’m leaving at 4 and have plenty of time and I’ll get it done . Suddenly she said I told you this on the day we had a conversation that there was gonna be viewing today at 4pm I was like you never told me that WHICH SHE DID NOT I msged my friend to confirm whether she received any emails or msgs and she said she didn’t know either she was only messaged bout the keys . I was feeling quite anxious at this point and one of my friends decided to come as back up.We went in but she had left at this point it would have been no later than 12:30-1pm . I go into the kitchen and to find she opened the oven and taken out the oven racks and a bunch of the ovenproof trays which belonged to housemate that had extended their tenancy and still living there and put them in the sink . None of those items were mine and I hardly touch the oven I put the oven stuff back . After like 5 mins the kitchen was clean as I jus had to take the bin down, I then left with my suitcase . I realise I still had the keys so I went back and she was there this time . She took me to the kitchen and pointed at the oven and complained about it I said the oven stuff is being used/belongs to ur current tenant whose still living here, she then took me to the bathroom and complained that there was empty loo rolls in the bin which I was confused bout cuz it’s a communal area and ppl are legally still living here so there’s gonna be stuff here. she then went into my room and complained about a duvet that had been left there which btw was left by previous tenants wen we arrived . She then said all the other flats were so clean and that she could have half our bonds for the mess . She then said someone was MOVING in ON THE 30th and will be coming soon and she’s not happy but she’ll hav to get a cleaner for oven .btw ALL the oven “mess” which wouldn’t have taken long to clean belonged to the housemate who had extended her stay in the flat.

I think landlord is lying cuz she keeps changing her answers . We were told at the start of academic year that they hired professional cleaners anyway before new tenants move in that’s why we couldnt move in at our preferred time . ALSO there is someone STILL living in the flat who uses the communal kitchen and Bin. Am i in the wrong don’t think she has the right to be mad about this and threaten our deposits especially if she NEVER told us about a new tenant moving in and the flat is still legally my place of residence like there was no email or anything either about this move. I planned to have all that cleaned up anyway if she hadn’t jumped at my throat n ruined the entire day roaming around . Our rooms were clean the only thing in kitchen left to do was to take bins out which I had 7 hours to do and that there was loo roll in the bin in the bathroom . She practically pounced on me I felt so uncomfortable and she basically forced me out the flat early cuz there were people moving in. Personally I think it’s her fault she’s getting mad at me cuz she made the mistake of allowing a new tennant to move in whilst I was still legally allowed to stay and didn’t tell me . I still wanted to check my kitchen cupboard but she legit ushered me out at like 3pm cuz the new tenants were apparently arriving . I’m sorry I think it’s ridiculous she’s threatening me when she failed to notify us and essentially chucked me out the property prematurely. I am home now but she tried called me AGAIN today

Idk when we get our deposit bac but Can she take my deposit for this ? What are the grounds ?and can we appeal it by sayin there was no notice provided to any of the parties leaving and that she randomly came into our flat and entered my room without reason,then calling me an hour later to come downstairs to say it was an accident seems suss. I just don’t think it’s fair to claim deposit for this reason.

Any advice appreciated
Thanks for reading this far
Reply 1
Original post by Anonymous
Apologies in advance the for long message Basically I think my landlord is trying to con me me keeps lying to me constantly.
I’m a student living in a flat share that’s run into issues at the end of my tenancy with my landlord idk if I’m overreacting or she’s in the wrong . Firstly before me and my friend singed the contract we asked to change the month we wanted to move in she said she couldn’t because they hired cleaners for the flats and bedrooms professionally cleaned for the arrival of the new tenants at that time
When we moved in our cupboards were filled with previous Tennants stuff like flour sugar baked beans etc and my bedroom had piles of toenails and a bunch of old pjs in the draws .. The WiFi and heating only worked bout 50% of the time and I complained multiple times before giving up
Firstly like maybe a week before my lease was bout to expire at like 9am my landlord randomly barged into the flat and opened my bedroom door and tried to walk straight in into my room bear in mind I was in bed and have been awoken suddenly and half naked lol. I was so scared I couldn’t see who it was cuz my bed is placed at an angle. I and asked who it was she didn’t reply instead in an angry tone she was like who r u I told her I live here and to please not come in my room cuz I don’t know who she is .All of a sudden i hear her abruptly leave . I checked my emails to see if I missed an email for viewings or inspections but there was none . I was just about to message my landlord about the incident when she msged an hour later and then called me to come downstairs into another flat and apologised saying “she didn’t know what she was doing and it was an accident. Although our flat is the last one on the top floor .She then went n had an hour conversation talking about herself and her health and her life and how one of her tennnats didn’t pay rent . She asked me when I’m planning to leave so she could collect the keys. I told her the lease expires on the 30th so I’d probably leave then round 4 as I have a lot packing to do
This is where the drama starts so legally I’m allowed to stay in the flat till the 30th. There are three of us and one of housemates is staying bit longer in the flat and extended her lease the other left few days ago . I tell her everything should be sorted by 4pm but id update her in advance . So on the 30th around 8:30 am I get a msg from her that she wants to an bedroom inspection at round 11and it would be 5 mins .I have already cleaned my room which was the main chunk. I had 7 hours left to which I planned to shower and take out the bins in the kitchen . My room was clean and and empty I message her sayin I won’t be in cuz I have plans round 11 but the doors are open and she’s more than welcome to come in to do the bedroom inspection
Suddenly like 20 mins later when I’m out I start getting sm miss calls complaining about the mess in the kitchen and she was threatening my deposit due to how “bad “the kitchen was eventhough all that was left to do was my cupboard n the bins. I told her I was with my friends but I’m leaving at 4 and have plenty of time and I’ll get it done . Suddenly she said I told you this on the day we had a conversation that there was gonna be viewing today at 4pm I was like you never told me that WHICH SHE DID NOT I msged my friend to confirm whether she received any emails or msgs and she said she didn’t know either she was only messaged bout the keys . I was feeling quite anxious at this point and one of my friends decided to come as back up.We went in but she had left at this point it would have been no later than 12:30-1pm . I go into the kitchen and to find she opened the oven and taken out the oven racks and a bunch of the ovenproof trays which belonged to housemate that had extended their tenancy and still living there and put them in the sink . None of those items were mine and I hardly touch the oven I put the oven stuff back . After like 5 mins the kitchen was clean as I jus had to take the bin down, I then left with my suitcase . I realise I still had the keys so I went back and she was there this time . She took me to the kitchen and pointed at the oven and complained about it I said the oven stuff is being used/belongs to ur current tenant whose still living here, she then took me to the bathroom and complained that there was empty loo rolls in the bin which I was confused bout cuz it’s a communal area and ppl are legally still living here so there’s gonna be stuff here. she then went into my room and complained about a duvet that had been left there which btw was left by previous tenants wen we arrived . She then said all the other flats were so clean and that she could have half our bonds for the mess . She then said someone was MOVING in ON THE 30th and will be coming soon and she’s not happy but she’ll hav to get a cleaner for oven .btw ALL the oven “mess” which wouldn’t have taken long to clean belonged to the housemate who had extended her stay in the flat.
I think landlord is lying cuz she keeps changing her answers . We were told at the start of academic year that they hired professional cleaners anyway before new tenants move in that’s why we couldnt move in at our preferred time . ALSO there is someone STILL living in the flat who uses the communal kitchen and Bin. Am i in the wrong don’t think she has the right to be mad about this and threaten our deposits especially if she NEVER told us about a new tenant moving in and the flat is still legally my place of residence like there was no email or anything either about this move. I planned to have all that cleaned up anyway if she hadn’t jumped at my throat n ruined the entire day roaming around . Our rooms were clean the only thing in kitchen left to do was to take bins out which I had 7 hours to do and that there was loo roll in the bin in the bathroom . She practically pounced on me I felt so uncomfortable and she basically forced me out the flat early cuz there were people moving in. Personally I think it’s her fault she’s getting mad at me cuz she made the mistake of allowing a new tennant to move in whilst I was still legally allowed to stay and didn’t tell me . I still wanted to check my kitchen cupboard but she legit ushered me out at like 3pm cuz the new tenants were apparently arriving . I’m sorry I think it’s ridiculous she’s threatening me when she failed to notify us and essentially chucked me out the property prematurely. I am home now but she tried called me AGAIN today
Idk when we get our deposit bac but Can she take my deposit for this ? What are the grounds ?and can we appeal it by sayin there was no notice provided to any of the parties leaving and that she randomly came into our flat and entered my room without reason,then calling me an hour later to come downstairs to say it was an accident seems suss. I just don’t think it’s fair to claim deposit for this reason.
Any advice appreciated
Thanks for reading this far

(This answer assumes you’re in the UK, sorry if you aren’t as the rules will probs be different)

I don’t think she can take your deposit for this. Do you have proof of the state of the place when you moved in (ie photos) as these might help if she tries to charge you for cleaning - they can only charge you for things that would take the property back to the state it was in when you moved in, minus fair wear and tear. If you have an assured shorthold tenancy your deposit should be protected in a scheme which will give you avenues to dispute her taking it unfairly. If it is not protected and you have an AST she’s broken the rules and you can take her to court for compensation (if you have another type of tenancy this protection scheme rule doesn’t apply though). Regarding her entering your room, check your tenancy agreement for how much notice she should give before entering, I’m guessing she probably violated that. In any case she absolutely should not be letting herself in to your bedroom without permission.

I would recommend having a read of the pages on the Shelter website, they have lots of useful info about your rights as a tenant and how to deal with dodgy landlords. Your exact rights depend on what kind of tenancy you have and the tenancy agreement you agreed to so have a look at that too. You could also see if there is a renters union in your area (e.g. ACORN) who might be able to help you challenge things. But from the sounds of things your landlord is in the wrong in several ways here. Also just want to add I’m not an expert or anything, just based on my experience renting places to live!
Reply 2
Original post by eeeli
(This answer assumes you’re in the UK, sorry if you aren’t as the rules will probs be different)
I don’t think she can take your deposit for this. Do you have proof of the state of the place when you moved in (ie photos) as these might help if she tries to charge you for cleaning - they can only charge you for things that would take the property back to the state it was in when you moved in, minus fair wear and tear. If you have an assured shorthold tenancy your deposit should be protected in a scheme which will give you avenues to dispute her taking it unfairly. If it is not protected and you have an AST she’s broken the rules and you can take her to court for compensation (if you have another type of tenancy this protection scheme rule doesn’t apply though). Regarding her entering your room, check your tenancy agreement for how much notice she should give before entering, I’m guessing she probably violated that. In any case she absolutely should not be letting herself in to your bedroom without permission.
I would recommend having a read of the pages on the Shelter website, they have lots of useful info about your rights as a tenant and how to deal with dodgy landlords. Your exact rights depend on what kind of tenancy you have and the tenancy agreement you agreed to so have a look at that too. You could also see if there is a renters union in your area (e.g. ACORN) who might be able to help you challenge things. But from the sounds of things your landlord is in the wrong in several ways here. Also just want to add I’m not an expert or anything, just based on my experience renting places to live!

Thanks for taking the time to reply , I only have pictures of my bedroom, I didn’t take pictures of the kitchen or bathroom as I was going to do that before I left but she had rushed me out of the house . I have a partial picture of the kitchen when she took apart the oven and tried to make me clean up the mess of a Tennant still living on the property. The kitchen is tiny, The partial picture shows that the floor , counters and the sink wash board being clean . But I didn’t take a picture of the bathroom she could claim whatever she wants. I’ll try reaching out to the sources u mentioned in the meantime . Hopefully it all works out .Thanks again
Reply 3
Original post by Anonymous
Thanks for taking the time to reply , I only have pictures of my bedroom, I didn’t take pictures of the kitchen or bathroom as I was going to do that before I left but she had rushed me out of the house . I have a partial picture of the kitchen when she took apart the oven and tried to make me clean up the mess of a Tennant still living on the property. The kitchen is tiny, The partial picture shows that the floor , counters and the sink wash board being clean . But I didn’t take a picture of the bathroom she could claim whatever she wants. I’ll try reaching out to the sources u mentioned in the meantime . Hopefully it all works out .Thanks again

As for the entering the premises without notice and failing to give notice viewing / someone moving in on the day my lease is still valid she was careful and did those conversations over phone or in person but I was witnesses my fLatmate for at least one of the events.

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