To think we should move in with my dad?

[bellyislikejelly]

Morning all,

So just got our new renewal through for our rented house..the estate agent has decided the rent should have a 'slight' increase to £75 extra a month..

We currently pay £1010 a month already, taking it up to £1085 a month..i have emailed the estate agent to state we cant afford to pay this amount however have heard nothing back as yet..

So question is do i pack everything up including my 9 year old DD & my partner and move in with my dad? My dad would take us in without question however im already slightly dreading it!

My dad has a lovely 4 bed house so we could still have our own bedrooms etc however my dad is currently signed off work ill (so of course the rent we would pay him would him out) therefore is home everyday? i do shift work so would be at home 4 days out of every week, which means i would be stuck with my dad!

This however would of course mean we could get a decent amount of money behind us in order to buy a house at the end of it..i think we would be looking at spending a good year with my dad

I dont really want to rent for the rest of my life, every year since weve been here the rent has gone up & we had planned to be here for the long term however by the end of it god only knows how much the rent would have gone up by..

Partner thinks its a good idea to go to my dads & this will help all of us out..

I however am having doubts, i love my space..

Help!

[Seabright]

I would do it, but with a fixed term agreed in advance.

[FredFredGeorge]

You don't have to sign a renewal, just say you are happy for the contract to roll over to an AST, the landlord would then have to have a different procedure to change the rent. You should do this anyway, removing the agent from the loop is almost certainly a good idea.

As to moving in with your dad - only you know if it's possible to live with him and stay happy, there's certainly nothing wrong with the idea, lots of people do it.

[Loquace]

What we did when MIL moved in here, was turn one of the bedrooms into a second living room, so I had a place to just go escape.

Is there an extra room you could do that with ? Your dad might not mind you doingthat, company is fun, but always under his feet might drive him bonkers.

[bellyislikejelly]

Thanks Seabright - thats a good idea, thanks

Fred - Can you explain a little more please? We already have an AST. However removing the estate agent would be ideal. Last year the estate agents wanted to put the rent up by £100 however when i had a chat with the landlady she explained that infact she had told them no & £35 was enough for the rent to go up by. Landlady also explained that she doesnt like this estate agents but is in a contract with them. The landlady wasnt actully in the email the estate agent said but the email did state they had discussed the increase with the landlady and all agreed £75 was only a 'slight' increase, so im guessing the landlady has agreed this time.

Hi Loquace, thanks for your reply. How did you cope with your MIL in your home? I think we could do that yes, my dad is very lonely so i think he would prefer us to all be together you see.

[PureQuintessence]

I am not sure but I think rent increases should either be at the rate of inflation or just to bring a property in line with the market. You also need to check what percentage the increase is, as I think there are rules, such as no more than 2.5%, but I am not sure.


Sorry, I am totally unhelpful

[purplewithred]

£75 increase on £1085 is nearly 7%. What on earth is their justification for this? Inflation in general is running far lower than this, house prices are static. Have they done anything to increase the value of the property?

If you move out and the property is empty for just one month the landlady will lose £1085 + all the costs of cleaning, refurbishment etc. So the risk to her far outweighs the benefits of £900 extra rent over the year.

Call their bluff.

On the other hand - how does your dad feel about you moving in to his house?

[FredFredGeorge]

bellyislikejelly When an AST comes to an end of the signed period, it rolls over automatically to a Periodic Tenancy under the same terms. Tell the landlord you want to do this, and will not sign a new contract. With a periodic tenancy the landlord can increase the rent, or kick you out on likely 2 months notice on an anniversary - although you can disagree to a rent increase and it go to a tribunal.

Also just talk to your landlord, ignore the agents, say we'll only deal with the landlord, you have no contract with them, your contract is with the landlord (presumably) yes the landlord may still have to pay them under their contract, although if it's a periodic tenancy they may well not have to pay the same. But that is no concern to you, agents are generally unreliable and aren't acting in your interest, don't waste your time with them.

Remind your landlord that a month void because they can't re-let immediately loses them more money than they have by not increasing the rent 75 quid.

[Loquace]

How did you cope with your MIL in your home?

It was a bit different to your set up love, she moved in with us cos we were caring for her, so it had complications.

But without that second living room I think I might have actually run away. It was my haven and made things more bearable.

I do think it is important that you all have a place to just go and be in your ownspace, as well as spending time together. That way people piss each other off less.

[bellyislikejelly]

Pure - Thanks i have googled & your right, the average is 2.5 % so infact you have been helpful!

Purple - Again thanks. No, no-one has set foot in this house for 2 years! We have an inspection every year of course which means the estate agent comes round pokes their fat head in every room & leaves again! We had so many issues with this house last year & it was only the landlady that sorted them out for us. The estate agents did nothing. My email back to them did call their bluff, i stated we couldnt afford to pay & wouldnt be paying. However am now slightly scared they will say ok leave!

In regards to my dad hes in desperate need of money & company, he rattles around in this big house all day on his own day in & day out..i would rather be helping him pay his mortgage than paying for this house. However again it all comes down to how i would cope with it. My dad & partner both think this is ideal for all of us.

Fred - Thanks for the info, really really helpful. Going to look into this option more.

Loquace - Thanks. I think having a 'space' of our own might just be vital if we are going to get through this!

[FredFredGeorge]

Also remember "okay leave" is something only you can do at the end of the period, you can't be simply told to leave, you have to be given formal notice, that notice is almost certainly 2 months from the date the rent is due. Don't be pressured into thinking you can suddenly find yourself without a place to go.

I would seriously consider living with your father though, you just have to talk to him about how to get your own spaces and rules.

[bellyislikejelly]

Thanks again Fred - My email was sent to the estate agents yesterday @ 1430 and heard nothing back yesterday & still nothing this morning. Im guessing they will be communcating with the landlady? Do you think i should send a copy of my email to the landlady? Or just wait and sit back?

Going to go over this again with my partner tonight, just to make sure were on the same wave length & then will go and speak to my dad again.

Thanks for your help & advice

[SarahWarahWoo]

I moved out as the rent was going up £150 per month, estate agent was horrified and landlord gutted, we moved into a smaller, cheaper flat and saved up to buy. In hindsight I should have said no the increase but it worked out ok. The estate agent may be chancing their arm?

[bellyislikejelly]

Hi Sarah, thanks. The problem with moving out to rent again is trying to get stupid deposit together again. It worked out nearly £4k in fees / upfront payments in order to get this house and i cannot afford to do that again. However i agree that moving to a smaller place would be my preferred option rather than my dads.

[Anniegetyourgun]

YABU to assume the estate agents got approval from the landlady first! There's a reason why estate agents have such a bad reputation, you know, and that's because a tidy few of them - including your lot by the sound of it - are a bunch of lying toads. I would definitely make sure she is copied in to any email exchange on the subject.

Q: What's the difference between an estate agent and a mouldy kipper?
A: One is slimy, has scales and smells funny. The other is a fish.

[Cantbelieveitsnotbutter]

I'd move into your dads to save to buy. Gotta be better then constantly being at landlords & agents mercy. Yes it will drive you potty but a 2nd living room will help. Ultimately buying has to be better then renting.



(From another renter!)

[FayeKorgasm]

I must admit I'm another one who wonders if the landlady is aware of the rent increase and if she isn't, was she ever going to receive it?

But then I'm a suspicious person having dealt with estate agents professionally for a long time. No longer thank god!

[bellyislikejelly]

thanks Annie

Cant Believe -Thanks..I agree, renting at the moment seems to be nothing but agg! Really grinding me down..its just the space & the privacy thats bothering me.

Faye great name btw I have just this minute sent a reply to the estate agents asking for a reply to my email & copied in the landlady for her to see the whole conversation. Im hoping she doesnt know & she'll rush in and save the day wishfull thinking

[GregBishopsBottomBitch]

I was gonna suggest aswell having a bedroom as your own small tv room, either if you rarely used it, its good to have the option of extra space, plus DD gets to spend time with GD, he gets company and you can save, its good for all.